Utah’s Fallen Warrior Memorial Ceremony, parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph, Washington City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2013 | Photo by John Teas, St. George News
WASHINGTON CITY – A crowd gathered in Washington City yesterday for the presentation of a 4.5-ton section of wall salvaged from the ruins of the World Trade Center. Community members gathered to commemorate those who lost their lives in the 2001 attacks and subsequent wars that followed.
The monument rolled into Washington City on a flatbed truck at 4 p.m. Washington City police cruisers escorted the truck from the Interstate-15 off-ramp to the parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph Road where a small crowd of people had already gathered.
The fragment was once a piece of the World Trade Center’s slurry wall, which served as an underground barrier between the building’s foundation and the corrosive waters of the Hudson River. The piece is making its way through the entire state, visiting 20 cities across Utah on it’s way to Salt Lake City where it will be installed as a monument at the Fort Douglas Military Museum. Washington City was the fourth stop on the tour.
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Videocast by Michael Flynn, St. George News
At 6 p.m., a short ceremony was held. The American Legion played taps and performed a 21 gun salute to honor all of those who have died in service of their country since the attacks. Afterwards, Washington City Mayor Ken Neilson spoke about the importance of service.
“There’s not a lot I can say, but there is one thing that I would counsel you to do,” he said to the assembled crowd. “Take care of your families,” he said. “Take care of yourself and look for somebody who is in need and go help them.”
Washington City councilman Bill Hudson and Police Chief Jim Keith also spoke to the crowd, as did Raette Belcher, the woman responsible for bringing the monument to Utah in the first place.
Belcher founded a group called Utah Fallen Warriors after having dinner with a group of mothers who had all lost sons or daughters in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “I realized that, most of all, what these mothers wanted was for their sons to be remembered,” Belcher said. “So I embarked upon this mission and here I am today.”
Belcher said that, while the main purpose of the tour is to share the monument with people outside of the Salt Lake area, they are also raising money for the completion of a memorial garden at the Fort Douglas Military Museum, where the monument is planned to be installed.
“We are almost finished with the construction work on it, but we are still raising funds to make this happen,” said Belcher. She said that people can help to make the memorial a reality by donating at the Utah Wounded Warriors website.
The monument will be displayed in Cedar City this afternoon from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Main Street Park, with a ceremony planned for 6 p.m.
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On a tour through Utah, a 4.5-ton concrete slab from the ruins of the World Trade Center arrived for the Utah’s Fallen Warrior Memorial Ceremony, parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph, Washington City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2013 | Photo by John Teas, St. George News
Utah’s Fallen Warrior Memorial Ceremony, parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph, Washington City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2013 | Photo by John Teas, St. George News
Utah’s Fallen Warrior Memorial Ceremony, parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph, Washington City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2013 | Photo by John Teas, St. George News
Utah’s Fallen Warrior Memorial Ceremony, parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph, Washington City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2013 | Photo by John Teas, St. George News
Marty Peck and his wife Sharon stand at what will become the memorial stone representing Utah’s Fallen Warriors. Utah’s Fallen Warrior Memorial Ceremony, parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph, Washington City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2013 | Photo by John Teas, St. George News
Foster Johnson from the Lester Keate Post 90, Saint George Utah pays respect to Utah’s Fallen Warriors. Utah’s Fallen Warrior Memorial Ceremony, parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph, Washington City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2013 | Photo by John Teas, St. George News
Utah’s Fallen Warrior Memorial Ceremony, parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph, Washington City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2013 | Photo by John Teas, St. George News
Utah’s Fallen Warrior Memorial Ceremony, parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph, Washington City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2013 | Photo by John Teas, St. George News
Utah’s Fallen Warrior Memorial Ceremony, parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph, Washington City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2013 | Photo by John Teas, St. George News
Utah’s Fallen Warrior Memorial Ceremony, parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph, Washington City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2013 | Photo by John Teas, St. George News
Raette Belcher, the woman responsible for bringing the monument to Utah and founder of Utah's Fallen Warriors. Utah’s Fallen Warrior Memorial Ceremony, parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph, Washington City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2013 | Photo by John Teas, St. George News
Washington City Mayor Ken Neilson gives address at the Utah’s Fallen Warrior Memorial Ceremony. Rear L-R Washington City Police Chief Jim Keith, City Councilman Bill Hudson, Utah Fallen Warriors founder Raette Belcher, the woman responsible for bringing the monument to Utah, in the parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph, Washington City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2013 | Photo by John Teas, St. George News
Washington City Councilman Bill Hudson. Utah’s Fallen Warrior Memorial Ceremony, parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph, Washington City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2013 | Photo by John Teas, St. George News
A young American Patriot contributes to the Utah’s Fallen Warriors Memorial Fund. Utah’s Fallen Warrior Memorial Ceremony, parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph, Washington City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2013 | Photo by John Teas, St. George News
Washington City Police Chief Jim Keith. Utah’s Fallen Warrior Memorial Ceremony, parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph, Washington City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2013 | Photo by John Teas, St. George News
Boyd Christiansen brings his grandson Quinton to the Utah’s Fallen Warrior Memorial Ceremony, parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph, Washington City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2013 | Photo by John Teas, St. George News
Three-year-old Jerald Thomas Huggins touches a piece of 911 history that he will learn about in school. Utah’s Fallen Warrior Memorial Ceremony, parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph, Washington City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2013 | Photo by John Teas, St. George News
Mike “Striber” Gamble and fellow Patriots Motorcycle Club member Joe “Kapow-Ski” Galinski stand in the shadow of Utah’s Fallen Warriors. Utah’s Fallen Warrior Memorial Ceremony, parking lot of The Home Depot on Telegraph, Washington City, Utah, Sept. 24, 2013 | Photo by John Teas, St. George News
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Originally from Grafton, Ohio, Michael Flynn has lived in Southern Utah since 2008. Michael studied technical writing and editing at DSU and graduated with a degree in English in 2011.
They’re still trying to sell the lie to the American people 12 years later. Stuff like this further suppresses the truth and perpetuates the myth. Those vets would lose ther mind once they found out what really happened. I find it’s interesting that they’re using a 4.5 ton chunk of concrete, and was in an undamaged location, bcus most of the concrete was pulverized into dust from the military grade nano thermite that brought the buildings down. 😉
They’re still trying to sell the lie to the American people 12 years later. Stuff like this further suppresses the truth and perpetuates the myth. Those vets would lose ther mind once they found out what really happened. I find it’s interesting that they’re using a 4.5 ton chunk of concrete, and was in an undamaged location, bcus most of the concrete was pulverized into dust from the military grade nano thermite that brought the buildings down. 😉