Remembering 9/11

To those who have fallen.
To those who were called.
To those who were heroes
Who sacraficed all
look not up to buildings
shattered glass and steel walls
It is the Spirit of Freedom
that makes US stand tall.
In Memory of those who we lost 9/11/01

IN NEW YORK - The nation paused Today to mark the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with a heartfelt ceremony at ground zero and other solemn remembrances around the country.


Relatives of victims killed at the World Trade Center gathered at ground zero in lower Manhattan for readings from dignitaries and a recitation of the names of the dead. Later Thursday, presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain were due at ground zero to pay silent respects.

"Today marks the seventh anniversary of the day our world was broken," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. "It lives forever in our hearts and our history, a tragedy that unites us in a common memory and a common story ... the day that began like any other and ended as none ever has."

The ceremony at ground zero included moments of silence at 8:46 a.m., 9:03 a.m. and 9:59 a.m. — the times when two hijacked jets slammed into the trade center buildings and the south tower fell. One more moment of silence was to be held to mark the collapse of the north tower
Services were also being held in Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon, where a new memorial will be dedicated.

Family members and students representing more than 90 countries that lost victims on Sept. 11 read the names of 2,751 people killed in New York, one more than last year. The city restored Sneha Philip, a woman who mysteriously vanished on Sept. 10, 2001, to its official death toll this year after a court ruled that she was likely killed at the trade center.

Among the readers was Laraine Angeline, who lost brother-in-law, Steve Pollicino. "Steve, your smiles live on with us," she said. "Our separation is temporary. Our love for you is forever."

The readers also included Elodie Coleman, who lost her husband, Keith E. Coleman, and brother-in-law, Scott Thomas Coleman. Speaking to her husband and father of their two children, she said, "There is no one I admire more. Thank you for loving us so completely. We miss you and love you infinitely."

Edward Bracken, who lost his sister, Lucy A. Fishman, said she was "murdered by coward men using their religion to say they are right and we are wrong," then added, "Pray for the men and women who sleep on the ground every night in the Middle East to keep our world safe."

Relatives of victims began arriving at dawn at ground zero, now a huge construction site. American flags were draped over silent cranes. Some family members held signs saying "We miss you," "We love you" and "You will never be forgotten."

Maureen Hunt, wearing a T-shirt with a picture of her sister, Kathleen, a 9/11 victim, said that it was comforting to be at the ceremony with so many who have lost loved ones.

"This is a place for us to meet," said Hunt, who has come each year to pay her respects. "It is not getting easier to attend these ceremonies."


Memorials are years away from being built in Pennsylvania and New York. As in past years, two bright blue beams of light will shine at night on the New York City skyline, in memory of the fallen towers.