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Saturday will represent a somber anniversary across the nation as Americans reflect on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Officials and residents will commemorate the occasion in a variety of ways in the Tri-Valley, including several special events throughout the anniversary with a mix of public displays and personal remembrances.
“Twenty years ago, Amy King, a United Airlines flight attendant, left her home in the early morning hours to start her workweek. Her story, her life, is just one of the thousands creating a ripple effect of impact on family, friends, and the world. Yet, telling her individual story reminds us of how precious life is,” said Dublin resident Deborah Lloyd, who will be one of the keynote speakers at the 9/11 anniversary ceremony at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton.
“Amy was 29 years old, and she was my sister,” Lloyd added in a statement released by Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert’s office, a lead organizer of the 20th anniversary event.
Ceremonies like those in the Tri-Valley honor the memories of the 2,977 people killed in the terrorist attacks on that fateful Tuesday in 2001 when four airliners were hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers in New York City, the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C., and a field in Pennsylvania. The annual events also recognize the first responders and others who have subsequently died or continue to battle serious health conditions due to 9/11-related illnesses.
Like they do every year on Sept. 11, the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department will commemorate the anniversary at each of the 10 fire stations across the two cities.
LPFD staff, elected officials and community members will be on hand at the various fire stations for the events Saturday beginning at 9:45 a.m. — an adjusted time to allow for more resident attendees on the weekend. In years past, the LPFD events occurred at 6:45 a.m. to align with the Eastern Standard Time of the original attacks.
Fire personnel and the public will gather at each station’s flagpole at 9:45 a.m. before a moment of silence at 9:59 a.m. after an announcement from fire dispatch, in recognition of the time when the World Trade Center’s South Tower fell in 2001.
Flags will be lowered to half-staff at 10 a.m. and military and public safety personnel will stand at attention and salute at the direction of the fire command leader.
LPFD personnel will then join others from Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, Alameda County Fire Department, Parks Reserve Forces Training Area and other agencies at the fairgrounds in Pleasanton for a 20th anniversary memorial ceremony organized by Haubert.
“We lost family members, loved ones, and our first responders. We are asking you to join us to take a pause and remember all those who lost their lives on that tragic day,” Haubert said in a statement.
The event will run from 10-11 a.m. in the Alameda County Fairgrounds Amphitheatre and include a performance from the 395th Army Band and speakers such as public safety officials and residents with personal stories such as Lloyd and Pleasanton native Jim McGuirk, an Army veteran who had just begun basic training when the 9/11 attacks occurred.
Also in Pleasanton Tom Burnett Lane, between Stoneridge and Johnson drives near the Abbott Laboratories offices, is typically adorned with American flags and flowers to memorialize the street’s namesake.
The late Burnett, a San Ramon resident and senior vice president and chief operating officer at Thoratec, was aboard Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001 and with fellow passengers helped divert the hijacked plane from a more populated target. (Thoratec is now under the Abbott umbrella.)
Then on Saturday afternoon in Danville, the Exchange Club of San Ramon Valley will hold its annual 9/11 remembrance ceremony from 4:20-5:30 p.m.
The event will begin with a pre-program flyover at 4:20 p.m. and procession of local scouts with American flags at the All Wars Memorial at Oak Hill Park (3005 Stone Valley Road) in Danville.
The formal program, “20th Anniversary of 9/11: Never Forgot,” will start at 4:30 p.m. with club president Tim White and past-president and Danville Town Councilwoman Karen Stepper as emcees. It will feature a joint police-fire honor guard, a performance from the Monte Vista High School chamber choir and guest speakers.
The keynote address will be delivered by retired U.S. Air Force Maj. David Yuers, who served as the Air Force Reserve deputy director and operations officer for the Joint Reserve Intelligence Support Element for U.S. Strategic Command based in Phoenix, Ariz. Prior to that he worked directly for the Air Force chief of staff at the Pentagon.
Earlier in the week, Las Positas College in Livermore is scheduled to hold its annual 9/11 remembrance ceremony virtually on Thursday at 11 a.m. The event is set to include a traditional singing of the national anthem as the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Air Force honor guard presents the colors. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Nicole B. Simpson, a 9/11 World Trade Center survivor.
