Gov. Dayton orders flags at half-staff, I-35W Bridge lit in remembrance of 9/11

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (KMSP) - Governor Mark Dayton has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff for the 15th anniversary of September 11.

In the proclamation from Dayton, he says it is right and proper for the people of Minnesota to observe a moment of silence at 7:46 a.m. to honor victims of the terrorist attacks.

He also proclaimed Sunday to be “Patriot Day and a Day of Service and Remembrance” in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation will light the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis with red, white and blue in honor of the victims of the attacks.

Statement from Gov. Dayton:

“On the morning of September 11, 2001, my staff and I watched on television from the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington DC, as flames and smoke began to erupt from the first World Trade Tower in New York City, after it was struck by an unidentified aircraft. When another plane crashed into the second World Trade Tower, we realized with horror that they were not accidents.

“After the Capitol Complex was evacuated a few minutes later, I went to the roof of a nearby hotel, where I was living. The clear blue sky was rapidly being filled by a mushroom cloud of thick, black smoke pouring from the Pentagon, which had been struck by the third hijacked plane.

“The eerie silence was suddenly shattered by two F-16 fighter planes streaking down the Mall, past the Washington Monument, and just over the top of the Capitol Building. They were trying to intercept the fourth hijacked plane, which instead was heroically brought down by its passengers, led by Minnesota native Thomas Burnett, Jr. Their unimaginable courage stopped the hijackers from crashing that plane into the U.S. Capitol, which would have murdered even more innocent people.

“Like so many Americans, I will never forget that terrible day 15 years ago. I pray for the victims, their families, and their colleagues. I hope they might find peace, despite their immeasurable losses. I am also thankful for the heroic service of the police, firefighters, and military personnel, who responded immediately at the risk of their own lives. They deserve our immense gratitude for their service and sacrifice on September 11th and in the years following.”