Lighthouse Baptist Church of Oakdale is hosting a ‘Heroes Appreciation Sunday’ for the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The coordinated attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and on the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia just outside Washington DC, resulted in the deaths of thousands of Americans, both on the planes and in the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and among the emergency services personnel that rushed to the rescue.
Also killed were people onboard a fourth plane, taken over by hijackers, that was believed to be bound for either the Capitol or White House in Washington, but was crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania when passengers overtook the hijackers, forcing the plane down short of its intended target.
The Sunday, Sept. 11 event in Oakdale will honor the police, fire and EMT service men and women who helped out after the attacks, and remember those Americans lost in the attacks.
“It’s just a small way of thanking them for all that they did and continue to do,” said David Azzarello, pastor of Lighthouse Baptist Church of honoring the emergency personnel.
The Heroes Appreciation Sunday will be offered at the church at 162 N. Second Ave., beginning at 11 a.m. The service will include a short film of clips from Ground Zero on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Oakdale Mayor Pat Paul will give a presentation during the service, and a college singing group from Lancaster will perform. Azzarello said that the 10th anniversary of 9/11 seemed like an appropriate time to hold a local heroes appreciation event.
There will be a barbecue following the service. Oakdale police officers will be offering fingerprinting for kids, and a chance for children to tour the inside of a squad car. There will also be a restored antique fire truck for families to look at. Azzarello hopes to have gift bags for each of the police, fire and EMT personnel at the event. Azzarello said that the event is to honor the heroes of 9/11 and at home.
“We owe it to them for the job that they do,” Azzarello said.
Heroes Appreciation Sunday is open to the public, and Azzarello said that everyone is welcome at the service and the barbecue.