Council Member Lang is Planning a 9/11 Memorial

Ward 1 Council member Christine “Cricky” Lang is working to create a 9/11 memorial event, in Arnold or Jefferson County, to honor the people killed on that day.

She has started talks with Commander Brad Denny of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2593, at 2301 Church Road, to create the proper event in September.

Lang eliminated the idea of a parade—meant to celebrate the survivors’ resilience and strength—at the event after Denny, Arnold Police Chief Robert Shockey and Rock Community Fire Department Spokesman Ronald Harder said they opposed a parade on that day in September.

All four people attended a Parks and Leisure meeting at Arnold Recreation Center, 1695 Missouri State Road in late January.

“The 1,200 members of the VFW will not support a celebration of 9/11,” Denny said. Parades or 9/11 celebrations in other cities, such as New Orleans, are well intended but poorly guided, he said.

Denny also said the nation’s flag, which must start all parades, cannot be used when it is at half-staff. 

A 9/11 event should honor the emergency workers who died helping people in New York and Washington, D.C.

“Police officers are somber on 9/11. That’s a difficult time for us. Losing 400 brothers is hard,” Shockey said. “A parade is really a bad idea.”

Harder said a memorial event would be more appropriate. “That’s when we remember to hold those people who are important to us.”

The Rock Community Fire District would provide fire trucks and an entire honor guard to a 9/11 memorial, Harder said.

Clarification: An earlier version of this article used the phrase, "to honor the people of that day." The reporter should have written "to honor the people killed on that day." Also this version uses the term half-staff instead of half-mast. The latter is used in reference to ships. Our apologies.