Wave Wire Services
ELYSIAN PARK — Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles Fire Chief Jaime Moore joined other elected and public safety officials Sept. 11 at the fire department’s 25th annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony, one of several events across the Southland marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The ceremony at the LAFD Frank Hotchkin Memorial also included LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna and Los Angeles County Fire Deputy Chief Robert Harris and county Supervisor Kathryn Barger.
The ceremony included the ringing of the “10-Bells,” bagpipers and a helicopter flyover.
Moore spoke to the crowd during the event, noting the work of dozens of fire department members who traveled to Ground Zero in New York for the search-and-rescue operations.
“Your service mattered, and we know it came with a price,” Moore said. “Some of you are still dealing with the health consequences from that exposure. Others carry things that are difficult to put into words. We have not forgotten. Sept. 11 changed the fire service.”
Other observances were planned at schools, fire stations and city halls throughout the region.
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Andrés E. Chait joined students and staff at Pacoima Middle School, for a 9 morning ceremony. The event included performances by the Pacoima Singers and a walk-by reflection display featuring hundreds of American flags.
In Malibu, Pepperdine University held its annual Waves of Flags commemoration. Nearly 3,000 flags were displayed — one for each victim of the attacks, including national flags representing foreign countries whose citizens were killed.
The Waves of Flags tradition was started by Pepperdine students in 2008.
FBI Los Angeles Assistant Director in Charge Patrick Grandy was joined by FBI employees, former special agents and other guests for a remembrance ceremony at the FBI’s Los Angeles office on Wilshire Boulevard in West Los Angeles.
The ceremony honored the victims of the attacks and those who served. During the week leading up to the anniversary, FBI Los Angeles employees participated in a Memorial Stair Climb honoring firefighters who climbed the World Trade Center stairwells during the attacks and a Walk of Honor in which participants completed 2,977 laps around the federal building, one for each person killed on 9/11.
In Santa Monica, firefighters, city officials and public safety personnel gathered at Fire Station 1 for the city’s annual remembrance ceremony. The station is home to a steel artifact recovered from the World Trade Center site that is permanently displayed outside the Fire Department’s community room.
Hermosa Beach held its annual remembrance and wreath-laying ceremony at the city’s 9/11 Memorial. Mayor Mike Detoy and community members delivered remarks, while the Hermosa Beach Police Department Honor Guard and Scouts Troop 860 posted the colors.
Elected officials and police and fire representatives placed wreaths at the memorial, which included a piece of steel recovered from Ground Zero.
In San Gabriel, firefighters and police officers gathered at Fire Station 51 for a remembrance ceremony that included a procession, flag ceremony and traditional bell tribute. Miniature American flags bearing the names of fallen first responders lined the station’s front lawn.
The ceremony was coordinated with the Verdugo Fire Communications Center, allowing fire stations throughout the San Gabriel Valley to participate in the regional tribute.
The Alhambra Fire Department also held a ceremony.
Student cadets from Southeast Academy High School led a ceremony at John Glenn High School in Norwalk. The event included a student-led flag-folding ceremony, remarks by Southeast Academy Program Director Master Sgt. Marty Schafer and a performance of the national anthem by Southeast Academy alumnus, Marine Corps veteran and R&B singer-songwriter Elliott McKenzie.
Carson held its tribute in the City Hall parking lot, 701 E. Carson St. Acting Assistant Fire Chief Wade
Kelsey delivered the keynote address, and the city recognized a dozen local residents for community service.
The ceremonies marked a quarter-century since 19 al-Qaida terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners on Sept. 11, 2001, carrying out the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history.
Two planes struck the World Trade Center in New York City, causing both towers to collapse, while a third struck the Pentagon. A fourth plane crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew members attempted to regain control of the plane from the hijackers.
Of the 2,977 victims killed, 343 were New York City firefighters, 37 were Port Authority police officers and 23 were New York police officers.
The attacks led to sweeping changes in U.S. aviation security and foreign policy and prompted the United States to launch military operations in Afghanistan less than a month later.
