By the thousands they arrived in Balboa Park, Americans waving flags and awash in red, white and blue to pay tribute to those who died Sept. 11, 2001, the day that four hijacked airplanes made history.
They sat or stood under a hot sun while military bands played patriotic music and city leaders spoke about remembrance, pride and love of country.
Many others attended memorials in parks, on main streets and in places of worship around the region, including the Islamic Center of San Diego in Clairemont. In the weeks after the attacks, it was discovered that three of the 19 hijackers prayed at the mosque while they lived in San Diego County.
Matthew Fowler was among the thousands of people who spent part of yesterday reflecting on the anniversary. Seated in a back row at the Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park, he was thinking about everything the terrorists had wrought over the past 12 months, and the debt he owes to strangers.
"It occurred to me that there are thousands of people I will never meet that I should thank," said Fowler, 40. "The rescuers, the military, and everyone else who chose a career path that allows me to wait tables and be a biotech geek."
The Organ Pavilion was packed for the Patriot Day remembrance in Balboa Park organized by San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy, who told the audience that the country would triumph over the recent attacks as it had after Pearl Harbor.
"We overcame that day of infamy and a stronger America emerged," the mayor said. "We have been, we are and we will be a resilient nation."
To seemingly underscore the point, low-flying jets on the way to nearby Lindbergh Field drowned out portions of Murphy's address, and some comments by other speakers at the 90-minute service.
Hundreds of uniformed San Diego police and firefighters lined the colonnade on either side of the pavilion as the ceremony got under way about 12:30 p.m. They were greeted with loud cheers and a standing ovation as they entered, as were police Chief David Bejarano, fire Chief Jeff Bowman and Rear Adm. Jose Luis Betancourt when they each stepped to the podium.
"All of us in public safety have been deeply moved by the appreciation shown by the people of this city and this country," Bejarano said. "It is the everyday Americans . . . that will see us through this fight."
Joy Shepard of Escondido spoke about her harrowing escape from the south tower of the World Trade Center a year ago, and the faith that carried her safely down 61 flights of stairs filled with smoke, jet fuel and panic.
She told the audience about her continuing sorrow for those who were unable to find their way out.
"Those voices that were silenced that day should never be forgotten," she said. "And they won't be. You're all here."
Security was tight at the San Diego remembrance. Scores of police and private guards lined the streets and walkways leading to the Organ Pavilion. Access to the area was blocked at all but the primary ways in and out.
John Purcell did not mind the security. The Army veteran who saw his share of combat during the Korean War said the Patriot Day ceremony made him want to take up arms once again.
"If they would draft 70-year-old men, you better believe I'd go," said Purcell, a retired attorney from Normal Heights. "We'd be a little slower, but we'd be the most enthusiastic bunch."
The observances continued into the night, as about 200 people gathered at the Islamic Center, the county's largest mosque, for an interfaith "Day of Unity and Remembrance."
Muslim speakers decried the terrorism and pledged that Islam is a religion of peace. They criticized the backlash after last year's attack and the erosion of civil rights through guilt by association.
But they also praised the kindness of many others who, as one Muslim woman said, realized that "a religion of 1.2 billion people cannot be judged by the actions of a few."
Attorney Randall Hamud cautioned Muslims against believing news reports this week that said Abdussattar Shaikh was an FBI informant. Shaikh, who unwittingly housed two of the hijackers at his Lemon Grove home two years ago, has adamantly denied the report.
Hamud, who represented three material witnesses held after the Sept. 11 attack, said Shaikh deserves "our undivided, loyal support."
He urged the audience not to let these kinds of reports divide the Muslim community.
Among the other memorial services around the region yesterday was one at Qualcomm Stadium early in the morning. People waited in line for hours to ring a bell in remembrance of each of the Sept. 11 victims.
At Tijuana's City Hall, American patriotic music echoed in the interior plaza as U.S. dignitaries and Tijuana residents joined in raising miniature Stars and Stripes to mark the occasion.
"The peace and security of the United States is linked to the peace and security of Tijuana," Mayor Jesús Gonzalez said. "We can't disengage ourselves from the region and our integrated lives."
Staff writer Anna Cearley and news assistant Lupe M. Quiroz contributed to this report.
Jeff McDonald: (619) 542-4585; jeff.mcdonald@uniontrib.com
