NEW YORK – Ceremonies and gatherings to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the infamous 9/11 attacks brought out a spirit of unity among those gathered to honor the fallen victims alongside civic servants including police officers, firefighters, and military officers.
In New York, thousands gathered at a small park just outside Ground Zero to mourn loved ones in a sombre ceremony under gray, drizzly skies. Many clutched pictures of those lost in the attacks and cried while bells tolled from churches throughout the city.A few miles away, families of 9/11 victims honoured their lost ones by sharing stories as they came together for a boat ride on the Hudson River.
Teresa Hunter, who lost her son, told NY1 News that while she thinks about it everyday and prays for her son daily, "faith just pulls us through."
Characteristic of most observances, participants engaged in prayer to initiate the event and observed a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. ET, the exact moment when the first terrorist attack hit the World Trade Center in New York. At the end of many events, orchestras or bands played "God Bless America."
Ceremonies were also held at the nation's capital to commemorate the day when those at the Pentagon, where the third jetliner targeted, also lost their lives.
In Washington, President Bush commemorated 9/11 with a special prayer service at the nearby St. John's Episcopal Church.
During the service, which was attended by all members of the White House staff, the Rev Luis Leon preached the dilemma with each anniversary of 9/11 was how "to remember a day that was so difficult and yet at the same time to move on with our lives".
Leon also preached that even though Muslim, Christian, and Jewish traditions all have differences, they are all religions that strive for peace, love and justice.
“I believe as much as anything else that God looks on the heart, our heart and every human heart, as the seed of good and evil," he said. "And while confessions of faith are important, equally important is living a faith that shows justice and mercy, kindness and grace, the grace of God that passes all human understanding."
