The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and local colleges will hold events today to observe the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
At the downtown fire station at First Avenue and B Street, artist Mark John will display his charcoal drawing of three New York City firefighters raising the American flag at Ground Zero. He will present copies of the drawing to Mayor Jerry Sanders and fire Chief Javier Mainar.
Events will also be held at UC San Diego, the University of San Diego, San Diego State University and Grossmont and Cuyamaca Colleges.
-- At 7:30 a.m. at UCSD, a wreath will be placed at a tree near the Warren Mall that commemorates the attacks. Another ceremony is set for noon. Billiekai Boughton, chairwoman of the UC San Diego Veterans Association, will place the wreath and will remain at the site until sunset;
-- at 8:45 a.m. at USD, members of the ROTC program will sound "Taps'' at the 9/11 Memorial outside the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at the time that each airliner crashed into the World Trade Center towers. Times will be moved back three hours for Pacific Time. At 10 a.m., a short prayer service will also be held;
-- at 11 a.m. at SDSU, ROTC cadets from the Army, Navy and Air Force will lower a flag outside Hepner Hall to half-staff. A moment of silence will be followed by the playing of "Taps'' by a trumpeter from the music department. The ceremony will conclude with a short prayer;
-- at noon at Grossmont College, students will have a moment of reflection and then write their thoughts on cards that will be hung on a tree planted at last year's ceremony;
-- at 12:30 p.m. at Cuyamaca College, a ceremony will feature members of area fire departments, the armed forces, and students from nearby Steele Canyon and Monte Vista high schools.
Also today, radio stations XX1090 AM and 102.1 FM will host the 11th annual Patriots Day Blood Drive at the San Diego Hall of Champions in Balboa Park beginning at 9:30 a.m. Donations will benefit the San Diego Blood Bank.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed when four airliners crashed into the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Two of the hijackers spent time in San Diego County after entering the United States.
