September 11 Remembrance Ceremony

9-11 Flag at Pentagon

Six residents of Great Falls perished in the 9/11 attacks. A ceremony will be held to honor them and all who sacrificed on that day and its aftermath at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial on Wednesday, September 11, 2019, at 7 o’clock p.m. The ceremony will feature a Boy Scout color guard, taps bugler, patriotic songs, candle-lighting, and keynote speech by Frank Sesno, CNN Washington Bureau Chief on 9/11.

All are invited. The Freedom Memorial is located behind the Great Falls Library at 9830 Georgetown Pike. Ample parking is available in the library parking lot. In case of rain, the ceremony will move indoors to the library meeting room. Limited seating will be provided. Attendees are encouraged to bring portable chairs. www.gffreedom.org

Memorial Day Ceremony, May 27, 2019

On Monday, May 27, at 11 o’clock a.m., the annual Memorial Day ceremony will be held at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial to honor those who gave “the last full measure of devotion” in service of freedom. The event will feature patriotic songs, a color guard and raising of the flags by Boy Scout Troop 55, a wreath laying, and a bell-ringing and name-reading for natives of Great Falls killed in battle.

The Freedom Memorial is located behind the Great Falls Library at 9830 Georgetown Pike. The ceremony is open to all. Parking is available in the library parking lot. In case of rain, the ceremony may move to the library meeting room. Limited seating and shelter will be provided. Attendees are encouraged but not required to bring portable chairs.

Updates to the schedule, if any, will be posted here.

Memorial Day Ceremony, May 28, 2018

On Monday, May 28, at 11 o’clock a.m., the annual Memorial Day ceremony was held at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial to honor those who gave “the last full measure of devotion” in service of freedom. Longtime Vienna resident and World War II “civilian veteran” Rita C. Stead delivered the keynote address on the meaning of Memorial Day. The event also included patriotic songs, a raising of the flags by Boy Scout Troop 55, a wreath laying, and a bell-ringing and name-reading for natives of Great Falls killed in battle.

The Great Falls Connection published an article about the event, which can be seen by clicking the image below.

Great Falls Connection cover, May 30, 2018
Great Falls Connection cover, May 30, 2018

A flyer for the event can be found here.

The Freedom Memorial is located behind the Great Falls Library at 9830 Georgetown Pike. The ceremonies are open to all. Parking is available in the library parking lot. In case of rain, ceremonies will move to the library meeting room. Limited seating and shelter will be provided. Attendees are encouraged but not required to bring portable chairs.

Veterans Day Ceremony, November 11, 2017

The annual Veterans Day Ceremony will be held at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial (behind the library) this upcoming Saturday, November 11, 2017, at 11 am—the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.  A flyer is below.  In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will move indoors to the library meeting room.

You can visit our Facebook page at:

https://www.facebook.com/greatfallsfreedommemorial/

September 11 Remembrance Ceremony

9/11 candlelight vigil, Great Falls Freedom Memorial, Great Falls, Virginia
9/11 candlelight vigil, Great Falls Freedom Memorial, Great Falls, Virginia

On Monday, September 11, at 7 o’clock pm, the annual September 11 Remembrance Ceremony was held at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial. Great Falls lost six residents to the attacks on September 11, perhaps the highest casualty rate in America. The ceremony honored them and all who sacrificed on that day and in its aftermath.

The event opened with a presentation of the flag by a detachment of the United States Marine Corps.  The audience recited the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Boy Scout Troop 55, and sang the National Anthem, led by Erin Gantt of the Washington Choral Arts Society.  The keynote speaker, Great Falls resident Jim Roberts, President of Radio America and founder of the American Veterans Center, shared vivid audio from his station’s radio broadcast on 9/11, his recollections of the terrorist attacks, and his thoughts on the lessons to be drawn from them.  The audience lit candles in remembrance of each of the September 11 victims from Great Falls, while trumpeter Steven Pastore, also of Great Falls, sounded Taps.

The Great Falls Connection carried a story about the event, which you can read by clicking on the image below.2017 09 13 thru 2017 09 19 Great Falls Connection article re 2017 September 11 Remembrance Ceremony at Great Falls Freedom Memorial--front page

View and share pictures and video about the event here.  A video of the entire event can be seen here:

The Freedom Memorial is located behind the Great Falls Library at 9830 Georgetown Pike and hosts three ceremonies each year, on Memorial Day, September 11, and Veterans Day. The ceremonies are open to all. Ample parking is available in the library parking lot. In case of rain, the ceremony moves to the library meeting room. Limited seating is provided. Attendees are encouraged to bring portable chairs to all Freedom Memorial ceremonies, particularly Memorial Day.

Upcoming events

June 14, 2017 – Flag retirement ceremony.  Bring your old flags to be retired in accordance with the Flag Code.

July 4, 2017 – 5K race, 8 am

September 11, 2017 – September 11 remembrance ceremony

November 11, 2017 – Veterans Day ceremony