Nation pauses to pay tribute to 9/11 victims

Washington

After observing a moment of silence on the White House South Lawn, President Barack Obama traveled to the Pentagon Sept. 11 memorial in Arlington, Va., where victims’ families, attack survivors and military officials laid a wreath and held a moment of silence.

Pennsylvania

More than 200 people gathered at the Flight 93 National Memorial to read the names of 40 passengers and crew killed when the airliner crashed into a field near the small town of Shanksville. U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell told the assembled families and spectators, “We never know when we’ll be called to lay down our lives for others.”

Boston

A wreath-laying ceremony in the city’s Public Garden was followed by a commemoration at the Statehouse, during which participants read the names of more than 200 attack victims with ties to Massachusetts. During the ceremony, a civilian bravery award named after 9/11 flight attendant Madeline Amy Sweeney was given to Carlos Arredondo, a Boston Marathon spectator who assisted a man who lost both legs in the April 15 bombing.

London

British Princes William and Harry participated in a charity event organized by Cantor Fitzgerald, the brokerage firm that lost 658 employees in the World Trade Center collapse. The company and its affiliate BGC Partners are donating all of their Sept. 11 revenue to charity.

Appleton, Newfoundland

A monument made from a piece of World Trade Center steel was unveiled in the town of Appleton to mark the area’s role in helping stranded air passengers following the attacks. Residents in the region took travelers from around the world into their homes when American air space was closed after the 9/11 hijackings.

Kabul, Afghanistan

About 300 U.S. and other coalition troops in Afghanistan gathered at noon for a memorial ceremony at Bagram Airfield. The service was held near a nine-foot beam from the World Trade Center site. The speeches focused on the sacrifices of troops in the years since the attacks, but also touched on some of the progress made in rebuilding Afghanistan.

Israel

At a Navy graduation ceremony in northern Israel, President Shimon Peres paid tribute to 9/11 victims, saying the attack was among the worst terrorist crimes in history. “The mourning of the United States of America is also the mourning of Israel,” he said.

The U.S. Embassy in Israel held a ceremony in conjunction with the Jewish National Fund at the 9/11 Living Memorial in a Jerusalem forest. The memorial is among the largest commemorating 9/11 outside of the U.S.

Tirana, Albania

Albania’s prime minister-elect, Edi Rama, began an important policy address to that country’s parliament by remembering the 9/11 attacks. “Sept. 11 dead are our dead, too,” he said.

Life in lower Manhattan resembled any ordinary day Wednesday as workers rushed to their jobs in the muggy heat, but time stood still at the World Trade Center site while families wept for loved ones who perished in the terror attacks 12 years ago.

For the families, the memories of that day are still vivid, the pain still acute. Some who read the names of a beloved big brother or a cherished daughter could hardly speak through their tears.

“Has it really been 12 years? Or 12 days? Sometimes it feels the same,” said Michael Fox, speaking aloud to his brother, Jeffrey, who perished in the south tower. “Sometimes I reach for the phone so I can call you, and we can talk about our kids like we used to do every day.”

On the memorial plaza overlooking two reflecting pools in the imprint of the twin towers, relatives recited the names of the nearly 3,000 people who died when hijacked jets crashed into the towers, the Pentagon and in a field near Shanksville, Pa. They also recognized the victims of the 1993 trade center bombing.

Bells tolled to mark the planes hitting the towers and the moments when the skyscrapers fell.

In Washington, President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, walked out to the White House’s South Lawn for a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. — the time the first plane struck the south tower in New York. A jetliner struck the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m.

“Our hearts still ache for the futures snatched away, the lives that might have been,” Obama said.

A moment of silence was also held at the U.S. Capitol.

In New York, loved ones milled around the memorial site, making rubbings of names, putting flowers by the names of victims and weeping, arm in arm. Former Gov. George Pataki, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and others were in attendance. No politicians spoke. Mayor Michael Bloomberg watched the ceremony for his final time in office.

The anniversary arrived amid changes at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, where construction started Tuesday on a new visitor center. On Wednesday, the families of the passengers and crew aboard United Flight 93 recalled their loved ones as heroes for their unselfish and quick actions. The plane was hijacked with the likely goal of crashing it into the White House or Capitol, but passengers tried to overwhelm the attackers, and the plane crashed into the field. All aboard died.

“In a period of 22 minutes, our loved ones made history,” said Gordon Felt, president of the Families of Flight 93, whose brother, Edward, was a passenger.

Outside Washington, hundreds of people gathered for a short, simple ceremony at an Arlington County plaza three miles from the Pentagon. First responders from the county were among the first on the scene that day.

Fire Chief James Schwartz said ceremonies like Wednesday’s — which featured an honor guard and a moment of silence— serve as a reminder of why first responders spend so much time preparing for disaster.

“I’ve often said this has been the fastest 12 years of my life,” Schwartz said. “But if you are a surviving family member, I’d imagine this has been the longest 12 years of your life, because you’re waking up every day with a hole in your heart.”

Bloomberg spoke at a remembrance service for the 84 Port Authority employees killed on Sept. 11.

“On that terrible day, we were united in prayer and compassion for all of you who lost loved ones,” the mayor said. “As we woke up this morning, our first thoughts were with you as well.”

Dozens of family members and colleagues filled the pews as the Port Authority Police Pipes and Drums played during the posting of colors.

Around the world, thousands of volunteers pledged to do good deeds, honoring an anniversary that was designated a National Day of Service and Remembrance in 2009.

By next year’s anniversary, a 9/11 museum is expected to be open beneath the memorial plaza in New York City. While the memorial honors those killed, the museum is intended to present a broader picture, including the experiences of survivors and first responders.

“As things evolve in the future, the focus on the remembrance is going to stay sacrosanct,” memorial president Joe Daniels said.

Douglas Hamatie, whose 31-year-old cousin Robert Horohoe worked for Cantor Fitzgerald and died on 9/11, drew applause from the crowd when he declared that the day should become a national holiday.

“The kids today, they know when the next iPhone’s coming out, and they know when the next Justin Bieber concert is, but they don’t know enough about 9/11,” he said. “So let’s change that, please.”