Plans for Coeur d'Alene's 9/11 memorial and ceremony come together | Community Spirit

For months, Bobby Gonder, fire inspector and investigator for Coeur d'Alene Fire Department, has been planning Coeur d'Alene's September 11th memorial.

The intricate ceremony at the Coeur d'Alene September 11th Memorial and Fallen Heroes Plaza will feature a military fly over of two A-10s, a procession featuring regional uniformed personnel and more during the Sunday, September 11th event at 1 p.m.

"I've been dealing with the Pentagon for the past two weeks. It's going to happen. The Idaho National Guard is going to be there. Civil Air Patrol, Catholic War Veterans... a lot of veteran organizations are going to be there," Gonder said.

The  memorial was originally built in 2009 and dedicated later that year on the 9/11 anniversary.

"What makes this memorial special is it's the 10-year anniversary," Gonder said. He continued, "We're also opening a new section in the plaza that is a memorial for military personnel from the State of Idaho who have lost their lives."

The new section will be unveiled by keynote speaker Brigadier General William H. Shawver, Jr. It will feature the names: Airman 1st Class Tyler J. Patton, Sgt. Nathan R. Beyers and Specialist Nicholas W. Newby.

The memorial also features a portion dedicated to Idaho's firefighters and police officers who have lost their lives on duty.

Connected to that section is an area dedicated to 9/11. It features two towers with a piece of steel embedded in the center. Gonder says it was given to the fire department by the New York Fire Department.

A procession will start the ceremony. Uniformed personnel are encouraged to participate. They'll be meeting at Fire Station #3, 1500 N. 15th Street, at 12:15 p.m.

An open house will follow the ceremony featuring displays from military and emergency services including Medstar. One of their back up helicopters was at the Pentagon during the 9/11 attack.

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