Morris County to Host 25th Anniversary 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony

Published on July 22, 2026

Keynote by Secret Service Medal of Valor Recipient & Tunnel to Towers Ambassador

The Morris County Board of County Commissioners invites residents to join the 25th Anniversary Morris County 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at the Morris County 9/11 Memorial, 460 W. Hanover Ave., Parsippany-Troy Hills.

The keynote remarks will be delivered by Dennis Letts, a retired United States Secret Service executive and Tunnel to Towers Foundation ambassador, who was at the World Trade Center in New York City when jihadist terrorists carried out the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. This year marks a quarter century since nearly 3,000 people were killed after four commercial airliners were hijacked by Islamic extremists, who flew two planes into the Twin Towers and another into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. A fourth plane crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers fought to regain control of the aircraft.

The Morris County remembrance ceremony this year will begin after sundown, more than an hour later than in previous years, to accommodate residents observing Rosh Hashanah.

The evening will feature a candlelight vigil, musical tributes, an invocation, the reading of the names of the 64 Morris County residents who perished in the attacks, and a procession of firefighters, law enforcement officers, emergency medical personnel, veterans and other dignitaries.

ABOUT THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER: On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Dennis Letts, a U.S. Secret Service special agent at the time, was exiting the North Tower of the World Trade Center when American Airlines Flight 11 struck the building directly above him. He immediately returned to assist with the evacuation of thousands of occupants and later supported the emergency evacuation of civilians from Lower Manhattan after the towers collapsed. For his extraordinary courage and leadership during the attacks, he was awarded the United States Secret Service Medal of Valor.

The public is encouraged to bring lawn chairs to the Morris County ceremony, as seating is limited.

Parking is available at the Morris County Department of Human Services offices at 340 West Hanover Ave., Morris Township. Shuttle service will be provided to and from the memorial.

Police, fire and rescue departments may participate by sending one apparatus per agency and assembling by 6 p.m. at the Morris County Public Safety Training Academy, 500 West Hanover Ave.

The 9/11 ceremony will also be livestreamed on Facebook: facebook.com/share/19AqWm3TEx/

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Photo 1: Dennis Letts, retired United States Secret Service executive, Tunnel to Towers Foundation ambassador and recipient of the United States Secret Service Medal of Valor, will deliver the keynote address at Morris County's 25th Anniversary 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony.

Photo 2: First responders and cadets encircle the Morris County 9/11 Memorial during the county's annual remembrance ceremony in 2023.