SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Several commemoration events were planned around the San Diego area Sunday to mark the 10th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.
"A Decade of Remembrance" event will be held at 9 a.m. in Chula Vista, featuring a moment of silence, a free pancake breakfast and demonstrations by military and police. The ceremony will also include a tribute to fallen firefighters and law enforcement officers by the Carlsbad Firefighters Association at the South Cardiff State Beach parking lot.
The 10th annual Patriots Day Blood Drive will be held at 9:30 a.m. at the San Diego Hall of Champions in Balboa Park; and a non-competitive "Freedom Walk" will commence at 9 a.m. in Mission Bay Park.
Meanwhile, the San Diego Chargers will honor first-responders at halftime of the team's season opener against the Minnesota Vikings.
A wreath-laying ceremony will be held aboard the USS Midway Museum, including a reading of victims' names and a flyover of military aircraft.
Religious leaders of various faiths will hold services at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park.
Memorial events began Thursday when about 1,000 people gathered at Port Pavilion to commemorate the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The event featured a trade show with local companies involved in global trade and a solemn Commemoration Walk from the County Administration Building to the pavilion. The event concluded with a free concert by Jefferson Starship.
The San Diego Master Chorale performed patriotic songs and several local officials spoke, including County Supervisor Ron Roberts, who said several
San Diego families were affected by the attacks.
"Today and this week we are going to be commemorating the memories of those we lost on that dark day 10 years ago, the friends and loved ones also they left behind. And while we honor the dead, we want to, in the fuller sense of the word, remember them," Roberts said.
