Orange County to host Sept. 11th Patriot Day Remembrance ceremony

MONTGOMERY — Orange County will host the September 11th Patriot Day ceremony at the Orange County Arboretum at Thomas Bull Memorial Park on Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 6 p.m.
“Each year at this beautiful ceremony we remember and honor the Orange County residents who died when our country was attacked on Sept. 11th, 2001,” County Executive Steven Neuhaus said in the press release detailing the ceremony. “We will never forget the victims of the terrorist attacks that day and we will all make sure that their memories live on.
"Patriot’s Day also provides all us," Neuhaus added, "with another opportunity to show our appreciation for the thousands of Orange County men and women in the armed forces who continue to make sacrifices for our country.”
'An indelible mark on our community'Orange County Legislator James O’Donnell will be the keynote speaker at the event. O’Donnell worked for the State Police from 1974 to 1997, retiring with the rank of Lt. Col. He went on to serve as the Chief of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department and was on duty during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
O'Donnell also is a candidate for 18th Congressional District this November.
“The terrorist attacks on 9/11 left an indelible mark on our community,” O’Donnell said. “I’m honored to be delivering the keynote speech and humbled that I will be joined by many of the victims’ families and friends. September 11th remains one of the most trying and challenging days of my career, and those memories will never fade.”
The ceremony, which is open to the public, will honor the memory of the 44 Orange County residents who lost their lives during the 9/11 terrorist attacks and will also honor the military personnel who serve the nation.
EssentialsFamilies and survivors of 9/11, families of local military personnel and veterans are invited to participate in the remembrance ceremony and join the procession by assembling at the Arboretum’s Ottaway Education Center at 5:30 p.m.
The procession will begin at 5:55 p.m. followed promptly by the ceremony.
For more information, contact Justin Rodriguez, Assistant to the County Executive for Communications and Media Relations at 845.291.3255 or jrodriguez@orangecountygov.com.

Editor's note: A number of communities throughout Orange County, including Chester, Monroe and Warwick, also hold remembrance ceremonies on this, the seventeenth anniversary.