By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka’s O’Connell Bridge will be the site of two back-to-back but unrelated public ceremonies Sunday.
The first will be the commemoration of 9/11 Day and the second will be the 50-year anniversary of the dedication of the bridge itself. (See related story, this page.)
AmeriCorps members, law enforcement and emergency responders will walk across O’Connell Bridge bridge as an observance of the September 11 National Day of Service.
Concrete forms are in place as construction workers build the O’Connell Bridge in 1972. (Sentinel File Photo)
President Biden proclaimed this Sunday as “Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance,” in accordance with Congressional resolutions designating the date for an annual tribute to those whose lives were lost in terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Sitka Fire Department, Alaska Troopers, U.S. Coast Guard and Sitka Police Department will be joined by Sitka AmeriCorps members and the public for the “Walk Across O’Connell Bridge.”
Participants will meet at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at the fire hall, and the walk to the bridge will begin at 1 p.m.
The walk will be preceded by a speech, and a recognition of the fallen, followed by a moment of silence.
As a display of remembrance, a list of the names of the 343 firefighters who died in the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, will be placed along the bridge.
Sitka AmeriCorps will host a small reception for participants.
Sarah Lawrie, Sitka AmeriCorps program director, said the local program volunteers wanted to express gratitude to first responders and fellow volunteers.
“We just wanted to say thank you to them,” she said.
Lawrie said a Blatchley social studies teacher, Ashley Nessler, who is an Americorps alum, does a 9-11 unit in her classes. The former New York resident this year organized her class to write thank you cards to the first responders. Students also created an art installation for the reception at the fire hall.
“9/11 Day is a chance to reinvigorate the unity that swept the nation in the aftermath of 9/11, while paying tribute with acts of service to those lost on September 11, 2001, heroic first responders and the countless others who serve to defend the nation’s freedom at home and around the globe,” an AmeriCorps news release said.
Katie Abbott, executive director of the Serve Alaska State Commission, said, “This year, Alaskan communities will join the thousands of Americans participating in acts of service to rekindle the spirit of unity and service that swept our nation after that tragic day. We encourage Alaskans to join us and commemorate this important part of American history by giving back to our communities through acts of service.”
Serve Alaska promotes and supports volunteerism across the state and brings AmeriCorps programs to Alaska. Sitka has eight members serving in AmeriCorps, including in the Sitka School District, Sitka Counseling, Mt. Edgecumbe High School and the Friends of the Sitka Animal Shelter.
