WORLD> America
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WORLD> America
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US marks 7th anniversary of 9/11 terrorist attacks
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-09-11 21:12 NEW YORK - Relatives of victims killed at the World Trade Center arrived at dawn Thursday for ceremonies that will commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and bring both presidential candidates to ground zero later in the day.
Moments of silence were planned to mark the times that two hijacked jetliners crashed into the twin towers, along with the moments that the buildings collapsed. Services were also to be held in Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon, where a new memorial will be dedicated. "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." She said she won't go down into the pit where the towers once stood, and which some survivors consider sacred ground. It is now a huge construction site. On Thursday, American flags were draped over silent cranes. "Eventually, I hope that something gets built," Hunt said, referring to the long-stalled rebuilding of the site. This year the solemn events unfold amid a presidential campaign, with John McCain and Barack Obama scheduled to pay silent respects at ground zero Thursday afternoon and later attend a New York City forum on public service. McCain was also attending Thursday's memorial service in Shanksville, Pa., for the 40 people killed aboard the hijacked flight United 93. Family members and students representing more than 90 countries that lost victims on Sept. 11 were to read names of more than 2,700 people killed in New York. Some mourners wondered if the remembrance would, or should, continue as it has indefinitely. |
