Cape Coral and the surrounding area will have an opportunity to pay tribute to local first responders and to the heroes of 9/11 and the war on terror when the Southwest Florida Military Museum & Library, along with area sponsors, present the 4th Annual Parade for Heroes on September 8.
The tribute coincides with the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on our nation.
The parade will begin at 10 a.m. on Cape Coral Parkway in South Cape and feature EMS, military, law enforcement and firefighting personnel, as well as marching bands, color guard, special floats and service vehicles. The parade was canceled last year due to Hurricane Irma.
Participants will begin setting up on Lafayette Street at 8:30 a.m. Groups will filter onto Cape Coral Parkway from Cape Coral Street to begin the parade and units will disperse at Leonard Street. Following the parade, there will be an open house at the Southwest Florida Military Museum & Library at 4820 Leonard Street.
The 34,000-square foot facility, the largest military museum in the region, features an expanded 9/11 display, including the uniform of a New Jersey firefighter who responded to Ground Zero that day and remained working at the site for several months.
Other artifacts include steel and masonry pieces from the twin towers, a camera that was found at Ground Zero, and flags that were flown over the Manhattan site. A mannequin display of a police rescue worker with his search and rescue dog honors the 60 police officers killed during the New York attacks.
Another section honors the four airline flight crews and the passengers who died that day. A mannequin in a United Airlines uniform honors Cee Cee Lyles, a Fort Myers resident and flight attendant, who was killed aboard Flight 93. This was the airliner on which passengers tried to wrest back control from hijackers before it crashed in a field outside of Shanksville in western Pennsylvania.
Major sponsors for the 9/11 Parade for Heroes include McGregor Electric Motors, Hero Real Estate & Co., Homes for Heroes, Storm Smart, Trebing Tile & Carpet, Truly Nolan, 275 Taxi, Staples, and FOS, Florida’s Favorite Stores Furniture.
