PHOENIX – State government buildings in Arizona will fly flags at half-staff in remembrance of the lives lost during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
It’s one of several ways the nearly 3,000 victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, will be honored in metro Phoenix in the coming days.
Why are flags flying at half-staff in Arizona?
Gov. Katie Hobbs ordered flags at state buildings lowered for Patriot Day on Thursday from sunrise to sunset and encouraged individuals, businesses and other organizations to follow suit.
“On 9/11, we remember and honor the innocent men and women we lost 24 years ago, the survivors, and their families and communities,” Hobbs said in a statement. “We salute the bravery of the first responders who put themselves in harm’s way to protect others. We will never forget.”
In addition to the flags being lowered, several metro Phoenix events are scheduled to honor the victims of the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history.
Tempe Healing Field features flags honoring 9/11 victims
The largest memorial is the annual Tempe Healing Field at Tempe Beach Park, which includes activities and a vast display of American flags over four days.
Volunteers are invited to stand up flags for each of the 2,977 lives lost in the 9/11 attacks starting Thursday at 5:46 a.m., the time when the first hijacked plane hit the north tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan 24 years ago.
Later Thursday, a candlelight vigil with a public reading of the names of the 9/11 victims will start at 7 p.m.
Tempe Beach Park will also host a concert with patriotic songs on Saturday from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and the Tunnel to Towers Foundation 5k on Sunday at 7:30 a.m.
The Tempe Healing Field flags will be on display until volunteers take them down starting at 6 a.m. Monday.
Other metro Phoenix 9/11 remembrance events
In another Thursday event, the town of Gilbert will hold its annual memorial ceremony at its 9/11 Memorial Plaza starting at 6:30 p.m.
After the ceremony, two beams of light will be projected skyward until 10:30 p.m. to symbolize the fallen twin towers of the World Trade Center.
Gilbert’s 9/11 Memorial Plaza is always open to the public. Its centerpiece is a piece of a beam that came from the north tower of the World Trade Center.
Another annual tribute is the Salt River Firefighters 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. The event is held each year at the Salt River Fields baseball stadium in Scottsdale to honor the firefighters, police officers and other first responders who gave their lives at the twin towers.
The 2025 event is set for Saturday, with registration opening at 5 p.m., opening ceremonies at 6:30 p.m. and the stair climb from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The goal for participants is to climb up and down the stadium stairs to cover the equivalent of 110 stories, the height of the World Trade Center.
A week later, on Sept. 20, the Travis Manion Foundation will hold its 9/11 Heroes Run at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe at 8 a.m. The foundation provides support for veterans and the families of fallen military members.
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