We will never waver: Obama

September 11, 2009 11:44 pm | Updated 11:56 pm IST - New York/Washington

President Barack Obama pauses at the Pentagon on Friday while attending a rain-soaked ceremony honouring those who perished in the 2001 terror attack on the Pentagon.

President Barack Obama pauses at the Pentagon on Friday while attending a rain-soaked ceremony honouring those who perished in the 2001 terror attack on the Pentagon.

Mourners in the U.S. gathered on Friday to remember the nearly 3,000 people killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, as the anniversary was proclaimed a national day of service.

In New York, Vice-President Joe Biden and Mayor Michael Bloomberg gathered with families of the victims near the site of the attacks on the World Trade Centre's twin towers, known as Ground Zero, on a cold rainy morning and began the ceremony with a minute of silence at 8:46 a.m. (0446 GMT), the time the first terrorist-hijacked airplane hit one of the towers. At the same time, President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle held a minute of silence at the White House. Mr. Obama has declared September 11 a National Day of Service and Remembrance. Mr. Obama later joined families of the victims for a remembrance service at the Pentagon, which was hit by another hijacked plane killing 184 people. He laid a wreath at the Pentagon's own memorial. "We remember with reverence the lives we lost," said Mr. Obama. "Let us renew our resolve against those who perpetrated this barbaric act and who plot against us still. In defence of our nation, we will never waver."

Another ceremony was held at 10:03 a.m. in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to remember the 40 victims of United Flight 93 that crashed there at that precise minute.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.