Bossier to Hold Patriotic 9-11 Remembrance Ceremony Saturday

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If you are old enough to remember anything from September 11, 2001, you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when you found out about the cowardly terrorist attacks on New York City's World Trade Center Towers, the Pentagon and the downed plane that crashed in Pennsylvania.

It truly was the day that America stood still, but it wasn't long before our tears turned to anger. To coin Toby Keith, "That sucker punch came flying in from somewhere in the back. Soon as we could see through our big, black eye, we lit up your world like the 4th of July."

As a country, we resolved to "Never Forget" and Bossier City is planning a ceremony this Saturday to help us keep that promise.

Keep Bossier Beautiful and the City of Bossier City will present a special 20th Anniversary Remembrance Ceremony of 9-11 this Saturday, September 11, beginning at 9:00 am.

Ceremonies will be held in the Liberty Garden, in the Bossier City Municipal Complex. Visitors will find the most convenient parking at the Beckett St. parking lot. All are invited to attend the free, outdoor event.

Guest speaker for the event will be Sgt. Andy Stephenson of the Louisiana State Police, who was at the Trade Center in New York City when the second tower was struck. Master of Ceremonies will be Sonja Bailes, Bossier Parish School System public relations liaison.

A schedule of activities for the special ceremony includes welcomes from Bossier City Mayor Tommy Chandler and Lynn Bryan, Executive Director of Keep Bossier Beautiful. Opening invocation will be delivered by Lorenzo Johnson, Sunflower Missionary Baptist Church.

Following the invocation, the order of service includes:
• Presentation of Colors, Barksdale Air Force Honor Guard
• Pledge of Allegiance led by Apollo Elementary School students Elizabeth Grace Ivie, 5th grade; Wyatt Sanchez, 4th grade; and Aysen Roessner, 4th grade
• National Anthem sung by Jenny Arnette, Church at Red River Worship Pastor
• Presentation of the Bossier Elementary School Essay Contest Winner, “What is a Hero?”
• W.T. Lewis Elementary School Choir
• Introduction of keynote speaker by substitute Bossier Police Chief Chris Estess
• Keynote Speaker, Sgt. Andy Stephenson, LSP Troop F
• Benediction offered by Jay Valentine, Chaplain, Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office
• B-52 Flyby featuring planes from Barksdale Air Force Base
• “God Bless America” sung by James Parker.

Pre and post event music will be presented by the Bossier Parish Community College Jazz Band ensemble, led by Josh Waldrop.

NEVER FORGET: Images from 9/11 and the days after

See 20 Ways America Has Changed Since 9/11

For those of us who lived through 9/11, the day’s events will forever be emblazoned on our consciousnesses, a terrible tragedy we can’t, and won’t, forget. Now, two decades on, Stacker reflects back on the events of 9/11 and many of the ways the world has changed since then. Using information from news reports, government sources, and research centers, this is a list of 20 aspects of American life that were forever altered by the events of that day. From language to air travel to our handling of immigration and foreign policy, read on to see just how much life in the United States was affected by 9/11.

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Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.