Families gather in New York, at Pentagon
It was another Tuesday morning in September, this one beneath gray skies, as the loved ones of the 2,753 New York victims of 9/11 marked the 17th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks.
While the president and first lady took part in a remembrance in Stonycreek, Pa., honoring the victims who were on board Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001, elsewhere thousands of relatives, survivors and first responders filled ground zero beneath gray skies for the somber annual ceremony marking the deadliest attack ever on U.S. soil. The sounds of drums and bagpipes filled the air when the service began at 8:42 a.m. followed by a moment of silence four minutes later to mark the moment when the first plane struck the North Tower.
A second moment of silence was observed at 9:04 a.m., the time when the second plane struck the South Tower.
The recitation of victims’s names, typically a straightforward part of the service, went suddenly off-script when the son of victim Frances Haros called for an end to the politicization of the terror attacks.
“One more thing if I may … This year network commentators said the president’s performance in Helsinki was a traitorous act as was 9/11,” said Nicholas Haros. “And last week a senator attacked a Supreme Court nominee and called him a racist for comments after 9/ 11. Stop. Stop. Please. Stop using the bones and ashes of our loved ones as props for your political theater.
“Their lives and sacrifices are worth so much more. Let’s not trivialize them or us. It hurts.”
Vice President Mike Pence and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis led the commemoration at the Pentagon. “The evil that descended on America 17 years ago still lingers in our world,” Mr. Pence warned.
The vice president praised Pentagon personnel who had evacuated after the attack but went back in to help save others.
“These heroes saved countless lives,” he said. “It was a testament to their courage, their resilience. It was the Pentagon’s finest hour.”