Today marks 22 years since Alabama native, Army Major Dwayne Williams, was killed at the Pentagon near Washington D.C. during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

His family and friends remain dedicated to preserving his memory, what he meant to them and the value of his ultimate sacrifice. They will gather at noon today at his memorial in Jacksonville.

Williams, a native of Jacksonville and a graduate of the University of North Alabama, was serving at the Pentagon when the building was attacked by terrorists who hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 and crashed into the west side of the building.

Williams was the oldest of four sons. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The memorial in Jacksonville and the annual remembrance ceremony was championed by his mother, Pearl Williams.

This year the remembrance is the duty of his younger brother, Roy Williams, as their mother is now 81 and struggling with the effects of Alzheimer’s.

“She can’t take this on, so the mantle has fallen on me for the first time,” said Roy Williams, who is also the spokesperson for the Birmingham Public Library and a former longtime reporter for The Birmingham News. “She wanted me to continue honoring Dwayne.”

Williams was among 2,977 people who died during the Sept. 11 attacks at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, at the World Trade Center in New York, and aboard a plane that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Roy Williams initially planned a small remembrance this year until friends and former colleagues of his brother reached out to him and asked to participate.

“I hear from people who knew my brother, who even 20 years later, were honored to get the chance to work with him. He was a leader,” he said. “People are reaching out to me who knew my brother and talking about how he touched their lives.”

The phrase “Never Forget,” urges the public to remember the people lost on Sept. 11. For Williams and his family forgetting is never an option. Memories of the day come more closely into focus every year as the anniversary approaches.

“I have attended over a dozen memorial services in Dwayne’s memory over past 19 years and heard dozens of military personnel and friends talk of lives he touched,” said Roy Williams. “He was a true hero – both on and off the military and sports fields and courts.”

Today’s ceremony takes place at the historic Jacksonville City Cemetery just off Vann Street. Activities will feature a presentation of colors by the Jacksonville State University ROTC, George Worman playing “Taps” on the trumpet, and a short keynote address by Retired Army Master Sgt. Major Carolina D. Johnson, who served with Williams at Ft. Bragg, N.C. Mike B. Abrams of Jacksonville, who is a Williams family friend, will serve as moderator.

The career military man was just 40 years old, yet the legacy of Major Williams remains pronounced in his hometown and beyond.

Scholarships in his honor are given at UNA and Jacksonville High School. Also, Kitty Stone Elementary in Jacksonville gives the Maj. Dwayne Williams citizenship award to an exemplary student each year.

Two buildings are named in his honor at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he went to military officer training, and at Fort Jackson, South Carolina where he served.

UNA, where Dwayne played football as a wide receiver, retired his uniform number 33.

For Roy Williams, his oldest brother Dwayne remains his hero.

“I grew up idolizing my brother because he was like a football star and basketball star and could do stuff that I could not do,” he recalled with a slight laugh.

Both he and his mother have authored books about Dwayne Williams. Roy Williams wrote “911, God Help Us – A Journalist’s Tale of Faith.” Pearl Williams wrote a children’s book titled “A Hero Called Fish.” Fish was the childhood nickname for Dwayne Williams, who was an avid swimmer.

Roy Williams said the loss of his brother left a lasting lesson that he continues to share with others.

“Don’t take any day for granted. Don’t take any loved ones for granted, because you never know how long they’re going to be here,” he said.

Nine people with Alabama ties lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.

Williams said he hopes the Sept. 11 remembrances for his brother and the many others around the country serve to unite the country for a common cause.

“I am asking people to put aside their political differences, put aside this issue of race and do like we did in a moment of tragedy on 9/11 — unite under the colors of red, white and blue,” Williams said. “I just hope and pray that people will never forget what happened.”