9/11 Terror Attacks Marked By Metro Detroit Events

METRO DETROIT, MI — In less than an hour, America changed forever on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Three commercial flights were hijacked by terrorists determined to strike at the very heart of the country. And, in a very real sense, they succeeded.

At 8:46 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. At 9:03 a.m., the south tower was hit by United Airlines flight 175. At 9:37 a.m., the Pentagon in Washington D.C was hit by American Airlines Flight 77, according to a timeline of 9/11 events on History.com.

If not for the brave passengers on Flight 93, a fourth plane might have struck another target. But because they attempted to take the plane back, the terrorists aboard crashed the plane in a field in Somerset County at 10:07 a.m.

(For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Plymouth-Canton Patch, click here to find your local Michigan Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

In all, nearly 3,000 people were killed on Sept. 11, 2001, 17 of them with ties to Metro Detroit:

• Terence Adderley Jr. of Bloomfield Hills
• David Alger of Grosse Pointe
• Eric Bennett of Flint
• Frank Doyle of New Boston
• Barbara Edwards of Wyoming
• Brad Hoorn of Richland
• Suzanne Kondratenko of Romeo
• Darya Lin of Ann Arbor
• Margaret Mattic of Detroit
• Robert Ploger III of Ann Arbor
• David Pruim of Muskegon
• Josh Rosenthal of Livonia
• Brock Safronoff of Traverse City
• Lt. Col. Kip Taylor of Marquette
• Lisa Terry of Oakland Township
• Alicia Titus of Dexter
• Meredith Whalen of Canton Township

On Monday, Metro Detroit will mark the 16th anniversary of that tragic day with several ceremonies.

The University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University will hold events. In Ann Arbor, “3000 American Flags” will take place at the Michigan diag from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. An American flag will be placed in the diag for each of the 2,997 people that lost their lives.

In Ypsilanti, the EMU Remembrance Ceremony will start at 8:40 a.m. at East Cross and Perrin streets. The National Anthem will be sung, a prayer and words of encouragement shared.

The Detroit Police Department's 9/11 Memorial Service in the parking lot of its public safety headquarters' parking lot, 1301 Third Street, at 8:45 a.m. In Macomb County, the Patriot Walk will be held at Lutheran High North, located at 16824 24 Mile Road starting at 8:20 a.m.

In Pontiac, the Fallen Heroes Memorial will be at 7 p.m. on the Oakland County campus at 1200 N. Telegraph Road, building 38E. The ceremony honors police officers and firefighters who lost their lives on on 9/11.

Photos by Robert Giroux / Staff / Getty Images News / Getty Images