‘Never Forget’: Front Royal to Hold Third Annual 9/11 Remembrance at the Gazebo

Front Royal will once again pause to remember the lives lost and forever changed on September 11, 2001. The town’s third annual Patriot Day ceremony will take place on Thursday, Sept. 11, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the downtown Gazebo.

The remembrance is organized by Skip Rogers, founder and Executive Director of Able Forces Foundation, a nonprofit that supports military and veteran families in financial crisis. For Rogers, who has devoted his life to serving veterans, the 9/11 commemoration is deeply personal and essential.

“It’s 24 years ago, and if we look at what has happened as a result of that kind of two-hour time frame in our country, it has changed the United States, and I think in a sense, it’s kind of changed the world,” Rogers said. “It’s important to me, and I think to a lot of us, to make sure that our young folks understand what happened… and the thousands of Americans that have lost their lives, not only during the incident, but as a result of responding to that in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere.”

The program will recognize each of the four plane crashes, recall the timeline of events, and honor the courage of first responders and ordinary citizens who ran toward danger as others fled. Music from the era will provide a reflective backdrop. One speaker, a former EMT, will share her experience spending three days at the Pentagon immediately after the attack.

Rogers especially hopes families and schools will take part. “It will be educational. If nothing else, it will be educational,” he said. “I want to extend an invitation to our homeschooled children and the homeschool teachers to bring your children down.”

Ed Cook will have his 9/11 Chopper on display.

He worries that a new generation is growing up without a clear sense of what that day meant. “We are one generation out and we’re looking at a generation of children and now young adults that really don’t have an understanding of the event, nor the understanding of the circumstances and the results,” Rogers explained.

The legacy of 9/11 extends into everyday life—from the creation of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to decades of military operations abroad. Many of the young men and women who enlisted after the attacks have now retired after 20 years of service. “Their entire time has been spent in the kind of war on terror arena, and we’re still going with it today,” Rogers noted.

Rogers also underscored the personal cost. “Too many families, thousands of our families have lost sons and daughters, husbands and wives, uncles, aunts, to that one event that happened on 9/11. Thousands of families affected… The results of that warfare [include] PTSD, TBI, lost limbs, and poverty, because of the issues related to that single event,” he said.

At last year’s ceremony, Rogers guided attendees through a timeline of September 11, from the first hijackers boarding planes in Maine to the collapse of the Twin Towers and the crash of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Bells rang at key moments, and speakers recalled where they were that day.  Kahle Magalis shared, “That morning, I was working as a school resource officer. When the first plane hit, we thought it was a terrible accident. But when the second plane hit, we knew things were not good. The feeling was indescribable.”

The event also highlighted the bravery of passengers aboard Flight 93, who fought back against hijackers, preventing another attack in Washington, D.C. “Passengers were no longer compliant… they got up and squashed things that happened on the plane. Truly heroic,” Rogers reflected.

At the 9/11 Memorial, this phrase encapsulates the collective grief and resilience of those affected by the tragedy. It is part of a larger mission to commemorate the 2,983 individuals who lost their lives in the attacks, ensuring that their stories and legacies are never forgotten. The memorial features various artistic expressions, including installations that reflect on the day and its significance, reinforcing the message that memory is a powerful force that transcends time.

For Rogers, the message of 9/11 is not only about loss but also about courage and unity. “You can’t forget that image of the plane flying into the World Trade Center… What you’ve seen was people running towards it. Thousands are running away, and an equal number are running towards it. So many of which are no longer with us, because of that,” he said.

As the community gathers at the Gazebo, the call will be the same as in years past: to remember, to honor, and to teach. “9-11 is one of those events that truly has changed the world, and we never need to forget that and how it happened,” Rogers said.

Event details: Patriot Day Remembrance, Thursday, Sept. 11, 8:30 a.m., Front Royal Gazebo. Families and students welcome.