The 21st anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack in the United States reached its 21st anniversary on the 11th. President Biden went to the Pentagon and laid a wreath in the rain to remember the Americans who died in the attack. On September 11, 2001, members of Al-Qaeda hijacked 4 civil airliners and crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000 people and starting the United States’ multi-year anti-terrorism war in Afghanistan and the Middle East.
Victims’ families, police, firefighters and New York City officials gathered at the National September 11 Memorial Museum in lower Manhattan to remember the dead, reading aloud during the hours-long memorial service, AFP reported. their names. After 9/11, the ceremony became an annual tradition.
The National September 11 Memorial and Museum rang the mourning bell six times, including at 8:46 am and 9:03 am, when the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center were attacked and collapsed.
Vice President Kamala Harris and New York Mayor Eric Adams also attended the commemoration, where families of victims hugged, cried, placed flowers at the memorial and held placards with photos of their loved ones.
The son of the deceased, Jon Leslie Albert, said following reading the names of his father and several of the victims: “While the grief will fade over time, the fact that my father will be absent forever remains as ever.”
The two blue Tribute in Lights, which symbolize the twin towers of the World Trade Center, shot directly into the sky on the evening of the 10th, illuminating the New York night sky.
On the 11th, Biden went to another location where he was attacked that year, the Pentagon of the US Department of Defense. After laying a wreath in the continuous rain, he placed his right hand on the heart of his left chest.
Biden said solemnly in his speech: “I know that for all those who have lost loved ones, 21 years are both a lifetime and a moment.”
“Since that day, American history has changed, but what will never change is the American spirit (that the attackers tried to thwart). The American spirit of love and sacrifice, generosity, grace and stoicism.”
Biden also recalled that the late Queen Elizabeth II delivered a touching message to the American people hours following the attack. Queen Elizabeth II just passed away on the 8th of this month at the age of 96.
Biden said she reminded everyone that “grief is the price we pay for love.”
First Lady Jill. Jill Biden was also in attendance. She mentioned that the 40 passengers and crew on United Airlines Flight 93 came forward to fight back once morest the hijackers and prevented an attack that would have locked down the Washington Capitol, saving many lives and possibly Biden. Biden, then a senator, was on an Amtrak train heading to Washington.
She said 9/11 “touched us all and changed us all. It reminded us that with courage and kindness, we can be a beacon in the dark”.
Responsible editor: Yu Weining
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