Annette Trayer of Virginia Beach, at left, helps carry the “honor log” with a team of volunteers at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. [John-Henry Doucette/The Princess Anne Independent News]Ed. — From the Sunday, Sept. 18, print edition.
OCEANFRONT — People gathered on the Boardwalk on Sunday, Sept. 11, the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, to reflect on the legacy of the attack and the people who selflessly rallied to help other.
In teams, many took turns carrying a nearly 700-pound “honor log,” custom-carved as a memorial to and a symbol of sacrifice.
A wide range of volunteers participated in the commemorative event, which included a procession along the Boardwalk from the Virginia Beach Navy SEAL Monument to the Law Enforcement Memorial and then past the Neptune statue.
Volunteers included first responders, law enforcement, members of the military community including U.S. Special Warfare Command and leaders and members of Virginia Task Force 2, the specialized search and rescue team that responded to the Pentagon following the 9/11 attack.
“This morning, each of you have come out to take action to make sure the legacies of these heroes and many like them carry on,” said Jeremy “J.B.” Soles, president and co-founder of the nonprofit Carry On, during a brief program at the Navy SEAL Monument.
Jeremy “J.B.” Soles, co-founder of the nonprofit Carry On, speaks during a ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 11, on the Boardwalk at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. [John-Henry Doucette/The Princess Anne Independent News]Retired Virginia Beach Fire District Chief Dennis Keane was among the speakers during a ceremony that was followed by the carrying of an “honor log” on Sunday, Sept. 11, at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. The event was in remembrance of the sacrifice of military and public safety personnel and first responders. [John-Henry Doucette/The Princess Anne Independent News]It was the third annual walk at the Oceanfront, in which an honor log that is the length of a casket is carried by six people at a time, symbolizing pallbearers, in memory of military, law enforcement and first responders and their service.
Dennis Keane, a retired Virginia Beach fire district chief, spoke about the people who went to bed on Sept. 10, 2001, unaware that they would give their lives in the tragedy or while working to save others the next day.
“I want to tell you a story about one of those men who truly represents what this log means,” Keane said. During remarks, he spoke of New York Fire Capt. Patrick Brown, known as “Paddy,” who died with his team while rescuing people in the North Tower of the World Trade Center – and refused to leave the people he was trying to save to save himself.
Carry On co-founder Anthony Monnin of Dallas, Texas, traveled to Virginia Beach to participate in the third annual Carry On event on the Boardwalk at the Oceanfront on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. [John-Henry Doucette/The Princess Anne Independent News]Raymond Manaois from Virginia Beach was among the volunteers to carry the honor log at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. The Navy veteran said he still has friends serving. “I had to be part of it,” he said. [John-Henry Doucette/The Princess Anne Independent News]Anthony Monnin, a co-founder of Carry On, walked the volunteers through how to carry the heavy weight of the log as a team.
“We have a job today,” he said. “We have a mission. … Three on each side. Three on the right. Three on the left. We all work together.”
The first group took up the log, using straps wrapped around them to hoist it. When that group reached a point along the route, another team took over, and so it went down the Boardwalk.
Volunteers carry an “honor log” on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, on the Boardwalk at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront during a remembrance of the sacrifice of military and public safety personnel and first responders. [John-Henry Doucette/The Princess Anne Independent News]Retired Virginia Beach Deputy City Manager and Fire Chief Steve Cover was among the speakers during a ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 11, along the Boardwalk at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on the anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. [John-Henry Doucette/The Princess Anne Independent News]
