MONMOUTH COUNTY – The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners will sponsor a “Tribute in Lights” for three nights to honor the lives lost and more on September 11, 2001.
“Last year, the Commissioners sponsored a ‘Tribute in Lights’ for the first time and the response was overwhelming, so we and felt that it was incredibly important to continue this tradition this year to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the tragic attacks that occurred on 9/11,” Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone said. “Monmouth County will never forget the 147 men and women who called our county home and lost their lives on 9/11. We must continue to educate the next generation about the tragedies that took place that day but also the displays of heroism, selflessness and courage that our first responders and people from around the globe demonstrated in response to the attacks.”
Illumination will take place from sunset to 11 p.m. on September 10, 11 and 12. The lights will be visible from Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook.
“The lights honor those who we lost during the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and serve as a reminder that in the midst of tragedy, the American spirit endures and we rise up,” Commissioner Ross F. Licitra, liaison to the Monmouth County Park System, said. “On the 20th anniversary, these lights are our promise to ‘Never forget.’”
Monmouth County’s 9/11 Memorial sits on 12 acres and is at an elevation of 266 feet, being the highest natural elevation on the Atlantic seaboard (excluding islands) from Maine to the Yucatan. The Memorial overlooks Sandy Hook, Sandy Hook Bay, Raritan Bay and the New York skyline.
There were 147 people from Monmouth County who perished in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. For days and weeks afterward, people visited Mount Mitchill to reflect and remember.
The Monmouth County 9/11 Committee formed in 2002 and made plans for a fitting tribute to the victims, heroes, and events of September 11. Their first job was to create a memorial to fit into Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook. Fundraising began in order to finance the Memorial and by midsummer 2005, the 9/11 Committee exceeded its goal and raised $296,000. They continue to receive donations for the upkeep and maintenance of the Memorial.
