ROSWELL — When the first airplane decimated one of New York’s Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, Walt Woliver was totally unaware that a national tragedy was unfolding. “Someone in our office, Dan Brown, got a phone call from his wife. She was a nurse and happened to be in New York that day,” Woliver said. “That was our first indication something was happening.”

With no access to a television, Woliver and his colleagues at work were glued to a radio, getting bits and pieces of what was going on. Later, watching the awful and heartbreaking images at home, Woliver said one thing in particular has burned itself into his consciousness.

“The picture I will forever have in my mind is the firefighter running up the (tower) stairs while panicked people running down trying to get out,” he said.

It is this type of unimaginable heroism, as well as the dreadful death toll that resulted from the terrorist actions that day, that led to the first Sept. 11 Tribute at Roswell City Hall. This year will be the 11th for the ceremony.

Roswell Recreation and Parks Department, the Roswell Rotary Club, American Legion Post 319, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7583 and Flotilla 29 and Division 2 have once again partnered to assist the City of Roswell in conducting a wreath placement and solemn observance Sept. 11 at the Faces of War Memorial behind city hall, 38 Hill Street.

“This is to honor the innocent victims and every brave responder who died. The events of that day should never be forgotten,” said Woliver, a Rotarian.

The ceremony begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. and will be over at 9 a.m.

Flotilla 29 and Division 2 personnel, with partners from the Joint-Services Color Guard, provide military service of protocol for an observance that has become an annual matter of tradition and tribute for the 3,000 lives tragically lost in New York, Washington and in Pennsylvania.

The program will include bag-pipe selections performed by ML Loudermilk and Flotilla 22’s Billy Ferguson, followed by words of reflection from the Rev. Malone Dodson.