By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
West Haven will observe the 16th 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 and Drums.
The flag-raising will honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 people who were killed in the attacks.
Remarks from dignitaries, including Mayor Edward M. O’Brien, 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 Rotary Club will distribute candles and programs.
Gabrielle was West Haven’s lone victim of the attack on the twin towers in New York’s World Trade Center complex. An insurance broker at Aon Corp., Gabrielle, 50, 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 former 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.
Nora Mullins and Grace Kelly Nowak will sing the national anthem and “God Bless America,” respectively.