By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
West Haven will observe the 18th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist 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 service will begin with a presentation of the colors by the West Haven Police Color Guard and the flag-raising by the West Haven Fire Department Honor Guard and the New Haven County Firefighters Emerald Society Pipes & Drums.
The flag-raising will honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 people who died in the attacks. Remarks from dignitaries, including Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, will follow.
At 7 p.m., the candlelight vigil will take place at the Richard S. Gabrielle Sept. 11 Memorial on the beach walk next to the 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.
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 taps played by retired West Shore Fire Department Lt. Kevin McKeon and a Celtic folk performance by Irish singer-songwriter Liz McNicholl, including the song “The Bravest,” a tribute to the heroes of 9/11.
Boy Scout Troop 899 of the First Baptist Church of West Haven will lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Nora E. Mullins will sing the national anthem, and Grace Kelly Nowak will sing “God Bless America.”