Country pauses to remember victims of September 11 terrorist attack on 12th anniversary

Today marked the 12th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and, as it has in the past, the country paused to remember those lost on that tragic day.

At the site of Ground Zero in New York, where the Twin Towers once stood, victims’ families read out the names of the nearly 3,000 people that died in New York, at the Pentagon and in the plane that crashed in Shanksville, Pa.

“Even though it's been 12 years I will never forget all the amazing times we had together -- you were more than just my daddy, you were my best friend,” Christina Aceto, whose father died that day, said when she read his name, notes NBC New York. Another said, “There's nothing I wouldn't give to have one more hug, one more kiss.”

The first moment of silence this morning was held at 8:46 a.m., the time that American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Another followed at 9:03 a.m., when United Airlines Flight 175 hit the South Tower, notes Reuters. Moments of silence followed to mark the times when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, when United Flight 93 hit the ground in Shanksville and when each tower fell.

“Let us have the strength to face the threats that endure, different though they may be from 12 years ago, so that as long as there are those who would strike our citizens, we will stand vigilant and defend our nation,” President Barack Obama said at the memorial service at the Pentagon.

The White House said that Obama will take part in projects for the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance later today.

At Ground Zero, One World Trade Center is almost complete and a museum is set to open next spring.

image: Wikimedia Commons

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