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Annual 9-11 Remembrance Ceremony – 2025

Cynthia StrassbergLeave a comment

On Thursday, September 11, at 7 o’clock p.m., the annual 9-11 Remembrance Ceremony will be held at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial to honor the six residents of Great Falls and all others who lost their lives or suffered in the attacks and the aftermath.  The keynote speaker will be Marc H. Sasseville, Lieutenant General, U.S. Air Force (Retired). On the morning of the attacks on September 11, 2001, Lt. Gen. Sasseville was one of four pilots given the mission of finding United Airlines Flight 93 and destroying it, even if it meant ramming the aircraft.

Lt. Gen. Sasseville graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science in International Affairs. Following pilot training, he served in various operational units in United States Air Forces Europe, Tactical Air Command/Air Combat Command, and Pacific Air Forces. After his last active-duty assignment, he joined the District of Columbia Air National Guard. He has held squadron, group, wing and numbered air force command. He also served as the Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché to Turkey. He was the Commander, Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and First Air Force, Air and Space Forces Northern, headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.

Lt. Gen. Sasseville has received many awards and decorations, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters.

This is the official portrait of Lt. Gen. Marc Sasseville.

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 will move to the Grange. Limited seating and shelter will be provided. Attendees are encouraged but not required to bring portable chairs.

Updates to the schedule will be posted at www.gffreedom.org

Memorial Day Ceremony – May 26, 2025

Cynthia StrassbergLeave a comment

On Monday, May 26, at 11:00 a.m., the annual Memorial Day ceremony will be held at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial to honor the residents of Great Falls and all others who have given “the last full measure of devotion” to their country.

Our keynote speaker this year is Bob Wallace, who served in Vietnam with a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol unit (called LERP).  After Vietnam, Mr. Wallace spent 33 years with the CIA.

The ceremony will also feature a local Scout Color Guard and patriotic songs performed by professional singers.

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 will move to either the library meeting room or the Grange. Limited seating will be provided. Attendees are encouraged but not required to bring portable chairs.

Veterans Day Ceremony – Monday, November 11, 2024

Cynthia StrassbergLeave a comment
November 1, 2024 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
On Monday, November 11, at 11:00 a.m., the annual Veterans Day Ceremony will be held at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial.  The ceremony will honor all who have served our country in the Armed Forces. 
 
The keynote speaker is author and Detective Taylor Cleveland, who served as the Senior Line Company Corpsman for India Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment. He was deployed to the Al-Anbar province of Iraq in 2005 where he was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V” device, and the Purple Heart. His book, “Mother’s Day: The Courage & Sacrifice of the 3rd Battalion 25th,” was published in 2023, and he is in his 27th year as a Detective for the Conneaut, Ohio, Police Department. 
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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 lot. In case of rain, the ceremony will move to the Grange. Limited seating and shelter will be provided. Attendees are encouraged but not required to bring portable chairs.

Free Flags American photo and picture

Gazette Leader Coverage of 9/11/24 Remembrance Ceremony

Cynthia StrassbergLeave a comment

9/11 ceremony notes impact on Great Falls, resilience of residents

GazetteLeader                       

Six residents from community died in 2001 terrorist attacks

More than 160 members of the Great Falls community and surrounding areas turned out for the annual commemoration of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The event and vigil was held at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial.

“I was one of the lucky ones,” said retired U.S. Navy Adm. Lou Crenshaw, who was in the Pentagon when it was struck by a hijacked airliner.

Others, he noted, were not so fortunate, including six Great Falls residents who were in the hijacked plans that day: Ann Judge, Lisa Rains, George and Diane Simmons, Barbara Olson and U.S. Marine 1st Lt. Richard Gabriel.

“They are all heroes in my book,” Crenshaw said, urging attendees to be prepared for challenges and “develop a mindset to help others by doing things that put other people first.”

“When you see or are involved in the next crisis, or emergency, or difficult situation – turn toward it,” he said. “Because you have discarded the ‘me-too’ attitude, you have the tools to deal with the problem and you remember the footprints left in the sand by Ann, Lisa, George, Diane, Barbara and Richard. That’s the most fitting way to honor them.”

Among those participating in the event were members of Boy Scout Troop 55 (color guard), Erin Gantt (leading the National Anthem) and Jonathan Torres (presenting Taps). Great Falls Freedom Memorial board president Andy Wilson welcomed dignitaries.

https://www.gazetteleader.com/fairfax/news/911-ceremony-notes-impact-on-great-falls-resilience-of-residents-9515987

Veterans Day Ceremony 2022 Recap

Bruce FeinLeave a comment

The 2022 Veterans Day Ceremony honored veterans from Great Falls and all who have served in the Armed Forces. The ceremony featured a presentation of the colors by Boy Scout Troop 55, the Pledge of Allegiance led by the Boy Scouts and Brownie Troop 51156, patriotic songs by the Langley Madrigals, and remarks by retired Army Command Sergeant Major Howard E. “Howie” Urban. Video of the ceremony can be seen below or by clicking here.

How the Freedom Memorial in Great Falls, Virginia came to be

Bruce FeinLeave a comment

Community, volunteers, public service, duty, honor, country. Built and funded by the community through in-kind and monetary donations. Dedicated November 13, 2004.

Fact sheet prepared by the late Milburn Sanders, the first Secretary of the Friends of the Great Falls Freedom Memorial and founder of the Great Falls Historical Society:

Fact sheet regarding the Great Falls Freedom Memorial, by Great Falls historian Milburn Sanders
Fact sheet regarding the Great Falls Freedom Memorial, by Great Falls historian Milburn Sanders

Video about the creation of the Freedom Memorial, produced by Nancy Wilson:

To see remarks in the Congressional Record by Congressman Frank Wolf in recognition of the dedication of the Great Falls Freedom Memorial, click here.

Pictures from the dedication of the Freedom Memorial on November 13, 2004, are available here.

To see the contemporaneous press release from Fairfax County about the dedication ceremony for the Freedom Memorial, click here.