Emotional tributes mark 15th anniversary of 9/11 horror

usatoday.com

NEW YORK — Tears, vows and memories marked emotionally charged ceremonies Sunday at the World Trade Center site, the Pentagon and a rural field in western Pennsylvania on the 15th anniversary of the most deadly terror attack in U.S. history.

Bells tolled across much of the nation at 8:46 a.m. ET, the moment the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Thousands gathered here as family members, after a moment of silence, solemnly said aloud the names of the almost 3,000 victims. The presenters each read about 30 names, ending with a few words about their own loss.

“I love and miss you dearly, and I wish I was able to spend more time with you,” said Maria Frances Pullis, who was only 17 months old when her father, Edward, died in the devastation at Ground Zero. “But I know you’re up in heaven watching.”

Presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump attended the ceremony. Both left well before the almost four-hour program ended, with Clinton leaving after feeling “overheated,” her spokesman said.

But this event wasn’t about them. Lionel Keaton traveled by bus from North Carolina with 50 relatives to pay homage to his niece Tamitha Freeman, who died when the South Tower collapsed, spewing steel, glass and dust across Lower Manhattan.

“We just decided as a family since it was the 15th anniversary that we would all get together and make a bus trip to New York to celebrate her life,” Keaton said.

At the Pentagon, President Obama participated in a wreath ceremony and paid tribute to the 184 victims killed when American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the western side of the massive building.

“No deed we do can ever truly erase the pain of their absence,” Obama said. “Your steadfast love and faithfulness has been an inspiration to me and our entire country.”