An annual observance of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America is becoming well established at Sun City. It all started early in 2011 with a casual email sent to a Sun City resident who never met a good idea she didn’t want to make happen.
That resident is Peg Mulhall, who is strongly dedicated to the idea that “we will never forget” what happened on that fateful morning 11 years ago in New York City, Washington D.C., and in a field in Pennsylvania.
“Some time last year, someone sent me an email about a college that placed flags on its campus in memory of those who died that day,” Mulhall said this week in the midst of preparations for the 2012 observance in Sun City. “I thought it was a really cool idea, and I started thinking how we could do that here. The result was the flags around the pavilion last year, which was the 10th anniversary, plus the narrative by Orion Samuelson. It was so well received by everyone that I knew we had to do something again this year.”
This year’s observance is called “9/11 American Flag Memorial.” The flags again will be placed on the hillside next to the pavilion, but this year’s observance will be much more extensive. Using her natural energy, the deep feelings of patriotism instilled in her by her father, and her experience as a project manager for a Fortune 100 company before she retired, Peg and Sun City friend Catherine Portera have organized a series of events that begin this Friday, Sept. 7, and culminate on Wednesday morning, Sept. 12. The main events will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 11.
Activities include repeated showing of films on last year’s “9/11 Narrative,” the “Daily Flag Retreat,” and a depiction of the boat lift that took place in Manhattan on 9/11 to rescue stranded people from the Ground Zero area; presentation and retirement of the colors at the pavilion by a Sun City Marine Corps color guard; bell tolling and special music on 9/11 to mark the times of the attacks; placement of luminaria on the sidewalk surrounding the fountain; special music by the Prairie Voices and Sun-Tones; and the playing of Taps by the American Legion at sunset. (See the schedule of events as a sidebar to this story.)
“This year, there was no way we were not going to do something,” Mulhall said. “Last year went so well, it was amazing. It was a tough act to follow, but we can’t let this huge tragedy in our history go unrecognized any year. One of the real special events this year will be the singing of “The Star Spangled Banner,” “Amazing Grace,” and “God Bless America” by our own Prairie Voices and the Sun Tones at the Pavilion on the evening of Tuesday, September 11.”
Mulhall, who came to Sun City in 2004, said she isn’t a great organizer, she just feels strongly about her country and how we should use 9/11 as a way to bring the nation together every year.
“It was a huge tragedy, but today it is causing us to remember, to cultivate a stronger sense of patriotism, and to unite us in remembrance,” she said. “It simply is the right thing to do. In this year and last, we have gotten so much help and support from businesses and volunteers. Absolutely no one has said no to any of our requests for donations and assistance. This anniversary’s purpose is to remember the 9/11 victims, current or fallen members of the military, first responders everywhere, and our loved ones.”
