By Emily Williams-Robertshaw
This year is the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The cities of Homewood, Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills will gather in Crestline Village on Sept. 11 for an annual Patriot Day Ceremony.
Ceremonial bells will ring and a moment of silence will be taken to honor the 2,977 lives lost, including more than 340 first responders, as hijacked planes struck the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and United Flight 93 was crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.
The ceremony will take place in the O’Neal Library parking lot, beneath the shadow of a large American flag that will be hoisted high by fire trucks from each of the host cities’ fire departments.
Nearby, a memorial installed at the Mountain Brook Fire Department’s Fire Station 1 showcases a beam of steel from the World Trade Center Towers. The 9/11 memorial serves as an everyday reminder of the terrorist attacks.
Mountain Brook was set to host last year’s ceremony, but the event was canceled because of pandemic health and safety measures.
Keynote speaker will be Brian Hastings, director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.
Born in Germany and raised in Chicago, Hastings has a family history of military service. His father was an officer with the U.S. Army.
A passion for service led him to join the U.S. Airforce Academy and subsequently the U.S. Air Force, in which he served from 1990 until his retirement as a colonel in 2017.
In his military career, he earned the Bronze Star for his service in Afghanistan, two Legion of Merit Medals and three Meritorious Service Medals.
The ceremony also will include music performed by the Mountain Brook High School jazz band.
For more information, visit mtnbrookchamber.org.
