Nine years after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, locals will honor those who lost their lives in the twin towers of the World Trade Center and honor feats of heroism by Americans in related events thereafter. In downtown San Diego, three unique events will give the public a chance to unite and reflect on the tragic day that forever changed the country. Freedom Walk 2010 The Veterans Memorial Garden at 2115 Park Blvd. in Balboa Park will be the site of Operation Freedom Walk 2010 on Saturday. Throughout the United States, participants will gather and walk to reflect on the lives lost on Sept. 11. The walk is also a chance to unite, renew commitments to freedom and honor veterans, said Jae Marciano, Southern California chapter president of Operation Homefront and organizer of the free event. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. A memorial ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. The walk will follow at 10 a.m. The first 500 registrants will receive a free T-shirt. To pre-register, visit www.operationhomefront.net/-socal. Veteran set to make cross-country walk The Veterans Museum will send off Tony LoBue at 2 p.m. Saturday as he begins his walkathon across the country. He will end at Ground Zero in New York on Sept. 11, 2011. LoBue, known as “Tony the Vet,” is a 68-year-old disabled war veteran. He is setting out on this journey as a way to empower and help veterans and their families. The ceremony will include entertainment, a skydiving ceremony and an invocation. There will also be a prisoners of war remembrance ceremony. Congressman Bob Filner will speak at the event, as will LoBue. The first day of his yearlong trek will take him to Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery before heading toward Tucson, Ariz. LoBue will be updating a blog along the way and footage of his journey will be uploaded to Youtube. To learn more about LoBue, visit www.tonythevet.org. The Veterans Museum is located at 2115 Park Blvd. For more information, call (619) 239-2300. USS Midway to host memorial, dinner The USS Midway will hold a tribute to honor the fallen heroes on Sept. 11 at 2:30 p.m., which will take place on the flight deck of the ship. The services will include a presentation of colors and music from bagpipes and drums. Honor guards from the San Diego Fire Department, Orange County Fire Department and the U.S. Marine Corps will all be on hand to honor their fallen colleagues with those aboard the ship. The “Star Spangled Banner” will be sung and the names of those who perished will be read aloud, followed by a 21-gun salute. The ceremony is open to the public with paid admission to the museum. Immediately following the memorial, New York Fire Department Retirees of San Diego will host a dinner reception at the Old Firehouse Museum, 1572 Columbia St. For more information, visit www.midway.org or call (619) 398-8252.
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