Tribute honors attacks' victims

SANDPOINT — More than 3,000 people died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Local Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Albeni Falls Pipes and Drums band members want to make sure those killed in the attacks aren’t forgotten.

That’s why they are bringing back the ceremony for an eleventh year. Beginning at noon today at Memorial Field, the ceremony will honor the lives lost in the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.

Event organizer Ed Gould will introduce the ceremony starting 12:15 p.m. Following the opening remarks, Pastor Stan Norman will provide a dedication for the proceedings at 12:25, followed by a 12:40 p.m. performance by Albeni Falls Pipes and Drums. At 12:50 p.m., special guest speaker Ralph Walter will explore the Sept. 11 memorial’s persistent theme of how the attacks changed America. Finally, the closing ceremony will occur at 1 p.m. with the retiring of the color guards.   

Unlike last year, the event is changing venue from City Beach to Memorial Field. While the beach and Lake Pend Oreille made for great scenery, the lack of seating proved difficult for some individuals who had to stand for the duration of the ceremony.

“This year, were going to try to use Memorial Field — mostly because it has bleachers,” Gould said.

As for the speaker, Walter is the fire chief in Colfax, Wash., and as such, he meets the qualifications planners seek when setting up the Sept. 11 memorial.

“Each year, we have featured someone from the Coast Guard or some other organization that has changed after 9-11,” Gould said. “We want them to explain how 9-11 changed their organization’s mission.”

Throughout Walter’s long career as a firefighter, change is one thing he’s seen in abundance. A key figure in training firefighters all around the Northwest, he’s been a direct witness to the transition from pre-Sept. 11 fire departments to post-Sept. 11 fire departments. In fact, he worked with several individuals from New York City shortly before Sept. 11 who subsequently died in the attacks.  

Aside from the ceremonies, the event will also have a strong local bent. Sandpoint Police Department will be contributing a color guard, while representatives from the Sandpoint Fire Department will join the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s color guard.

As the master of ceremonies for the eleventh memorial for Sept. 11, Gould said public participation tends to wax and wane from year.

“The crowd started thinning out in years eight and nine,” he said. “Then there was a tremendous turnout for the tenth anniversary.”

Gould and other organizers hope residents arrive in similarly strong numbers this year. While there was initially talk about ending the event after the tenth anniversary, supporters and city officials felt it was important to use a day remembering one of the most significant and costly events of the new millennium.