Patriot Day (September 11) Remembrance Ceremony
| Category: | Flag Ceremonies |
|---|---|
| Props: | U.S. flag |
| Props: | Flagpole (for half-staff) or flag stand |
| Props: | Color guard of 2 or 3 Scouts |
| Props: | Four readers, each with one card |
| Props: | A watch or phone to keep time, if holding the silences at the exact minutes |
| Notes: | For September 11, or the troop meeting nearest it. The flag flies at half-staff on Patriot Day, by an annual presidential proclamation that federal law calls for; use the half-staff procedure (raise to the peak first, then lower). If you can gather on the morning of the 11th, hold each moment of silence at the minute it happened, Eastern Time: 8:46, 9:03, 9:37, and 10:03. Otherwise, hold the four silences one after another. Most Scouts in the room were born after 2001, so keep it plain and factual, and be ready for questions afterward. September 11 is also a National Day of Service and Remembrance, so a service project is a fitting way to end the day. Pairs with the september-11 minute and the Half-Staff Flag Ceremony. |
Setup
Form up at the flagpole with the flag attached but not raised. The four readers stand beside the flagpole with their cards. If you are holding the silences at the real times, start by 8:40 a.m. Eastern.
Participants
- Leader - Senior Patrol Leader or adult leader
- Color Guard - two or three Scouts
- Readers 1-4
The Ceremony
Leader: 'Troop, attention. Today is Patriot Day. On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four airplanes and attacked our country. Nearly three thousand people were killed. Our flag flies at half-staff today in their memory.'
Leader: 'Color guard, raise the colors to the peak, then lower to half-staff.'
(Color guard raises the flag briskly to the top, pauses, then lowers it slowly to half-staff. Scouts salute. See Half-Staff Flag Ceremony.)Leader: 'Two. We will hold four moments of silence, one for each place where lives were lost.'
Reader 1: '8:46 a.m. The first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.'
(Silence, about fifteen seconds.)Reader 2: '9:03 a.m. The second plane struck the South Tower.'
(Silence.)Reader 3: '9:37 a.m. The third plane struck the Pentagon, outside Washington, D.C.'
(Silence.)Reader 4: '10:03 a.m. The fourth plane crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after its passengers and crew fought back against the hijackers.'
(Silence.)Leader: 'On that day, firefighters, police officers, and emergency workers ran toward the danger. Hundreds of them never came home. Strangers carried each other down the stairs. People lined up for hours to give blood. That is what we remember, too.'
Leader: 'A Scout promises to help other people at all times. The people who helped that day kept that promise when it mattered most. Today, let us keep it in small ways.'
Leader: 'Troop, dismissed.'
End-of-Day Note: Before lowering the flag at sunset, raise it briskly to the peak first, then lower it slowly. Never lower a flag directly from half-staff.