Events Across State Memorialize 9/11
SACRAMENTO (CBS13/AP) -- At dawn, a crowd of about 40 residents witnessed the unveiling of a 9/11 memorial made of World Trade Center steel at the Beverly Hills Fire Department.
In San Francisco, firefighters stood at attention Sunday morning in front of the flag poles of 43 fire stations. And in San Bernardino, hundreds gathered as officials placed a wreath at a monument honoring two women, who were local residents and lost their lives in the attacks 10 years ago.
"Even though we're on the West Coast, there were 50 people who died in the attacks from California," Calfire spokesman Daniel Berlant said at a separate ceremony in Sacramento. "It really hits home to us."
Californians on Sunday commemorated the 10th anniversary of 9/11 with memorials events held across the state.
The ceremony in Sacramento drew about 200 firefighters, police officers and members of the military to the state Capitol early Sunday. After a moment of silence the crowd split up and went to one of three memorial sites on the Capitol grounds for a reading of the names of those lost in the attacks.
For the third straight year, 343 firefighters from over 20 different agencies paid tribute in the 9/11 Memorial Climb at the Renaissance Tower in downtown Sacramento. Wearing over 60 pounds of gear, each firefighter bore the name of one of the firefighters who died in the attacks a decade ago and carried them to the top for a rooftop memorial. The event raised money for a fund for widows and orphans of New York firefighters.
Police and fire officials in San Francisco began noting the anniversary Saturday with an event at the city's Civic Center Plaza, where 200 people gathered to honor their colleagues in New York who lost their lives in the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White, police Chief Greg Suhr, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi were among the dignitaries in attendance.
"Nobody could imagine the evil that would perpetrate such a tragedy. But now we're better prepared," Pelosi said after the event.
In San Diego, a bronze surfer statue that's often dressed up by anonymous late-night pranksters was transformed into a makeshift 9/11 tribute. The roadside statue in Cardiff-by-the-Sea was discovered Sunday morning dressed as a New York City firefighter -- complete with an oxygen tank and an NYFD helmet. With the background of an American flag, a placard says "never forget."
The San Bernardino ceremony on the steps of City Hall drew city officials and hundreds of residents. A police honor guard marched along with a drum corps made up of cadets from the Public Safety Academy. A monument dedicated to Rhonda Sue Ridge Rasmussen and Cora Hidalgo Holland, who died in the attacks, was adorned with a wreath to honor both women, according to the San Bernardino Sun.
Rasmussen, 44, was working in the Pentagon when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into it, killing 184 people. Holland, 52, was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 11 when it crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
