Thursday, Sept. 11, will mark the 13th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania that claimed nearly 3,000 lives.
It will also mark the seventh-annual Freedom Walk at Lyman Hall Elementary, where students, teachers and staff, along with civic leaders, veteran groups and community members, will commemorate those lives and celebrate the efforts of service personnel across the nation.
Started in 2008 by Parent Involvement Facilitator Lavonia LeCounte, the Lyman Hall Freedom Walk is the only Hinesville-based 9/11 remembrance, according to Lyman Hall Principal Claire Blanchard.
“Fort Stewart does something, but Hinesville hasn’t really been doing anything,” Blanchard said. “It really is the celebration for the entire community of all those people who lay their lives down on the line for us every single day — military, police, firefighters.”
“I’m always searching for things for people to be involved, and I was online and I saw where they were having a Freedom Walk,” LeCounte recalled. She said she approached Blanchard and the principal readily agreed.
“It’s a remembrance; we have a moment of silence,” Blanchard said. “But then it is a way to thank everyone who works to serve people, the first responders.”
LeCounte said the memorial also serves as a way to educate Lyman Hall students about U.S. history, as many elementary students were not yet born when the attacks occurred in 2001. She said Lyman Hall fifth-graders are writing essays about their heroes and freedom, and the top essay will be read aloud at Thursday’s ceremony.
Blanchard said the Freedom Walk has historically been a big draw within the community, with civic leaders, military personnel, police officers, firefighters and EMS members attending.
The walk is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. at the school, 1396 Shaw Road in Hinesville. Attendees are asked to wear red, white or blue.