Nation Marks 7th Anniversary of Terror Attacks

US marks 7th anniversary of terror attacks with moments of silence at ground zero, White House
By AMY WESTFELDT Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK September 11, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press


The nation paused Thursday 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.

Friends and family members drop flowers in a reflecting pool in honor of those who lost their lives in the attacks on the World Trade Center seven years ago in a ceremony at the site Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008 in New York.
(Mark Lennihan/AP Photo)
More PhotosRelatives 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. and 9:03 a.m. — the times that two hijacked jets slammed into the twin towers. Two more moments of silence were to be held at the times the towers fell. Services were also being held in Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon, where a new memorial will be dedicated.

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Terrorism Fears at Low Ebb 7 Years After 9/11WATCH: Remembering 9/11PHOTOS: 7 Years Later: Remembering 9/11Relatives of victims began arriving at dawn at ground zero, now a huge construction site. American flags were draped over silent cranes.

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."

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