Capitol Ceremony for Heroes Amid Terror

With the state Capitol draped in huge American flags and hundreds of police officers, firefighters and victims’ families on hand Tuesday, Gov. Gray Davis presided over a four-hour Day of Remembrance ceremony for the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The production included police and military color guards, bagpipes, a 21-gun salute, gospel and children’s choirs, and a song by Sonali Beaven, the 5-year-old daughter of Alan Beaven, who died on United Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers overpowered the hijackers and foiled their presumed plan to crash the jet in Washington, D.C.

“Because of these courageous passengers, Flight 93 was freedom’s finest hour,” the governor told the crowd of roughly 6,000 people.

“Every one of us,” Davis added, “has a solemn obligation to the victims and heroes of that day to help this great nation remain worthy of their sacrifice. They gave us the gift of their future. Now in their memory, we owe a better future to their children and all of God’s children.”

Among the speakers was Alice Hoglan, mother of Mark Bingham, another passenger on Flight 93. Hoglan spoke of Osama bin Laden’s statement broadcast on Sunday, saying the suspected mastermind of the attacks claimed “haughtily” that “America is filled with fear” after the attack.

“Our response is that there is no dishonor in fear,” Hoglan said. “Bravery is not the absence of fear, but the resolve to face the enemy in spite of it.”

Paul Holm, who was Bingham’s partner, told the audience that the bravery of Bingham and others on the flight, as well as that of the police and firefighters in New York, “represents what is so right about America.”

“As bleak a day as Sept. 11 was,” Holm said, “you can imagine if these brave men and women had not acted, and the plane had hit its intended target, the symbol of our nation’s freedom. Their courage and heroism gave a powerful ray of hope for our nation on one of its darkest days. They gave us something to hold onto.”

Deena Burnett, whose husband, Thomas, also died on Flight 93, called him a true patriot with a strong sense of right and wrong and a conviction that “good values and high morals were not debatable.”

Aides to Davis said at least 47 Californians died in the plane crashes at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and in rural Pennsylvania. Several more with California ties died in the World Trade Center and Pentagon. More than 120 family members of victims were at the event.

Speaking to the schoolchildren at the ceremony, Davis referred to heroes in the audience, including “National Guard and local law enforcement who have put their lives on hold so you can live your lives in safety,” and armed forces that are defending the causes of justice and freedom far from home.

“We pray for the success of their mission,” Davis said. “We pray for their safe return, and we stand here united four-square behind our commander in chief, President George Bush.”

Security was tight at the outdoor event, with California Highway Patrol helicopters and planes circling above and officers on rooftops. The event was paid for by a combination of tax money and donations from labor unions that participated.

Lt. Doug Sloan led a contingent from the Fire Department of New York, who rang a ceremonial bell in tribute to the firefighters who died trying to rescue workers in the World Trade Center. California firefighters gave Sloan $3 million to help the families of firefighters who died.

“It’s part of the healing process,” Capt. Juan Diaz of the San Jose Fire Department said as he left the event. “We still have a lot of brothers who are down. . . . It reminds all of us we could be there.”