A moving ceremony held at the Branson Landing remembered and honored those lives lost during the 9/11 attacks on the United States.
Hosted by The Brett Family and the Branson Veterans Task Force, the event was attended by hundreds—both local residents and visitors who came together in remembrance.
Branson Mayor Larry Milton welcomed those in attendance and introduced Terry Wayne Sanders, a well-known entertainer, ambassador and patriot as master of ceremonies for the memorial event.
The Branson Fire Department presented the colors, and the children of Briahna Brett Perkins and Merrill Perkins (grandchildren of Tom and Andrea Brett) led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Texas Tenors, a popular vocal group that performs not only in Branson, but also nationwide, offered a powerful rendition of the National Anthem, as well as other poignant patriotic selections throughout the ceremony.
Keynote speaker for the memorial was Silver Dollar City's Peter Herschend, co-owner of Herschend Family Entertainment. Herschend's talk focused on the song "God Bless the USA," previously performed by the Texas Tenors, putting "I'm proud to be an American," said Herschend. "Is the country perfect? Of course not, because it is made up of imperfect people. It's an imperfect country. Of course, it is. So what? We have the ability—and we've demonstrated that ability—to bring ourselves up. Look, 9/11 brought huge tragedies to individual families. But those families can, and will, and are recovering, as are all of us!"
Herschend's comments ended with the audience joining him in chanting "God Bless the USA."
Andrea Brett, of The Brett Family Show, was assisted by Branson Chief of Police Eric Schmitt, in a special presentation of The Bells of Remembrance, individually naming each country who lost lives during the events of 9/11, and ringing a bell in honor of those lives lost.
Andrea noted that on 9/11, 2,977 people were killed and more than 6,000 others were injured, making it the deadliest terror attack in world history, and the most devastating foreign attack on U.S. soil since the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Said Andrea, "Behind each statistic and number from 9/11, there is a face and a name and a family. Each person who was lost was precious, and this was a tragedy that affected not just the United States but the entire world."
Sanders concluded the moving ceremony by thanking all who made the event possible, and stating, "We are privileged to live in an area where God, family and country are still alive!"
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