Traveling exhibits helps locals 'Remember Our Fallen'
Frank Shubert, Publisher/Highland Lakes Newspapers
Marble Falls first responders escort the 'Remember Our Fallen' exhibit to Lakeside Pavilion where it will be on display throughout the day of of events recognizing the 16th Anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York. The dedication of a First Responders Park at 10 a.m. in Meadolakes begins the day, followed by the 'Day of Rememberance' ceremonies at noon, also at Lakeside Pavilion. The program to honor all Burnet County's finest is hosted by Marble Falls Rotarians and exhibit sponsors Clements-Wilcox Funeral home and the Texas Funeral Directors Association. Hours are 1-5 p.m.Sunday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday.
By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor
The Highlander
Burnet County residents are invited to “Remember Our Fallen” at a traveling exhibit on display at Lakeside Pavilion through Monday, Sept. 11.
The Texas-specific version of the “Remember Our Fallen” memorial, created by non-profit Patriotic Productions in conjunction with Bellevue University, is being brought to Marble Falls by Clements-Wilcox Funeral Home and the Texas Funeral Directors Association.
The exhibit arrived in town Thursday, Sept. 7, with an escort from local first responders from the intersection of US 281 and Texas 71 south of town to Lakeside Pavilion. It will open for viewing through the local recognitions of the 16th anniversary of the 9-11 terror attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.
That “Day of Remembrance” ceremony, hosted by the Marble Falls Noon Rotary Club, is scheduled for noon Monday, Sept. 11, also at Lakeside Pavilion. Clements-Wilcox Funeral Home and the Marble Falls Noon Rotary club have joined together to honor first responders and those who died in service of their country.
The very first remembrance event Monday will be in nearby Sandy Harbor, with the toning of a bell cast from metal from the World Trade Center at 9:46 a.m. Members of the Sandy Harbor Volunteer Fire Department and neighbors will gather at 9:35 a.m. for the brief ceremony.
Also, before the Marble Falls event Monday, the Meadowlakes Property Owners Association has invited the community to a 10 a.m. ceremony to dedicate First Responders Park just inside the city's entryway.
The traveling exhibit at Lakeside Pavilion pays tribute to the nearly 600 Texans killed in “The War on Terror” while serving in the Armed Forces. “Remembering Our Fallen” seeks to honor the memory of those who have fallen while serving their country in a time of war.
The “Remembering Our Fallen” exhibit features a 200-foot linear photo memorial of Texas servicemen and servicewomen who made the ultimate sacrifice since the terror attacks on America on Sept. 11, 2001.
"Remembering Our Fallen" was created in November 2010 by Bill and Evonne Williams of Patriotic Productions. The couple was inspired to honor the memory of those lost in the War on Terror as well as to provide comfort to their family and friends after reading a story in the Omaha World-Herald about a father's grief that had grown greater, four years after the loss of his son, Sgt. Joshua Ford, in Iraq. The fater felt that his son had been forgotten, even as the War on Terror continues.
With support from the newspaper and Bellevue University, the Williamses and their 501(c)(3) organization, Patriotic Productions, created the first state memorial in Nebraska, which included photos of those who had died in the War on Terror since Sept. 11, 2001. More than 325 family members attended the opening event and 750 more people attended the public opening ceremony for the memorial.
Bellevue University has worked with Patriotic Productions to create 18 more memorials so far, including one for Texas, which has traveled througout the state.
A national “Remembering Our Fallen” monument will be unveiled in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 7. The all-encompassing memorial will be comprised of “tribute towers” supporting double-sided, full-color banners which will be treated to withstand the elements, making it possible to be exhibited outdoors, as well as indoors.
Each tribute tower is 10 feet high and five feet wide and will include military and personal photos of the fallen, including military who, while on active duty stateside or overseas, died from attacks, training accidents, or a job-related injury causing death.
To recognize the terrible effects brought on by serving in a war zone, a tower also will be dedicated to servicemen and servicewomen who served in a combat zone and later committed suicide as a result of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.
