Mayor-President Melvin “Kip” Holden proclaimed Sept. 11 as Patriot Day for East Baton Rouge Parish during a service Tuesday at the Louisiana Memorial Plaza downtown. The memorial service honored three Louisiana residents who died in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. U.S. Navy Lt. Michael Scott Lamana of Baton Rouge, U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Kevin Wayne Yokum of Lake Charles and Louis Calvin Williams III of Mandeville were remembered on the sixth anniversary of the attack on the nation. Holden said there are families with loved ones who have paid the ultimate price of sacrifice, yet they continue to express how freedom cannot be taken for granted. He shared an excerpt from a poem he wrote that morning. “Patriot soldiers, we honor you for being defenders of the red, white and blue,” he read. “It is the sacrifice of the soldiers that guarantees us a tomorrow.” Servicemen and firefighters from the downtown Baton Rouge Fire Department showed their support. “It is our fallen firefighters we are here for,” said Richard Sullivan, Engine 12 captain. “Firefighters all over the nation are our brothers. We think about it everyday, and to work downtown in the city is important for us.” Lamana, alumnus and former ROTC cadet, was a chief flight officer on a navigation plane in Hawaii in 1995. As a Navy operations programmer for the Pentagon, he was working at the command center tracking planes the morning he died. His father, Mike Lamana, asked the crowd to remember the terrorist attacks to preserve history. Mike Lamana said if people forget history, we are doomed to forget the past. “We still celebrate July 4 that happened in 1776,” he said. “We remember Pearl Harbor. We remember in order to remind our country we are always vulnerable to attacks. We must be on guard.” Baton Rouge Fire Chief Ed Smith stressed the importance of residents using the events of Sept. 11, 2001, to have a positive impact. He said that takes courage. “Courage takes you past the point of where preparation takes you to,” he said. “The Lamana family must be courageous each and everyday. Take the day and let the impact be positive.” The service concluded with “Amazing Grace” playing through bagpipes, the firing of a 5-inch gun and the laying of a wreath by the Lamana family.
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