HARTFORD —Governor Ned Lamont announced September 10 that he is directing U.S. and state flags in Connecticut to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Friday, September 11, 2020 in remembrance of the nearly 3,000 men, women, and children who were killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. Accordingly, since no flag should fly higher than the U.S. flag, all other flags — including state, municipal, corporate, or otherwise — should also be lowered during this same duration of time.

In addition, Governor Lamont announced 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 Thursday September 10, and Friday, September 11, in recognition of the anniversary. Beacons capable of projecting light nearly six miles into the clear night sky will be lit until 1 am during those nights.

“Tragedy not only impacted our nation on that day 19 years ago, but it affected so many families who live here in Connecticut and had loved ones taken from them all too tragically,” Governor Lamont said. “We will forever remember each of those whose lives were taken all too soon, and honor the heroism of the first responders who courageously put their own lives on the line to protect complete strangers. We also pay tribute to the brave men and women of the U.S. military who serve our nation and protect our freedoms. Let’s use this anniversary as a reminder that we are stronger as a nation when we unite together and remain committed to improving our world for the better.”

“We will forever remember and never forget the nearly 3,000 lives taken from us so tragically and cruelly — mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends and coworkers,” Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz said. “In the minutes, hours, and days that followed one of the darkest days in our nation’s history, we saw courageous acts that reminded us of America’s resiliency when we come together as one. Our first responders heroically put themselves in harm’s way to save others. Ordinary people risked their lives to take on hijackers. Families turned their unimaginable loss into hope. Today and every day, we honor the memories of all those we lost on September 11, and thank our first responders and military personnel for protecting us and defending our country.”

The State of Connecticut’s official 9/11 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 people with ties to Connecticut who were killed in the attacks. The state park was chosen as the site for the memorial because it is the location in the immediate aftermath of the attacks where many people gathered to observe the devastation on Lower Manhattan across the sound. The site was also used by the Connecticut National Guard in the following days and weeks as a staging area for Connecticut’s relief efforts to New York City.