Living in Florida this really hits home.

Join us for 9/11 memorial in Ybor City

——– Original message ——–

From: Lori Rosso <lrosso@ybor.org>

Date: 9/4/18 10:33 AM (GMT-05:00)

To: Deb Hargreaves <DHargreaves@ybor.org>, Visitor Information Center <info@ybor.org>

Subject: Join us for 9/11 memorial in Ybor City

PRESS RELEASE

***For Immediate Release***

REMEMBERING SEPTEMBER THE 11TH IN TAMPA’S HISTORIC YBOR CITY

Area Business Leaders Gather to Remember With Locals Who Were There on 9/11

Media Contact:

Deborah Hargreaves, Event Coordinator

813-482-2312

dhargreaves@ybor.org

— Ybor City

The Ybor City Chamber of Commerce has organized a brief, powerful observance of 9/11 unlike any we’ve ever seen locally. They’re inviting all Tampa Bay area residents, especially those who lost loved ones or friends in the terrorist attacks on September the 11th, 2001 to join them at the 9/11 Memorial in historic Ybor City. This local memorial includes dramatic statuary featuring heroic First Responders and showcases one of the largest pieces of Ground Zero steel anywhere in the state of Florida.

The event Master of Ceremonies will be the Reverend Benjamin Curry of the Greater New Salem Primitive Baptist Church on nearby Nebraska Avenue. The Keynote Speaker for this solemn event will be Captain Greg Amira, US Army (Retired). Greg, who now resides in Land O’Lakes, was in the World Trade Center as terrorists piloted planes into them on that fateful morning. He now heads WoundedVets.org in support of wounded veterans in Tampa Bay.

The event timeline will mark the sequence of events on September 11th as attendees will observe a moment of silence when planes struck the WTC’s North Tower at 8:46 AM. Captain Amira will give brief remarks about his experiences that day, and Hillsborough County Firefighters Local Union 2294 Treasurer, Captain Christopher Boles, will toll the bell eleven times to mark the moment that a second plane struck the second [South] tower at 903 AM. First Responders from all across our community, including City & County EMS/Fire & Law Enforcement personnel are invited to attend and be recognized, especially those who were at The World Trade Center or who traveled to assist with search & rescue efforts in the wake of the attack.

Lori Rosso, Executive Director of the Ybor City Chamber lauded these community heroes. ” They all deserve our unwavering support and recognition,” said Rosso. She went on to say, “We’ve established a monthly Ybor Heroes Award recognizing military Veterans & First Responders, so we could think of no better way to honor these heroes than to organize an event like this! It makes it all the more special that we can honor Captain Amira who was in New York City and who also saw combat action in the military while serving in the Middle East.”

*Media are invited to attend and interview willing area heroes. Find the event timeline and details on this and other events at Ybor.org

September 11th Remembrance Ceremony – Event Timeline

*** 

8:30 AM 

Begin Gathering***

Our brief remembrance program kicks off promptly at 8:45 AM – just one minute prior to the exact moment when the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center as outlined below.

• 8:46 am – Mohammed Atta and the other hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 11 crash the plane into floors 93-99 of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, killing everyone on board and hundreds inside the building.

Greg Amira talks for about 15 minutes regarding his experiences inside the WTC at Ground Zero on September 11th.

• 8:47 am – Within seconds, NYPD and FDNY forces dispatch units to the World Trade Center, while Port Authority Police Department officers on site begin immediate evacuation of the North Tower.

• 8:50 am – White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card alerts President George W. Bush that a plane has hit the World Trade Center; the president is visiting an elementary school in nearby Sarasota at the time.

• 9:02 am – After initially instructing tenants of the WTC’s South Tower to remain in the building, Port Authority officials broadcast orders to evacuate both towers via the public address system; an estimated 10,000 to 14,000 people are already in the process of evacuating.

• 9:03 am – Hijackers crash United Airlines Flight 175 into floors 75-85 of the WTC’s South Tower, killing everyone on board and hundreds inside the building.

We will toll the bell at 9:03 AM and conclude the ceremony with a bagpipe version of “Amazing Grace.”

EVENT TIMELINE:

8:30 a.m.             Gather at the 9-11 Memorial South of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Communications Center

8:45 a.m.             Reverend Benjamin Curry will recognize dignitaries and Opening Prayer

8:46 a.m.             Moment of Silence marking the First Plane Impact

8:48 a.m.             Reflections by Greg Amira, Ground Zero Veteran who was in the WTC [Approx. 20-25 Minutes]

9:03 a.m.             Firefighters toll the bell eleven times in remembrance of those lost to mark when the 2nd plane impacted WTC

9:05 a.m.             Concluding Prayer [Possibly conclude with “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes]