9/11 Remembrance Ceremony to be Held Wednesday Morning

Community members, city leaders and the families of victims will once again come together during a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony Wednesday morning in Union City.
The annual ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. at the Flight 93 Memorial at Sugar Mill Landing Park at the corner of Alvarado-niles Road and Dyer Street. It will feature messages from relatives of victims about Flight 93, a presentation of the colors by American Legion Honor Guard District 10, taps and remarks from Union City Mayor Carol Dutra-Vernaci and other dignitaries.
Designed by Hayward resident Michael Emerson and completed in 2007, the Flight 93 Memorial is dedicated to the passengers and crew members aboard the United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. The memorial is made up of 40 red granite monuments with the names, ages and hometowns of the 33 passengers and seven crew members on the flight. Each of the stones feature a metal reflector plate, allowing visitors a moment to reflect.

The stones lead to the "Circle of Remembrance," which includes three 10-foot engraved stones that tell the story of Flight 93, the ill-fated plane destined for SFO that day, and lists the names of those who have contributed to the memorial. At the opposite end is the "Plaza of Hope," which includes a flagpole surrounded by tiles painted with inspirational images and words created by Union City youth.

Emerson, who will be present at Wednesday's remembrance ceremony, is currently planning another memorial in downtown Hayward. 

"I see a memorial as a work of art," Emerson said. "I want people to feel connected. We want to remember 9/11."

The planned Hayward memorial will include four black 10-foot tall granite monoliths on Mission Boulevard near D Street.

The slabs are intended to represent the four planes that crashed.

Emerson said when he thinks of the 9/11 attacks he thinks of the four different planes, not just the three different locations where they crashed.

Each granite piece will have laser-etched images of the locations of the crashes, along with a collage of photographs of the rescues and other moments of the day. An American flag will fly from the center of a red granite base which will have "We Will Never Forget" written out with several benches lining the perimeter of the square. Also in the center will be a plaque honoring fallen firefighters, police officers and other emergency responders from Hayward.

Emerson said he is helping with the memorial as a donation and is hoping to raise up to $150,000 for the project. He estimated the site would be ready for dedication by the 9/11 anniversary in 2015 -- however it could be sooner if more materials and donations come in.

Donation information and more details about the memorial is available at http://hayward911memorial.com.

Construction will not begin, he said, until he has secured full funding, materials and labor sources.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.