![[FILE] An American flag and State of Utah flag fly at half mast near the Utah State Capitol. Gov. Spencer Cox ordered flags to be lowered at state facilities Monday in honor of the 9/11 tragedy.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a48c6ad/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4256x2832+0+0/resize/840x558!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8f%2F44%2F5e0d0dcc4630982df96e029459a8%2Fadobestock-158195647.jpeg)
The governor’s decree marked Monday as the “9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance in Utah.”
Gov. Cox wrote, “In the aftermath of 9/11, thousands stepped forward to help, demonstrating that what unites us is far greater than what divides us.”
He said the declaration specifically honors “those who lost their lives on that tragic day.” It also mentions the heroes of that day who “courageously ran toward the danger” and “made the ultimate sacrifice.”
In addition, the announcement also honors those who have lost their lives in the line of duty in the years since then.
The governor ordered all flags at state facilities to be lowered to half-staff until sunset and invited others to follow suit in recognition of Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance.
Local communities honored the day by completing service projects.
In the Heber Valley, dozens of volunteers gathered at Main Street Park in Heber City and split up for eight projects around the community. Those included weaving recycled grocery bags into sleeping mats for people experiencing homelessness and tending the hospital gardens.
Up in the mountains, a group of Wasatch High School wrestlers and JROTC student-cadets got covered in mud, removing algae from the ponds at Cascade Springs.
