By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
West Haven will observe the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on 9/11 with a flag-raising ceremony at 6:30 p.m. at the Bradley Point Park flagpole, followed by a candlelight vigil at the city’s 9/11 memorial.
The solemn service will begin with a presentation of the colors by the West Haven Police Honor Guard and the flag-raising by the West Haven Fire Department Honor Guard.
The flag-raising will honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 people who died in the attacks. It will include remarks by city leaders, including Mayor Dorinda Borer, Police Chief Joseph S. Perno and Fire Chief James P. O’Brien.
Rick Spreyer, Borer’s chief of staff, will serve as the master of ceremonies.
Sophia Bella Martineau will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and St. Lawrence School students will sing “God Bless America.” A pastor of Vertical Church will give the opening remembrance prayer, and Art Gilbert will play taps.
The New Haven County Firefighters Emerald Society Pipes & Drums will perform “America the Beautiful.”
At 7 p.m., the candlelight vigil will take place at the Richard S. Gabrielle Sept. 11 Memorial on the boardwalk next to the former Savin Rock Conference Center, 6 Rock St.
Members of the West Haven Rotary Club will distribute candles and programs at the granite monument, which was paid for by the service club in 2002. It was designed by Harold J. Schaller of H.K. Peacock Memorials Inc. in Valhalla, New York.
Gabrielle, 50, of West Haven, was killed during the attack on the twin towers in New York’s World Trade Center complex. An insurance broker at Aon Corp., he was last seen on the south tower’s 78th floor.
Declared Patriot Day by Congress in 2002, the city will fly flags at half-staff in recognition of the national day of remembrance.
The vigil will feature a presentation of the colors by the police honor guard and Celtic folk performances by Irish singer-songwriter Liz McNicholl, including “The Bravest,” a tribute to the heroes of 9/11.
It will also include a wreath-laying by Deputy Police Chief Carl V. Flemmig Jr. and Deputy Fire Chief William S. Johnson IV, along with a performance of “Amazing Grace” by the emerald society.