HICKORY, NC (September 2, 2016)…The City of Hickory and the community will be remembering 9/11 at a Patriots Day Remembrance Ceremony on Sunday, September 11, under The Sails on the Square in Downtown Hickory at 4 p.m.
WHKY 1290 am First Talk program host, Hal Row, will emcee the ceremony, as he has in past years, and there will be two guest speakers; Fire Captain James Patrick Auton of the Hickory Fire Department, and Master Police Officer John R Wienbrock, of the Hickory Police Department.
Auton has been with the Hickory Fire Department since 1991, and has had a military career with both the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard and is currently a member of the North Carolina Air National Guard and serves with the civil engineer squadron in Fire Protection and Emergency Services. Auton has served four tours of duty, including deployments for Operation Desert Shield/Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and most recently supported air operations for Operation Freedom Sentinal against ISIS targets in the Middle East. Auton is decorated with the Bronze Star Medal, among numerous other medals and badges.
Wienbrock has been with the Hickory Police Department since 2008, and has had a military career with the United States Marine Corps and the North Carolina Army National Guard. He spent a deployment in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom with the 113th Sustainment Brigade. He was awarded two Army Achievement Medals and numerous other medals and badges.
Additional ceremony participants include Hickory City Councilman David Zagaroli, Rev. Antonio Logan, Pastor Andrew Weisner, Hickory High School Band and Junior ROTC Cadets, as well as members of the Hickory Fire and Police Honor Guards and staff.