It began with the planting of a tree following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

After the attacks, “people didn't know what to do, what to say,” Onset resident Rudy Santos remembered. “There was a void, and rightfully so.”

Santos was sitting in his Onset home on an evening shortly after the attacks, thinking about the events that transpired.

“I was sitting there one night and contemplating what happened and thinking about the evil act [and] the people who died, the first responders,” Santos said.

Then he noticed a van pull up and park in front of his home. A woman emerged.

“I hear this woman say, 'I've got to do something, I've got to do something,'” Santos recalled. “It drew my attention and I didn't want to approach her quickly so I watched.”

Santos watched as the woman pulled a tree and a shovel from the van and walked over to a grassy island in front of his house. He decided to approach her then.

“She said, 'I bought this tree … and I want to do something for the first responders and the people who died in New York,'” Santos recalled.

Santos took it upon himself to help the woman plant the tree.

“We hugged and we both cried. We said prayers for our country and our citizens,” he said.

Santos asked the woman for her name, but she declined to tell him.

“After she drove off I realized what I had to do,” Santos said.

Santos, Onset resident Winna Dean, and Onset Fire Chief Howard Andersen got to work. Within a week and a half, the team had organized a 9/11 memorial event to honor the people who died and the emergency responders.

As the 10-year anniversary of the attacks approached, Santos knew another remembrance event had to occur. A larger committee formed to organize an event to ensure the day does not go by unrecognized.

“We're trying to bring the town together … and pay respect to those who died, pay respect to those who are living, and pay respect to our police and firefighters,” Santos said.

The group has planned a parade which will include at least 10 to 15 veterans, cadets from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, members of the religious community, the Wareham Police and fire departments' honor guards, and the ROTC, among other participants.

Town Moderator Claire Smith will serve as the master of ceremonies.

“We wanted to do this and do it right in respect those that serve us now and those who have left,” said Santos.

The committee still seeks veterans from any of the Gulf Wars beginning with Desert Storm to march in the parade and honor during the ceremony. The committee also seeks names of members of the military who died in those wars and the names of people who died in the September 11 attacks to honor. If you can provide any information to the committee, please call 508-295-7072.

The ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. on Sunday, September 11 in Onset Village.