City to honor 2,977 lives lost on Sept. 11 with ceremony
Join others Friday morning as the community remembers the day that left an everlasting imprint on American lives 25 years ago.
The city of Sanibel will honor the 2,977 lives lost on Sept. 11 on Friday morning beginning at 8:15 a.m. with a special Waves of Remembrance ceremony.
Sanibel Recreation Department Marketing & Events Coordinator Denise Dillon, said she lived “a mile as the crow flies from the World Trade Center,” so holding the Waves of Remembrance: A Morning of Reflection and putting together A Field of Heroes runs deep.
After the first plane hit, she and her husband got in the car and went to Liberty State Park, where they saw the building on fire.
“At that point we didn’t know it was a major airline plane that hit the building,” Dillon said — they thought it was some wayward, small one-passenger plane that hit by mistake.
The couple sat there watching the fire saying how are they going to fix the building and save the building, until the park was closed and everybody left.
On their way home the second plane hit.
“My husband was in law enforcement in Jersey City at the time,” Dillon said, adding that he was in the dig out for weeks. “There are many friends that I lost, friends whose family members were lost.”
Now 25 years later, 9/11 continues to have a profound impact on people.
“I just lost a high school friend who was on the pile,” Dillon said. “In that area — the tri-state area — you knew somebody — there was no way to not have a connection to someone. It was an all encompassing tragedy.”
She said the Waves of Remembrance, as well as A Field of Heroes, is held because it is important for everybody to pass on their story to someone, so that it is not forgotten.
The Wave of Remembrance program will begin at 8:15 a.m. at The Community House with the Sanibel Police Department and Sanibel Fire and Rescue District Honor Guard, followed by opening remarks by city of Sanibel Mayor Mike Miller and a prayer and reflection by City Councilmember Richard Johnson.
Harrison McNeilus will say the Pledge of Allegiance and Tessa Schmucker will sing the national anthem, both from The Sanibel School.
Throughout the program, moments of silence will be held to honor the lives lost.
Three individuals will also be highlighted during the program.
Dillon said a few speakers will each speak about a person who was tragically lost on that day.
A personal account will also be given by Vice Mayor John Henshaw.
The program will conclude with City Councilmember Holly Smith, who will provide remarks on “Keeping the Promise to Never Forget” at 9:15 a.m.
There will also be a special announcement made for a special city initiative for 2027.
“We have another 9/11 project that will take place in 2027 and we are going to announce that at the ceremony Friday,” Dillon said.
The program will be held at The Community House at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel.ww
To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY / mbradbrury@breezenewspapers.com, please email