SOLEMN DAY OF REMEMBRANCE

9/11: Moments of silence, tributes and tears as the nation pays its respects to those lost to terrorism Inland Empire: Earnest reflection, music, skydivers and readings highlight in-person gatherings across the region

The loved ones gathered again in lower Manhattan for moments of silence and the peals of the bells. They paid tribute to those they lost 20 years earlier and listened as Bruce Springsteen sang about memory and loss.

In Pennsylvania, hundreds gathered in a clearing where a hijacked plane had crashed to hear a former president honor their relatives’ sacrifice. In Chicago, firefighters too young to remember Sept. 11, 2001, climbed thousands of steps to honor emergency responders who didn’t live past it. In Nebraska, children sat on the shoulders of their parents and waved American flags to honor the victims of a tragedy that, to them, has only been history.

For two decades, Americans have mourned the attacks of Sept. 11 that killed nearly 3,000 people, a loss so

Flag bearers rehearse before ceremonies in New York City to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11terrorist attacks.

From patriotic skydivers to somber ceremonies, the Inland Empire on Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Redlands Sunrise Rotary member Chris Martin tolls the bell 20times during Saturday’s memorial tribute in Redlands for the victims of 9 /11. Several communities held similar gatherings in the region.

After mostly virtual events a year ago, cities and organizations staged in-person events and tributes to remember the nearly 3,000 who died in New York City, the Washington, D.C., area and Pennsylvania on that

The parachute team performing at Skydive Elsinore in Lake Elsinore on Saturday float through the air en route to the ceremony.

WILL LESTER — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Fallbrook resident Mike Grego watches as a parachute team glides through the air with American flags at Skydive Elsinore in Lake Elsinore on Saturday morning at a memorial gathering to honor the people who lost their lives during the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Grego worked on the bucket brigade atop the pile at ground zero in New York City for several days after the attack.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL LOPEZ Attendees place white roses next to a piece of metal from the Twin Towers during a ceremony Saturday at Freedom Courtyard at Central Park in Rancho Cucamonga.

COURTESY PHOTO An event on Saturday at the Eastvale fire station was held to unveil the city’s 13foot memorial, which features a dark gray metal sculpture of New York City’s Twin Towers rising from a Pentagon base with the inscription, “9-11-2001 Never Forget.”

WILL LESTER — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

JOHN MINCHILLO — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A firefighter puts his hand on the engraved names of victims at the National September 11Memorial & Museum in New York City.

JOHN MINCHILLO — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A mourner stands at the south pool on Saturday at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City.

JOHN MINCHILLO — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SEPT. 11, 2001 | 20 YEARS LATER

WILL LESTER — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER