Sept. 11 will be remembered locally

The 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks will be commemorated in the Camas-Washougal and Vancouver areas. The Camas-Washougal Fire Department and the East Clark Professional Fire Fighters Local 2444 will host a memorial service Sunday, at 7 a.m., in front of the Camas Public Library, 625 N.E. Fourth Ave. It is being coordinated by firefighter Chris Richardson. After the service, a breakfast will be served in the upstairs meeting room of the library. Donations to the East Clark Professional Fire Fighters Benevolent Foundation will be accepted. The service and breakfast will be open to the public. Adam R. Brice, president of Local 2444, said the foundation provides support to local and regional firefighters in need as well as holiday food and toy banks, the Coats for Kids program, the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The City of Vancouver and the Community Military Appreciation Committee invite the public to attend a Patriot Day ceremony Sunday, at 9 a.m., in front of City Hall, 415 W. Sixth St. The ceremony, sponsored by the CMAC and Waste Connections, will include the Vancouver Police and Vancouver Fire Honor Guard, musical performances, a ceremonial fire department bell ringing and Vancouver Veterans of Foreign Wars rifle salute. There will also be remarks by Vancouver Mayor Pro Tem Anne McEnerny-Ogle, Vancouver Fire Chief Joe Molina and Vancouver Police Chief James McElvain. Artist Gerald Siegel will present a stained glass panel commemorating first responders to the Vancouver Fire Department. On Sept. 11, 2001, 343 firefighters and paramedics were killed in New York City. Hijacked Flight 11 crashed into World Trade Center 1 at 8:46 a.m., followed by Flight 175 that struck World Trade Center 2 at 9:03 a.m. A third plane crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. A fourth plane crashed into an empty field in Pennsylvania. All told, nearly 3,000 people were killed. In 2013, a granite memorial was dedicated at East County Fire & Rescue Station 91, 600 N.E. 267th Ave., Camas, next to Grove Field Airport. It was donated by the America for Youth Foundation and a group of area motorcyclists. The memorial signifies the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The towers include the names of the firefighters who died Sept. 11, 2001. The names at the bottom of the memorial are Clark County firefighters who have died in the line of duty during the past several years.

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