May 25, 2012
Dear Families and Friends,
This weekend there will be Memorial Day parades in communities throughout the United States paying tribute to our veterans and the brave men and women who died serving our country. In our town, the high school band will play and sports teams, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and Indian Princesses and their dads march. The parade ends at the cemetery, where speakers recognize the sacrifices made by those who paid the ultimate price to protect and preserve our freedoms. One of those who will be remembered is Jack Dempsey of the New Canaan High School Class of 2000. Jack was 23 years old when he died fighting the war in Al Anbar Province in Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalian, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
We will always remember the sacrifices made by the thousands of men and women, who like Jack, responded to the attacks on 9/11 by enlisting in the military to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As we observe Memorial Day, we honor those who bravely served our country and died in war, but we also remember the families who mourn. Our families feel a strong connection to the family members who have lost their husbands, wives, sons, daughters, nephews, nieces, uncles and aunts.
Likewise, we recognize the sacrifices made by the rescue, recovery and rescue workers who responded in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.
A few days after Memorial Day, the City of New York and the 9/11 Memorial are inviting those who participated in the 9/11 rescue, recovery and relief efforts to attend a special Thank You Tribute at the 9/11 Memorial in New York City. As a family member, I feel incredibly thankful to the men and women who worked day after day in the most difficult conditions to try to being comfort to our families by recovering the remains of our loved ones. Many of us believe their service was a gift for which we will always be grateful.
The Thank You Tribute will be held on Wednesday, May 30th, which will mark the 10th anniversary ending of the official cleanup efforts at the World Trade Center site. It will begin at 6:30 pm and will take place rain or shine. Because capacity on the Memorial is limited as surrounding construction continues, those interested in attending must register and reserve a pass. To register for the event, click here.
All of us at VOICES wish you a Happy Memorial Day weekend!
Warm Regards
Mary Fetchet & the VOICES Staff
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