With prayers, tears and the ringing of bells, nation pauses to remember Sept. 11
With solemn ceremonies and prayers, moments of silence and the ringing of bells, the nation on Sunday marked the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of 2,977 victims and forever changed how the United States views itself and its place in the world.
Commemorations unfolded in New York and outside Washington, where hijackers piloted planes into the World Trade Center and Pentagon, and in a rural field in Pennsylvania, where Flight 93 crashed after passengers fought back against their hijackers.
“As Americans, we do not give in to fear,” President Obama said at the Pentagon Memorial service, as about 800 family and friends of those who died stood for 30 seconds of silence at 9:37 a.m. Eastern, the same time of morning that a jetliner struck the building and killed 184 people.
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump attended the ceremony in Lower Manhattan, but Clinton left early, and appeared to stumble as she approached her vehicle. She was helped by Secret Service agents.
A statement from campaign spokesman Nick Merrill said Clinton had felt overheated on the warm, humid morning. The campaign later issued a statement from Clinton's doctor saying she had been diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday and was recovering from it.
After leaving the memorial, she went to daughter Chelsea's apartment to rest and emerged about two hours later, smiling and appearing healthy. "It's a beautiful day in New York," she said as she left.
Asked if she was feeling better, she replied: “Yes, thank you very much.”
The New York ceremony started with a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. Eastern, coinciding with the time the first plane struck the north tower. Some bowed their heads while others held high the photos of their loved ones.
Then began the lengthy process of reading out the names of the victims. Family members came to the stage in pairs to read them out and sometimes add a heartfelt message about the victims.
Jeremy D'Amadeo said he was 10 when his father, Vincent, was killed at the World Trade Center, and he spent many summers at a camp for children of 9/11 victims.
"This summer I had the privilege of working with kids who had their own tragic loss, kids of Sandy Hook," D'Amadeo said, referring to the elementary school in Newtown, Conn., where 20 children and six adults were killed by a gunman in 2012. "These kids lifted me up and made me know that I wanted to give back as much as I can."
He added: "Sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us on the paths we should be going, to help others as much as we can. P.S.: Dad, I love you."
Emily Ortiz, 16, of Queens, said she found comfort in attending the anniversary ceremony because it allowed her to remember her father, Pete Ortiz, who died on 9/11. She said he worked on the 92nd floor of the north tower.
"We've always heard stories of my father, so this is another way to feel closer to him," Ortiz said.
Dennis Scauso was one of 343 New York City firefighters who died trying to save people at the World Trade Center; his remains were never found. His relatives came to the ceremony as they do every year, finding comfort in the company of others who lost loved ones in the attack.
"It's all very beautiful because you are surrounded by people who are going through and feeling the same thing you are going through," said one of his sisters, Nancy Shakouri. "We can't imagine being anywhere else on this day."
Scauso was 46 when he died. He had been called in on his day off to join the other members of his hazmat unit at Ground Zero. In all, 19 firefighters in his unit died that day, his family said.
The New York remembrance was a private event attended by families and local officials.
At the ceremony at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., a large American flag hung from the roof of the building where American Airlines Flight 77 barreled into the limestone facade of the building. It billowed in gusts of wind that moved streaks of clouds across the pale blue sky, occasionally blocking out the sun.
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. joined Obama in placing a wreath of white lilies in the memorial garden, and a military band played "America the Beautiful."
"The most enduring memorial... is ensuring the America we continue to be, that we stay true to ourselves, stay true to what is best in us, that we not let others divide us," the president said.
Several hundred families and friends of those who died participated in Sunday's memorial, many wearing red white and blue ribbons in their lapels. A few young boys wore ironed white shirts, their hair neatly parted and combed into place for the morning.
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