Lest we forget Sept. 11, 2001.

Nearly a decade following the horrific attacks upon the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington D.C., visions of planes slamming into the buildings remain entrenched in the minds of many throughout the country, changing how each of us look at life as well as the world in which we live.

Scenes of firefighters and volunteers digging injured bodies from the rubble will be a lasting image, restoring hope to some that there is some good still left in humankind toward their fellow man.

Wanting to pay respect to those who lost their lives that fateful day in addition to paying homage to emergency personnel who daily put their lives on the line for the safety of others, Frederick Memorial Gardens will host a program Sept. 11.

“We put this together wanting to give back to the community, most of whom still remember 9- 11 like it was yesterday,” said Tim Mahalich of Frederick Memorial Gardens. “Without a doubt, it is a day we’ll never forget.”

The program will begin at approximately 10:30 a.m. with Cherokee County emergency officials as well as the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office and representatives from the Chesnee and Cowpens police departments departing from Shuford- Hatcher Funeral Home making a silent procession through downtown Gaffney. Upon reaching Gaffney City Hall, the procession will make its way up Floyd Baker Boulevard and Highway 11 until arriving at Frederick Memorial Gardens.

“We’re hoping for one vehicle per department to be involved,” Mahalich said. “We do not want 85 to 90 vehicles involved, but it’s our hope for all to take part. Their contribution to our safety and well-being is worth the recognition.”

Welcoming emergency personnel to the program will be the tunes of the New York City Fire Department’s (FDNY) march to the tune of bagpipes and being led by the Gaffney High School JROTC program. Shortly after, Mahalich is hoping for a flyover of some sort — whether it be Spartanburg Regional Medical Center’s helicopter Regional One, the Air Core F-14 used by the U.S. Marine Corps or simply the symbolic releasing of doves into the morning sky.

Several guest speakers are lined up for the program, including Gaffney Fire Chief Nathan Ellis, Cherokee County Sheriffelect Steve Mueller, Gaffney Police Chief Rick Turner and Gaffney Mayor Henry Jolly.

Steve Fowlkes, whose son Chris was killed while deployed in Afghanistan last year, will also speak at the event. In addition, he has been called upon to unveil the county’s 9-11 memorial, a 24-foot by 30-foot monument featuring FDNY firefighters and pictures of the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon as the buildings appeared prior to the attacks.

“All we want to do is give back,” Mahalich said. “We’re not selling anything or promoting business; this is what we are, we are a community. Each of us were touched by Sept. 11, 2001, in some way.”