Sept. 11 Marked as Day of Remembering

Sept. 11, 2002 -- 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.

Teams of bagpipers and drummers started at 1 a.m., marching through dark streets, greeting the sunrise with songs of sorrow, reflection and resolve.

Thousands of people had already gathered at Ground Zero when the pipers arrived, and they greeted the solemn musicians with waving American flags. As the solemn litany of names were read, family and friends held on to each other, some crying, others holding up pictures of their loved ones.

"It provided us all with a chance to bring some type of closure and make sure that no one forgets," said Lisa Gootman of Rockland County, N.Y. "It's not that they forget, it's that they're not directly affected. They can go on with their lives."

Some were first-time visitors to Ground Zero and saw today's ceremony not only a chance to share their grief and sorrow but an opportunity to heal and remind the world of last year's horrific attack — and the danger ahead.

"[It's] a very emotional day," said Chris Vlachos of Nyack, N.Y. "It was just like it was 9/11/01 … the same emotions and the same feelings. And being down here for the first time, actually, since it's happened is very overwhelming. It gave me a chance to come down and pay tribute to two of my friends."

The reading of the victims' names was interrupted at 10:28 a.m., the time when the second tower collapsed, and a fire bell was rung, joined by the tolling of church bells throughout the city.

After the names were read and "Taps" was played, New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey read selections from the Declaration of Independence and "The Star-Spangled Banner" was played, concluding the ceremony.

The families of the victims were invited to go down the ramp into the seven-story-deep hole that is all that is left of the World Trade Center. They took roses that they placed in a Circle of Honor. The roses will be made a part of the permanent memorial, when it is finally built, Bloomberg said.

‘Hope Was Born Again’

At the Pentagon, where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed at 9:37 a.m., destroying one section of the building and killing 184 people, Bush and military officials took part in a one-hour ceremony that opened with the unfurling of a large American flag over the rebuilt section of the building.

As the tattered flag fluttered in the strong wind, the assembled crowd sang God Bless America, and then a group of schoolchildren recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

Bush did not just pay his respects to those who died — he sounded the defiant tone he has kept up since the morning of the attacks.

"What happened to our nation on a September day set in motion the first great struggle of a new century," Bush said. "The enemies who struck us are determined and they are resourceful. They will not be stopped by a sense of decency or a hint of conscience. But they will be stopped."

In Shanksville, family members of the 40 passengers and crew members of United Airlines Flight 93 and others had already gathered as the sun rose over the field where the jet crashed, after passengers fought with the hijackers to keep them from flying the plane into a target in Washington.

The official ceremony began there at 9:30 a.m., and the moment when the plane crashed — 10:06 a.m. — was marked by a bell tolling 40 times, once for each of the victims.

"They didn't ask to serve, but serve they did, and serve with honor," Homeland Security Director and former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge said in his speech to the passengers' and crew members' families. "In a field in rural Pennsylvania right prevailed over wrong and hope was born again."

Bush's Mission of Comfort and Resolve

After the Pentagon memorial, the president went to Pennsylvania to pay his respects. He stood with Mrs. Bush with his head bowed as a Marine laid a wreath on the site where the crashed jet came to a halt after skidding across the field, then spoke individually to people in the windblown field.

He then traveled to New York City to lay a wreath at Ground Zero. Clasping his wife's hand, he greeted some victims' relatives gathered in the Circle of Honor, shaking hands and kissing some on the cheek. During an address to the nation at Ellis Island tonight, with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop, Bush reiterated that the attacks challenged Americans as never before, but the nation has remained — and will remain strong in its determination to not live in fear.

"America has entered a great struggle that tests our strength, and even more our resolve. Our Nation is patient and steadfast," Bush said. "We continue to pursue the terrorists in cities, and camps, and caves across the earth. We are joined by a great coalition of nations to rid the world of terror. And we will not allow any terrorist or tyrant to threaten civilization with weapons of mass murder."

Bush's travels came amid increased concerns of another imminent terrorist attack. Security was stepped up this week as the anniversary drew near and the government upgraded the terrorist threat level from yellow to orange — from "elevated" to "high." Continuous military air patrols are under way over Washington and New York, as well as eight other cities, and mobile surface-to-air missiles have been deployed in the nation's capital.

The heightened state of alert came after law enforcement officials said there has been an increase in terrorist communication that has been intercepted, though little of it provided any hard information about any planned attack on U.S. soil.

The State Department also warned U.S. embassies around the world to tighten security and Americans living abroad to be wary.

‘A Difficult Day But a Necessary Day’

All around the world, monarchs, government officials, religious leaders and ordinary people gathered to share an expression of support for those who lost loved ones in the attacks. Memorial services were held in Auckland, New Zealand, in Tokyo and other cities in Asia, as well as in London, Rome and Berlin.

"It's a difficult day but a necessary day for us to go through and to remember the worst attack in the history of this country and then the bravest, most remarkable, awesome response on the part of thousands and thousands of people who saved over 25,000 people," Giuliani said today on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America.

At Bagram air field in Afghanistan, American soldiers joined in the observance of a moment of silence at the time when the first plane hit the trade center.

Officials lighted an eternal flame as part of a temporary memorial in New York's Battery Park. Major League Baseball honored the attack victims, calling for a moment of silence during all ballgames at 9:11 pm. Across the United States, communities held their own smaller services or honored the memory of those who died one year ago in their own way, such as a group of schoolchildren in Montgomery, Ala., who baked cookies for their local firefighters. There were also services in Los Angeles, Boston and in other towns and cities across America.