A special service to remember the 20th anniversary of the events of Sept. 11, 2001, will be held at the Ocracoke School flag pole at 7 a.m. Friday, Sept. 11, 2020.
A special service to remember the 20th anniversary of the events of Sept. 11, 2001, will be held here at the Ocracoke School flag pole at 7 a.m. Friday. 2018 photo: C. Leinbach

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Ocracoke’s Life Saving and United Methodist churches will hold a special service at 7 a.m. Friday to remember the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

Pastors Ivey Belch, of the Life Saving Church, and Susie Fitch-Slater, of the Methodist Church, invite all to join together for prayer at the Ocracoke School flagpole on School Road on Friday, Sept. 11, which is the 19th anniversary of the worst attack on American soil.

Around 8 a.m. on September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Almost 3,000 people were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which triggered major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism and defined the presidency of George W. Bush.

The service will honor social distancing and attendees are asked to wear face coverings,

“This is a very challenging week for our community as we remember the first anniversary of Hurricane Dorian and the events of 9/11,” said Fitch-Slater in an email. “It is important that we reach out to offer support and encouragement as we gather as a community to lift our hearts and spirits to the Lord.”

The service will be carried live on The Kingdom of Ocracoke Facebook page for those who prefer to join on social media.

This story was corrected to the 19th anniversary of the 9/11. Next year will be the 20th anniversary.

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