Local ceremonies to honor those who lost their lives
Ceremonies today in Santa Barbara County will commemorate the 21st anniversary of 9/11.
At 9 a.m., there will be a ceremony at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Sunken Gardens, 1100 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara.
Undersheriff Bonner, along with the Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard, will join local dignitaries and representatives from area fire departments and other agencies for the 9/11 Flag of Honor Across America Memorial.
Ceremonies in the selected 60 communities will join together to remember the 2,983 women, men, and children who lost their lives on Sept.11, 2001, and in the Feb. 26, 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Each of the 60 inaugural communities will remember 50 of the souls lost by reading their names and short biographical information for each.
During this ceremony, members of the Council on Alcohol/Drug Abuse Teen Court program will present Santa Barbara County with the official 9/11 flag of honor, which includes the names of all victims who lost their lives on these two tragic days. Anyone wishing to attend is encouraged to bring a folding chair or blanket, as seating will be limited.
In addition, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department will be observing a moment of silence, followed by the lowering of the flag, at 9 a.m. at each of the fire stations to honor the first responders and the lives lost on 9/11, along with U.S. military members who have perished fighting the terrorists behind the attacks.
Elsewhere, the Lompoc Fire Department will hold a ceremony to commemorate the 21st anniversary of 9/11 at its headquarters, Station 51, at 115 South G St., Lompoc.
The ceremony will begin at 6:50 a.m.
At 6:58 a.m., flags will be lowered to half-staff, and a moment of silence will be observed. This is the time the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed. The second tower fell at 10:30 a.m.
Flags will be left at half-staff for the remainder of the day to honor those who perished in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
“It is our pledge to never forget what happened on that day, and to continue to reflect and honor those who lost their lives,” the department said in a news release.
The department will post photos and video of the ceremony on its Facebook page to allow the community to honor the fallen from home. (Search for Lompoc Fire Department on Facebook.)
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
