Society

Pepperdine University honored 9/11 victims with annual ceremony amid Waves of Flags display in Malibu

Wednesday, September 11, 2019
For the 12th consecutive year, Pepperdine University paid tribute to the victims of the 9/11 attacks with a somber ceremony amid a display of 2,887 American flags.
MALIBU, Calif. (KABC) -- For the 12th consecutive year, Pepperdine University paid tribute to the victims of the 9/11 attacks with a somber ceremony amid a display of 2,977 American flags Wednesday.

Known as the "Waves of Flags," including 90 international banners, the installation at the campus' Alumni Park honors each of the 2,977 victims of the tragedy on Sept. 11, 2001.

Among the victims honored annually in Malibu is Thomas E. Burnett Jr., a Pepperdine graduate who died on United Flight 93.

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Wednesday's memorial service acknowledged grieving family members while recognizing the efforts of those who helped prevent further loss of life.

"In commemorating 9/11, we seek to mourn the innocent lives lost, but also to be inspired by the heroism and selflessness that our fellow Americans demonstrated on that day," said Jim Gash, the university's president. "We hope that, even as they mourn and reflect on the lives lost, visitors to Waves of Flags will be inspired by the bravery and self-sacrifice of those heroes."

PHOTO GALLERY: 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City
Smoke, flames and debris erupts from one of the World Trade Center towers as a plane strikes it Tuesday, September 11, 2001.none
Smoke pours off one of the towers of the World Trade Center as flames explode from the second one as it is struck by a plane Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001.none
A plane approaches New York's World Trade Center moments before it struck the tower at left, as seen from downtown Brooklyn, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001.none
A jet crashes into the World Trade Center in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001.none
Smoke billows from one of the towers of the World Trade Center and flames and debris explode from the second tower, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001.none
A fireball erupts from one of the World Trade Center towers as it is struck by the second of two airplanes in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001.none
Firefighters work beneath the destroyed mullions, the vertical struts which once faced the soaring outer walls of the World Trade Center towers.none
Two men hug in downtown Manhattan in response to the collapse of the World Trade Center's twin towers on September 11, 2001 in New York City.none
Smoke pours off one of the towers of the World Trade Center as flames explode from the second one as it is struck by a plane Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001.none
People flee the scene near New York's World Trade Center after terrorists crashed two planes into the towers on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.none
The north tower of the World Trade Center collapses on September 11, 2001 in New York City.none
People flee the scene near New York's World Trade Center after terrorists crashed two planes into the towers on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.none
The north tower of the World Trade Center collapses on September 11, 2001 in New York City.none
The north tower of the World Trade Center in flames on September 11, 2001 in New York City.none
Ground zero on the evening of Sept. 11, 2001 after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.none
The New York City skyline on the evening of September 17, 2001 after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.none
Emergency workers at ground zero on Sept. 11, 2001 after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.none
A street near ground zero on the evening of September 11, 2001 after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.none
A destroyed subway station near ground zero on the evening of Sept. 12, 2001 after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.none
Debris fall from one of the burning twin towers of the World Trade Center after a hijacked plane crashed into the tower on September 11, 2001 in New York City.none
The north tower of the World Trade Center's twin towers burns after a hijacked plane crashed into it on September 11, 2001 in New York City.none
A man cries on September 11, 2001 after witnessing the collapse of the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.none
The north tower of the World Trade Center collapses after a hijacked plane crashed into it on September 11, 2001 in New York City.none
Smoke rises from the burning twin towers of the World Trade Center after hijacked planes crashed into the towers on September 11, 2001 in New York City.none
A man is covered in debris after the collapse of the twin towers of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 in New York City.none
Debris fall from one of the burning twin towers of the World Trade Center after a hijacked plane crashed into the tower on September 11, 2001 in New York City.none
Debris fall from one of the burning twin towers of the World Trade Center after a hijacked plane crashed into the tower on September 11, 2001 in New York City.none

The Waves of Flags, a striking display that is visible from the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Malibu Canyon Road, is expected to remain in place for two weeks after the anniversary.
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