Wednesday, Sept. 11 will be the 18th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., the coordinated attack on Sept, 11, 2001 also seeing a plane go down in a field in Pennsylvania, crashing before reaching its intended target.

Escalon Fire Department, under the direction of Chief Rick Mello, will stage its annual 9-11 Memorial at the Escalon Fire District firehouse, 1749 Coley Ave., on Sept. 11 at 9:11 a.m.

All in the community are welcome and encouraged to join in the remembrance, which typically features a guest speaker, some remarks from Chief Mello and the lowering of the flag to half-staff.

The gathering also remembers the life of James R. Layton, who was killed in action on Sept. 8, 2009 in Afghanistan in the War on Terror. A Navy Corpsman, he was administering aid to fallen soldiers when he suffered fatal injuries as well.

The event is known officially as the 9-11 Community Moment of Silence and Prayer and there will be some seating available, just outside the firehouse on Coley.