Groundbreaking held for 9/11 memorial in Columbia

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Family members of paramedics, firefighters, police officers and military members have broken ground on the First Responders Remembrance Memorial in Columbia.

Tuesday’s groundbreaking took place at 8:46 a.m., the time the first plane slammed into the World Trade Center during the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The memorial also will honor 9/11 victims. The names of all the people killed in New York City will be listed, along with first responders who have been killed in central South Carolina since that day.

The memorial at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center will have two 25-foot granite towers and two steel beams from the World Trade Center.

Organizers are seeking $175,000 in additional donations to finish the memorial in time for the 10th anniversary of the attacks.