Sept. 11 Marked as Day of Remembering
Sept. 11 -- From New York to Afghanistan, millions of people marked the first anniversary of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with somber reflection and a resolve to never forget the lives lost in the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
Organizers hoped the memorials would not only serve to commemorate the more than 3,000 people killed one year ago, but would also evoke the courage Americans have shown dealing with the tragedy. There were observances nationwide, but the largest ceremonies were in New York City, Washington and Shanksville, Pa., where the four planes hijacked by terrorists crashed on that sunny, horrifying morning,.
"One year ago, men and women and children were killed here because they were Americans and because this place is a symbol to the world of our country's might and resolve," President Bush said in a speech at the Pentagon, though the remarks could have held true at the trade center or the Pennsylvania field. "Today, we remember each life."
Memorial services within the United States began with a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. ET, the time when the first jet crashed into the World Trade Center.
In New York City, thousands of people gathered around and in the gaping chasm left by the destruction of the twin towers. In Washington, D.C., Bush and staff members from the White House stood in silence on the South Lawn. Relatives and colleagues of victims of the attack on the Pentagon gathered there, and more grieving family members assembled in a field near Shanksville, where the fourth plane hijacked in the attacks crashed.
After the silence ended, fighter jets flew over Washington and New York Gov. George Pataki read the Gettyburg Address at Ground Zero. Then former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani began reading the names of the 2,801 people who died in the twin towers. The reading took nearly 2 ½ hours before all the names were heard and "Taps" was played.
"They were our neighbors, our husbands, our children, our sisters, our brothers and our wives. They were our countrymen and our friends. They were us," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
‘Sacred Ground’
The memorial services began before dawn in New York, where American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the World Trade Center, igniting massive blazes that eventually caused the twin towers to crumble.
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