The city of Padova hosted a solemn wreath laying ceremony on the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at Padova’s Memoria e Luce or Memory and Light monument featuring a piece of the towers of the World Trade Center.
Almost 200 people attended the event including U.S. Army Garrison Italy Commander, Col. Scott Horrigan, members of the Directorate of Emergency Services, the Political-Economic Section Chief, Zoja Bazarnic, from the U.S. Consulate General of Milan and government leaders from the Veneto region.
“I believe it is important for me and my city [Padova] to be here to commemorate the events of September 11 in solidarity with the United States,” said Leonardo Rossi, a volunteer bugler for the event from the local bugle association called Nazionale Bersaglieri Padova.
Memoria e Luce stands alone in the heart of the city, with glass panels surrounding a steel beam from the World Trade Center. The U.S. donated the piece to Italy in 2004. The monument was designed by Daniel Libeskind and inaugurated on Sept. 11, 2005 as a symbol of Italy’s solidarity with the U.S. following the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001.
“September 11th really shaped what I wanted to focus on in my career. After ROTC I was drawn to military police, as I felt a sense of service — the ability to protect our own people all over the world — and I’m very fortunate to be able to do that in my career,” said Lt. Col. Leah Sanchez, Director of Emergency Services.
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