The City of Hilliard Division of Police, along with the Norwich Township Fire Department, will hold a special ceremony on Friday, Sept. 11, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and to honor and remember those lost in the attacks.
The ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. at Hilliard’s Station Park in Downtown Hilliard.
Free parking is available in the Center Lot at Center and Wayne streets and the Madison Lot at Wayne and Madison streets.
Main Street will be closed from about 8 to 11 a.m. for the safety of guests.
Major General (US Army, retired) Deborah Ashenhurst, Director of the Ohio Department of Veterans Services, will serve as the keynote speaker for the event. A Hilliard resident, Ashenhurst served in the U.S. Army and Ohio National Guard for the more than 37 years.
Ashenhurst’s military career began in 1978 when she enlisted in the Ohio National Guard and was commissioned as an engineer officer in 1980.
Throughout her distinguished career, Ashenhurst served at all levels of command and held every rank. In 2011, was appointed as the Adjutant General of the State of Ohio. In that role, she commanded 17,000 service members in the Ohio National Guard, the Ohio Naval Militia, and the Ohio Military Reserve.
She served in that role util 2015 when she became the special assistant to the vice chief, National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C.
Ashenhurst’s career is highlighted by numerous awards and commendations including the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Serve Medal (with one Silver and one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster), and the Joint Service Commendation Medal.
The ceremony will also include remarks by Hilliard Chief of Police Michael Woods and Norwich Township Fire Battalion Chief Heith Good.
Students from Hilliard Darby High School will perform the singing of the National Anthem and America the Beautiful, and the Norwich Township Bagpipe Band will provide a prelude.
The ceremony will conclude with a wreath laying at First Responders Park by the joint Hilliard Police-Norwich Fire Honor Guard.
