Bagpipe Band Honors Heroes of September 11 With Ceremony Aboard Submarine COD

Bagpipe Band Honors Heroes of September 11 With Ceremony Aboard Submarine COD

CLEVELAND, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Sword of Light," a critically acclaimed bagpipe band consisting of members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) union will present a musical tribute honoring the heroes of 9-11 on Monday, Sept. 11, 2006, at 12:30 p.m. aboard the U.S.S. COD Submarine Memorial on Cleveland's lakefront.

The "Sword of Light" band is based in New York City and will be in Cleveland on Monday morning to open the IBEW Convention, where they will perform for more than 6,000 IBEW delegates and participants. The band asked U.S.S. COD Submarine Memorial Director Dr. John Fakan for permission to perform a special anniversary tribute aboard the U.S. Navy submarine for the more than 3,000 Americans killed in the 9-11 attacks in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.

"I immediately granted them permission to use Submarine COD for this very special commemoration," said Dr. Fakan. "It is more than just a patriotic gesture for the bagpipe band; it's very personal. They lost 17 of their fellow Union members on 9-11, including their solo vocalist, Mary Yolanda Dowling, who died helping to evacuate her co-workers in the World Trade Center."

Granting permission to use Cleveland's National Historic Landmark submarine for a 9-11 tribute was also personal for Dr. Fakan. His daughter is an active-duty Air Force officer who was working in the Pentagon when the third hijacked aircraft crashed into the Washington landmark. "Thankfully, she survived the attack and helped the injured," said Dr. Fakan.

The "Sword of Light" has played at over 300 events in the last five years and has made more than 1,500 appearances across America and overseas in the 22 years since its founding.

Submarine COD is a World War II fleet submarine that honors the memory of more than 3,900 men who died in the 106-year history of the Navy's Submarine Force. The sub is docked on North Marginal Rd., between East 9th St. and Burke Lakefront Airport. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is free for the 9-11 tribute program.

Source: U.S.S. COD Submarine Memorial

CONTACT: Paul Farace, +1-216-408-6991, or pfarace@att.net, or Dr. John
Fakan, +1-440-258-8795, or usscod@en.com, both of the U.S.S. COD Submarine
Memorial, or Submarine COD phone, +1-216-566-8770

Web site: http://www.usscod.org/

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