Opelika will host the 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit this fall, marking the first time the national traveling memorial has visited Alabama. The exhibit will arrive September 10 with a full police escort and will remain at the Southern Union State Community College campus through Sept. 16. James Doody, LaFayette fire chief and EMS director who lives in Opelika, shared the news during the Lee County Board of Educationโs June 10 meeting. Originally from New York, Doody has a personal connection to the Sept. 11 attacks and previously served for 13 years as fire chief at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, working alongside the U.S. Army. โThe educational opportunity this has created for our region is top-notch,โ Doody told the board. He worked with the nonprofit Tunnel to Towers Foundation to bring the exhibit to Alabama. The organization, founded in honor of fallen firefighter Stephen Siller, provides mortgage-free homes to Gold Star families and severely wounded veterans.
