Thankful for Public Safety Workers

Latest News

Forest Grove Fire and Rescue, Forest Grove Police Department, and Forest Grove City Library welcome the public to a dedication ceremony of the World Trade Center memorial in honor of the service and lives lost on September 11, 2001.  The “Thankful for Our Public Safety Workers” event will be held Tuesday, November 22, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm in the Rogers Room at the Forest Grove City Library, 2114 Pacific Avenue.

Retired Chaplain Wally Johnston will be speaking briefly at the dedication ceremony for the World Trade Center Memorial, showing a DVD from the National 9/11 Memorial Committee, and afterwards doing a book signing of his newly published book, “Sent to Serve: The Chaplains of 9/11,” which tells the story of the chaplains who volunteered in New York City.  A retired law enforcement chaplain, counselor and educator, Johnston joined chaplains from throughout the nation to comfort, counsel and assist police officers, firefighters, medics, other first responders and their families at Ground Zero.  Chaplains met with personnel, worked in the morgue, provided incident relief, attended funerals, provided crisis counseling and helped families cope.

The memorial, unveiled during the Public Safety Open House in October, is a section of steel I-Beam from one of the World Trade Center Towers that fell in New York City on September 11, 2001.  It is roughly 3 feet long and weighs 140 poinds and shows the damage and scars from the experience.  The City of Forest Grove Fire Department applied over a year ago to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to receive a relic that had been salvaged from that day to display for our citizens. 

There will also be a Boy Scout Honor Guard and proclamation by Mayor Truax at the event as well as refreshments and displays.