Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke invites the public to attend Saturday’s main memorial service, Chattanooga Remembers, to honor the four U.S. Marines and a U.S. Sailor who were killed by a gunman on July 16, 2015. Mayor Berke will join local representatives of both the United States Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy in leading a special ceremony, which will take place at Ross’s Landing on the Riverfront.
“The weeks and months after the attack have been a time for us to come together to heal, as one community,” said Mayor Berke. “This Saturday we will take another step forward in that process, by honoring Chattanooga’s Fallen Five and their families on the year anniversary of that tragic day.”
The Chattanooga Remembers ceremony will feature military customs and traditional honors, including Manning of the Rail, Presentation of Colors, and a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Mayor Berke will issue a proclamation and read aloud the names of each of our fallen five - Lance Cpl. Squire “Skip” Wells, Sgt. Carson Holmquist, Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan, Staff Sgt. David Wyatt, and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith.
“It’s important we come together on July 16. If there’s anything this last year has shown us it’s that, during our darkest days, Chattanoogans show our true character,” said Mayor Berke.
The public is encouraged to arrive and secure a spot as early as 10 a.m., at which time the 572nd Air Force Brass Group will perform patriotic music. At 10:40 a.m. the official ceremony will begin. At 11 a.m. - the approximate time the first shots were fired - the USS Chattanooga bell and church bells across Chattanooga will ring. Immediately following, the public will be invited onto the pier at Ross’s Landing to toss flower petals into the Tennessee River in tribute to the fallen five.
For more information and to see all the events commemorating the one-year anniversary of the July 16 attack, visit chattanooga.gov/noogastrong.