Gov. Doug Ducey orders flags at half-staff in honor of 9/11 victims

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey ordered flags at half-staff in honor of the men and women who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attack 20 years ago.

Flags are to be lowered at state buildings all day Saturday.

“Something that happened so quickly would cause years, now decades, of grief and pain,” Ducey said. “We send special thoughts and prayers to the families of those who lost a loved one as a result of the 9/11 terror attack on our nation. And we remember and mourn the life of Gary Bird, the sole Arizonan who was killed on that horrible day.”

Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001 when four planes crashed into the twin towers, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.

“We also honor the many first responders from Arizona and around the nation who answered the call of duty when their nation needed them most,” Ducey said.

“This tragic day would just be the beginning of a two-decade long war that wouldn’t end until just recently.”

The order follows Ducey’s earlier announcement to work with the State Board of Education and stakeholders to present a bill in the next legislative session that will guarantee Arizona students who weren’t alive on 9/11 will be taught about the attacks and the impact it had in the United States.

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