Oconomowoc Sept. 11 ceremony features high school students

As we near 25 years since the tragic attacks of September 11th, Oconomowoc is making sure that no one forgets. Mockshaw County reporter Brett Lemoine shows us why it's a history lesson for one of the groups participating. It's only the first week of classes at Oconomowoc High School, but this may be a lesson students will keep forever. My heart's heavy for them and for our country at that time, but they truly went through it. These juniors and seniors are in an extracurricular group called Gold Vibrations. They're often asked to sing at gatherings and ceremonies in Oconomowoc. Next week, they'll lend their voices to the city's 9-11 remembrance. It's a very big deal, so I want to try and bring as much respect and honor to them as I can. There's no doubt they can hit the right note, but the lesson comes with discussions and feelings of a time long before they were even born. I immediately think about the voicemails that are sent from the plane, like, hey, there's something wrong with the plane. It's just absolutely terrible. The students rely on others to help understand what the national tragedy felt like at home. In those moments, there was just a lot of fear, but in the days that followed, the way that the country came together has stayed with me all of these years. The annual ceremony started in Oconomowoc with one man, Don Gust, playing taps. His heart broke when no one in the community held a ceremony to remember September 11th, so Gust and his wife Jill started their own. I guess it's patriotism, you know, drew me out. It's now grown to a community gathering at Village Green Park with first responders, military members, and importantly, high school students. I would say, first, thank you for participating, and secondly, never forget. In Oconomowoc, Brett Lemoine, Fox 6 News. The ceremony starts at 7.30 in the morning next Friday. Again, it will be held at Village Green Park in downtown Oconomowoc.