9-11 remembrances thirteen years later

And now thirteen years have gone by since that September day that seems to have changed so much in regard to how we see the world, war, religion and politics. To commemorate the day,  memorial events will be held at the Three Sites (Lower Manhattan, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania), and moments of silence will be observed at the Six Times (8:46 a.m.- North Tower struck, 9:03 a.m.- South Tower struck, 9:37 a.m.- Pentagon struck, 9:59 a.m.- South Tower fell, 10:03 a.m.- Flight 93 brought down in Shanksville and 10:28 a.m.- North Tower fell) of the dark day.

At Ground Zero in New York, beginning last night, two Tributes Lights began shining upward where the Towers once stood. Today at the National September 11 Memorial Museum, the names of all those who died that day and in the 1993 World Trade Center parking garage bombing will be read aloud.

At the Pentagon, at dawn, a large United States flag was hung on the side of the building where the plane struck. This commemorates the hanging of a similar flag the day after 9-11 in 2001, when firefighters did the same in a show of strength. The activities at the Pentagon are by invitation-only. President Obama will speak there today.

In a large lush grassy field in Pennsylvania, at the spot where passengers and crew forced down UA Flight 93, headed for the White House, a ceremony will provide the initial display to the public of the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously awarded to those heroes.

Locally, there are several remembrance ceremonies being held:

• On the campus of Grossmont College, starting at 8:00 a.m., the names of all those who died will be recited aloud.
• In the San Diego Hall of Champions at Balboa Park, starting at 9:30 a.m., the San Diego Blood Bank will hold a blood drive in remembrance of those who fell thirteen years ago.
• On the UCSD campus, a moment of silence will be held at noon, during which the Geisel Library bells will ring a Scott Paulson-composed memborial peal. In addition, a wreath will be place at the 9-11 commemorative tree in Warren Mall at 8 a.m.
• On the USS Midway Museum San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer and the SD Fire-Rescue Department will participate in a wreath-laying commemoration at 2:30 p.m.
• On the Cuyamaca College campus, two thousand nine hundred seventy-seven American flags will be draped to honor those who were killed that day at all of the Three Sites.