5th Annual 9/11 Memorial Tribute Climb at Hammock Beach

The community and media are invited to the 5th Annual 9/11 Memorial Tribute Climb on Thursday, September 11, at Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa. This year’s event is a two-part tribute—a ceremony at 8:15 a.m., followed by the climb at 8:46 a.m.—ensuring everyone can participate in remembrance, whether or not they choose to climb.

American Airlines Flight 11, which had taken off from Boston at 7:59 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, en route to Los Angeles,  was hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower at 8:46 a.m, killing all aboard and trapping all employees above the 91^st floor. Firefighters started climbing the tower to rescue individuals. United Airlines Flight 175, which took off from Boston at 8:15, also on its way to Los Angeles, crashed into the south tower at 9:03 a.m. The South Tower collapsed at 9:59. The North Tower collapsed at 10:28 a.m.

The ceremony is open to all and will include:

·         Welcome remarks by Lacy Martin

·         A performance by the Palm Coast Fire Department Pipes & Drums

·         Color Guard presentation of colors by Matanzas High School JROTC

·         National Anthem by Flagler Schools – Althia Thompson

·         Remarks by Flagler Schools Teacher of the Year Brandy Anderson

·         Speech by Indian Trails Middle School Student Valentina Mondragon Paredes

·         Reflections from Flagler County Fire Chief Michael Tucker and Flagler Sheriff Deputy Chief Joseph Barile

·         A patriotic display of first responder vehicles including: Flagler County Fire Rescue, Palm Coast Fire Department, Flagler County Sheriff’s office, East Flagler Mosquito Control Helicopter, Flagler County FireFlight and UF Health TraumaOne

At 8:46 AM, sirens will sound as the climb begins. More than 250 climbers will ascend the equivalent of 110 flights of stairs in honor of the lives lost on September 11. Each climber will carry a poker chip inscribed with the name of a fallen first responder—one of the 343 firefighters or 72 law enforcement officers—ensuring every hero is remembered.

“The streets and cars were surfaced in ash and there were garbage bags stacked high at curbstones and against the sides of buildings,” Don DeLillo wrote in Falling Man in 2007. “He walked slowly, watching for something he could not identify. Everything was gray, it was limp and failed, storefronts behind corrugated steel shutters, a city somewhere else, under permanent siege, and a stink in the air that infiltrated the skin. He stood at the National Rent-A-Fence barrier and looked into the haze, seeing the strands of bent filigree that were the last standing things, a skeletal remnant of the tower where he’d worked for ten years. The dead were everywhere, in the air, in the rubble, on rooftops nearby, in the breezes that carried from the river. They were settled in ash and drizzled on windows all along the streets, in his hair and on his clothes.”

Community members are encouraged to attend in whichever way feels most meaningful:

·         Join the ceremony at 8:15 AM and depart when the climb begins, or

·         Stay and witness the powerful moment as climbers embark on their journey of remembrance.

“This is a two-part event,” said Lacy Martin, event founder. “You don’t have to climb to participate. Whether you stand in honor at the ceremony or watch the climbers rise in tribute, your presence helps us keep the promise to never forget and ensure our younger generation understands the depth of this event in history.”