City honors memory of the lives lost in terror attacks that changed everything
AFTER 20 YEARS, STILL A SOLEMN VOW
The families of 9/11, beneath a blue sky reminiscent of the clear September morning when their loved ones were killed by terrorists 20 years ago, gathered again Saturday to make good on America’s promise to never forget.
The kin of those killed when a pair of hijacked planes toppled the World Trade Center returned to the hallowed lower Manhattan site to mark the two-decade anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attack ever on U.S. soil, honoring the 2,753 first responders and downtown workers who never came home on Sept. 11, 2001.
The victims’ names again echoed through the silence for most of the five hours at Ground Zero — interrupted only as Brendan McCabe finished reading the name of his 40-year-old namesake father, killed on the upper floors of the South Tower.
“It sucks that a bunch of cowards had to take the lives of innocent people,” he said to impromptu applause that broke the morning stillness. “I love you, Dad. We all do. Never forget. God bless America, God bless New York, and God bless the first responders.
“This is our city. You can’t take down New York, ever.”
President Biden, who attended last year’s solemn service, returned for his first time as the nation’s commander in chief with First Lady Jill Biden. One of the president’s childhood friends lost a son in the attack that also killed 343 members of the FDNY, 23 members of the NYPD and 37 members of the Port Authority police.
The event began on a bright morning with an honor guard carrying a large American flag as they marched in silence through the crowd of mourners — followed by a rendition of the national anthem. Many family members clutched smaller flags, flowers and framed photos of the dead.
At 8:46 a.m., a moment of silence was observed to mark the moment when the 110-story North Tower was struck by the first plane. It was followed by the reading of the victims’ names by family members, the emotional centerpiece of the annual memorial service, with tears and choked voices reflecting the lingering pain of the day’s death toll.
“You always carried the good torch, shining brightly wherever you went and [daughter] Alexa will carry it,” said Patti Edwards, whose husband Dennis Michael Edwards died on the 105th floor in the Cantor Fitzgerald offices.
“For as long as we live, people will know your name and honor your memory. We love you, Den.”
Following a second moment of silence at 9:03 a.m., when the second plane hit the South Tower, unannounced guest Bruce Springsteen appeared with his guitar and harmonica to perform his song “I’ll See You in My Dreams.”
“May God bless our fallen brothers and sisters, their families, their friends and their loved ones,” said the New Jersey native.
Broadway performers Kelli O’Hara and Chris Jackson also sang at the somber service, which politicians traditionally attend as guests rather than speakers.
The crowd included kids now grown into adults over 20 years, many raised by single parents in the aftermath of the carnage. Tears still flowed and the wounds remained fresh despite the passage of time, as the bell tolled twice more to mark the moments when each skyscraper toppled: The South Tower at 9:59 a.m., and the North Tower 29 minutes later.
Joining Biden for the grim anniversary were former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, both accompanied by their wives. Ex-commander-inchief Donald Trump noticeably skipped the memorial in his hometown, with plans to attend a boxing match in Florida later on Saturday.
The ousted president did find time to praise ex-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in a one-sentence statement hailing the former prosecutor for his 9/11 leadership. He also made an unannounced visit to a firehouse in Midtown.
Biden also visited the other two attack sites in Shanksville, Pa., and at the Pentagon after starting his day at the deadliest scene. Former President George W. Bush spoke at the attack site in Pennsylvania.
More than 1,100 victims of the trade center attack remain
unidentified 20 years later, with the city medical examiner identifying the remains of two people just last week through DNA analysis.
Mike Low, whose flight attendant daughter Sara was killed aboard one of the hijacked planes that hit the towers, spoke at the start of the ceremony.
“These 20 years felt like a long time, and a short time,” he said. “It felt like an evil specter had descended on our world, but it was also a time when many people acted above and beyond the ordinary.”
Ilia Rodriguez, 78, visited with her daughter Olga Colon to mourn her paramedic son Carlos Rey Lilla, killed while helping people out of the South Tower.
“He was a beautiful guy, he was a beautiful son,” said Rodriguez. “He was a friend, family ... He was trying to take people out, and give them aid to go to the hospital. After he went back in, nobody saw him after.”
The memorial ended with Dot Hoffman announcing the name of her brother Stephen Gerard Hoffman before a single bugler began playing “Taps.”
“He loved and lived in a big way,” she said of the Cantor Fitzgerald trader. “May we never forget.”