US marks September 11 with sombre tributes, new monument to victims
Some relatives of the dead have called on politicians to stop referring to the 2001 attacks, saying they should not be politicised
Americans commemorated the attacks that occurred in the US on September 11, 2001, with sombre tributes, volunteer projects and a new monument to victims on Tuesday.
Margie Miller was among the thousands of victims’ relatives, survivors, rescuers and others who gathered on a misty morning at the memorial plaza where the World Trade Centre’s twin towers once stood. She came to the site from her home in suburban Baldwin, New York, as she does 10 or so times a year, to remember her husband, Joel Miller. Only a few fragments of his remains were recovered.
“To me, he is here. This is my holy place,” his widow said before the ceremony, which began with a moment of silence and tolling bells at 8.46am, the time when the trade centre was hit by the first of two planes 17 years ago. Some relatives of the dead held up signs featuring photographs of their loved ones.
US President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence attended events at the two other sites where hijacked planes crashed on September 11.
The president and first lady Melania Trump flew to Pennsylvania for a memorial in a field near Shanksville, where a new Tower of Voices monument was dedicated on Saturday. Pence attended a ceremony at the Pentagon.