JACKSONVILLE, Fla.-- The smoke, the flames, and horror of September 11, 2001 will never be forgotten.
"Everybody knows where they were when it happened. Everybody needs to remember it every year," Suzanne Kerkezi said.
Tuesday at EverBank Field, there will be a free pancake breakfast for service men and women and first responders -- and appearances by top Duval County leaders.
"Any time an American life is lost, it is one life too many, and when we lose 3,053 individuals in one day, that's a tragedy," Helen Jackson said.
Jackson is one of the event organizers. She says paper hands will be passed out to everyone who comes to the event. Sunflower seeds will also be potted and planted to represent a bright future ahead.
She says it's a reminder to count our blessings.
"Although the event happened in New York, it could have happened right here in Jacksonville. We have several Navy bases here and other areas that could have been hit."
The City of St. Augustine and Naval Hospital Jacksonville will also have memorial services. Several Duval County schools are expected to hold flag-raising ceremonies.
They are fitting tributes for a day that will go down in history.
Jacksonville's remembrance ceremony isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It was one of 14 cities nationwide given federal grant money to fund it for the next three years.
Everyone who attends Tuesday's event at EverBank is asked to bring a canned food item.
