Community Corner

The Sept. 11 Terrorist Attacks, 10 Years Later

Beverly Hills and communities across the nation honor the victims of 9/11.

Today Beverly Hills reflects on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with the .

The fences surrounding the garden were removed late Saturday evening—illuminated by above-ground lighting—in preparation for Sunday's 6:45 a.m. and 4 p.m. dedication ceremonies.

Featuring a 30-foot, 1,900-pound from the World Trade Center wreckage, the memorial reads:

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At 8:45 a.m. on September 11, 2001 terrorists hijacked and crashed a passenger jet, American Airlines Flight 11, into the north tower of New York City’s World Trade Center. As live television coverage began, Americans watched in horror as a second plane, United Airlines Flight 175, slammed into the south tower at 9:03 a.m. At 9:38 a.m. American Airlines Flight 77 smashed into the Pentagon outside of the nation’s capital. A fourth jet, United Airlines Flight 93 bound for Washington, D.C., crashed outside of Shanksville, Pennsylvania at 10:03 a.m.

Positioned above you is a historic steel artifact that once served as a structural member of the World Trade Center site. It is supported by a Pentagon-shaped base and prominently looks out, ever vigilant, towards the field of greenery representing Shanksville.

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Encased in the foundation of this memorial are copies of the Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, Gettysburg Address and a piece of the aircraft from Flight 77, along with the captain’s insignia wings.

The Beverly Hills 9/11 Memorial Garden serves to forever honor, respect and remember the victims, rescuers and heroes who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

Engraved in the memorial are the names of the 2,977 identified victims of the attacks, along with excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, "The Star-Spangled Banner," "America the Beautiful," "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" and the "Navy Hymn." The hymn is included in honor of Charles Burlingame III, pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, who was a Navy commander. Burlingame's brother, Brad, is head of the Marketing and Visitors Bureau in nearby West Hollywood and will be speaking at the memorial site for the city's 4 p.m. dedication ceremony.

The 9/11 attacks marked a pivotal point in American history. Many rallied to support a grieving nation while honoring the lives lost in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.

In Beverly Hills, people came together to raise more than $350,000 in private donations for the city's memorial garden, with an additional $150,000 worth of donated materials, supplies from contractors and labor.

To see how other communities have been affected by the events that happened 10 years ago today, Patch has looked out across its 800+ sites to pull together snapshots that capture the faces, memorials, ceremonies, keepsakes, fundraisers, deployments and emotions left in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

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