(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is directing U.S. and state flags in Connecticut to remain lowered at half-staff on Monday, September 11, 2023, in remembrance of the nearly 3,000 people who were killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.
Flags in Connecticut are also currently lowered to half-staff in honor of Hartford Police Officer Bobby Garten, who died on Wednesday night while serving in the line of duty. Flags should continue flying at half-staff for this purpose until sunset on the date of Officer Garten’s interment, which has not yet been determined. The Office of the Governor will send out a notification when flags should be returned to full-staff.
In addition, Governor Lamont announced today that the state will illuminate the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge in New Haven – informally known by many residents as the Q Bridge – in red, white, and blue lights beginning at dusk on the evenings of Sunday, September 10, 2023, and Monday, September 11, 2023, in recognition of the anniversary of the attacks. Beacons capable of projecting light nearly six miles into the clear night sky will be lit until the early morning hours.
“On this day 22 years ago, one of the greatest tragedies in American history hit all too close to home, and we will forever pay tribute to the innocent lives that were taken all too soon and honor the heroism of those who gave their lives while rescuing others, including the many first responders,” Governor Lamont said. “We also pay tribute to the brave men and women from the U.S. military who serve our nation and protect our freedoms each and every day, as well as the many military heroes whose lives were lost in the ongoing battle to keep us safe since 2001. On this anniversary, I urge the residents of our state to remember the unity and compassion that bonded all of us as a nation in its immediate aftermath and recommit ourselves to improving our world for the better.”
“On the 22nd anniversary, we again pause with heavy hearts to mourn the nearly 3,000 victims – including the 161 victims with ties to Connecticut – who were killed on September 11,” Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz said. “On that day, we saw courageous acts that reminded us of America’s resiliency when we come together as one. We united and supported one another. To all of those who have lost loved ones, our hearts, our thoughts, and our prayers are with you – always. I can assure you that the State of Connecticut, Governor Lamont, and I will never forget the victims or their loved ones for the sacrifices that they have made and the tragedies they have endured.”
Connecticut’s official memorial honoring the victims of the attacks is located on a peninsula at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport, where on a clear day the Manhattan skyline can be viewed across the Long Island Sound. It features a stone engraved with the names of the 161 people with ties to the state who were killed in the attacks. The state park was chosen as the site for the memorial because it is the location where many people in the immediate hours following the attacks gathered to observe the devastation on Lower Manhattan from across the sound. The site was also used by the Connecticut National Guard in the following days as a staging area for Connecticut’s relief efforts to New York City.
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Names of the 161 people with ties to Connecticut who were killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks:
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