The ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial plaza in Lower Manhattan began with the recital of the names of the dead, the tolling of church bells and a tribute in light at the site where New York City’s twin towers collapsed.
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“September 11, 2001 touched every single NYer, but the terrorists did not prevail, because 15 years later we are strong, and we are unified”, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
In New York, police and relatives of those killed in the World Trade Center began the annual reading of the names of the victims at Ground Zero, now the site of the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
The second tower of the World Trade Center bursts into flames after being hit by a hijacked air plane in NY.
US President Barack Obama, who marked the anniversary with a moment of silence in the Oval Office, was due to address a remembrance service at the Pentagon.
But they are keeping traditions that have made the ceremony a constant in how America remembers September 11, even as ground zero and the nation changes.
A few hours later, Clinton walked out of daughter Chelsea Clinton’s apartment on her own, saying she was “feeling great”.
This summer, the younger D’Amadeo worked with children affected by the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, where 26 children and adults were killed in 2012. The names of the victims were read.
James Johnson, a retired New York City police sergeant who is now police chief in Forest City, Pennsylvania, was there for the first time since he last worked on the rescue and recovery efforts in early 2002.
President Obama attends a ceremony at the Pentagon commemorating the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, September 11, 2016.
“Fifteen years may seem like a long time but for the families who lost a piece of their heart that day I imagine it can seem like just yesterday”, Obama said.
The nation tries to put partisan politics on hold on the anniversary, and both Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican rival Donald Trump were at the anniversary ceremony at the World Trade Center. A spokesperson later said she is, “feeling much better”. “And yet you, the survivors and families of 9/11, your steadfast love and faithfulness has been an inspiration to me and to our entire country”.
One of the hijacked planes crashed outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania, apparently forced down short of the terrorists’ intended target after passengers and crew fought back.
The service was to pause six times – to mark the moments when each of the two planes hit, when each tower fell, as well as the attack on the Pentagon and Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania.
Neither Trump nor Clinton spoke at the event, in keeping with the solemn nature of the annual remembrance of the deadliest terror attack on American soil. Neither candidate was expected to make public remarks at a ceremony where politicians have been allowed to attend, but not speak, since 2011.
About 90 minutes into the ground zero ceremony, Hillary Clinton left after feeling overheated, her campaign said.
The 15th anniversary arrives in a country caught up in a political campaign.
Organisers planned some additional music and readings on Sunday to mark the milestone year. A design for a long-stalled, $250 million performing arts centre was unveiled Thursday.
Meanwhile, the crowd has thinned somewhat at the anniversary ceremony in recent years.
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Cathy Cava, on the other hand, has attended all 15 anniversary ceremonies since she lost her sister, Grace Susca Galante. “I have to think that way”.
