'We kept the faith. We emerged stronger': Obama rounds off day of remembrance as nation mourns a decade after 9/11 terror attacks

• America remembers the day 10 years ago when terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center and Pentagon
• Obama reads a psalm and Bush a letter from Abraham Lincoln to a Civil War widow as the world remembered 9/11
• President then lays wreath at Pentagon memorial and visits Pennsylvania
• Other memorials in New York Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania as America mourns almost 3,000 victims
• Thousands attend the memorial as the streets of downtown Manhattan are closed
  

By Paul Bentley and Rachel Quigley

Last updated at 7:55 AM on 12th September 2011


President Barack Obama rounded off a day of moving tributes to the thousands of innocent people who died ten years ago with a defiant speech celebrating America's resilience.
Speaking at a memorial concert at the Kennedy Center, the President talked of remembering the past, and of honouring the sacrifices of those who died in the attacks and the two long wars they spawned.
But he also looked to a future when 9/11 will be seen through the eyes of generations that never witnessed the attacks themselves, and instead learned of them through memorials.

Solemn: President Barack Obama speaks during A Concert for Hope at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC

New York's "Tribute in Lights" is seen in lower Manhattan on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks

Letting off steam: Firefighters gather outside a bar next to the World Trade Center in New York

To them, the president said, the legacy of 9/11 will be the soldiers who signed up to serve, the citizens who withstood fear, the workers who built new towers to replace the old, and the children who lived out their parents' dreams.
'They will remember that we have overcome slavery and civil war, bread lines and fascism, recession and riots, Communism and, yes, terrorism,' Obama said.
'It will be said of us that we kept that faith; that we took a painful blow, and emerged stronger.'
President Obama said Sunday that the decade since the Sept. 11 attacks shows that America does not give in to fear, and never succumbed to suspicion and mistrust.
'These past 10 years tell a story of resilience,' the president declared at the end of a long day of memories and reflection that took him to all three sites where hijacked planes struck on that frightening day.

A couple watches the "Tribute in Lights" near the World Trade Center site in Manhattan in New York

The Tribute in Light shines above Lower Manhattan, marking the 10th anniversary of the attacks at the World Trade Center site

Crowds gather in Brooklyn to photograph the tribute light in New York

PRESIDENT OBAMA READ PSALM 46:2 AT THE 9/11 MEMORIAL

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

Therefore will we not fear, even though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling
There is a river, the streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved: He uttered his voice, the earth melted.

The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Come, behold the works of the Lord, Was made desolations in the earth.

He makes wars cease unto the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow, and cuts the spear into; He burns the chariot in the fire.

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge

The President's speech came as America paused today for a number of moving tributes to the thousands of innocent people who died ten years ago, when terrorists brutally caused the Twin Towers to crumble, flew into the side of the Pentagon and crashed a plane in Pennsylvania.

Grieving family members were joined by President Barack Obama and George W. Bush at the memorial site at Ground Zero, where the names of the 2,753 murdered were read aloud and defiantly by those who are still struggling to come to terms with their losses.
The scale of terror to hit Manhattan a decade ago was told through the voices of wearied mothers, fathers and children, with the variety of people affected highlighted by the different accents, languages, ages and ethnicities of the grieving.
It took about five hours simply to read every victim's name aloud, with tributes delivered off the cuff in English, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Hebrew. Names were read in a variety of accents, from broad New York to Southern drawl, Patois, English, Indian and Australian.
Some spoke of losing grandchildren while others, so small they had to stand on stools to reach the microphones, described losing parents they are far too young to remember.

While New York formed the main focus of the memorial day, respects were also paid throughout the country, with events at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania also poignantly marking the passing of innocent Americans a decade ago.
Moments of silence were held across America at 8.46am and 9.03am, when the planes crashed into the two towers.
Further silences were held to mark the other attacks in Washington DC and Pennsylvania, at 9.36am and 9.59am. Two more were at held 10.03am and 10.28am when the towers fell.
After speaking at Ground Zero, President Obama visited the Pentagon and, accompanied by his wife Michelle, laid a wreath at the 9/11 memorial there.
The memorial was built in the path of the ill-fated flight, American Airlines Flight 77.
Members of the audience wept as family members began reading out the names of those who perished.

The names were read by groups of two, who shared personal messages about their loved ones.
Robert Peraza was among the thousands of family members united in grief. Mr Peraza was photographed dramatically holding his hand over his son Rob's name on the memorial.
Wearing a t-shirt displaying his son's face, he said: 'Rob, we love you, we are with you all the time and we'll never forget, we'll never forget, we'll never forget.'
Others spoke of the importance of the memorial as somewhere for them to grieve. Almost half of those killed on 9/11 have not been buried because their bodies have never been identified.
President Obama stood behind bulletproof glass near the 9/11 memorial's white oak trees and read aloud: 'God is our refuge and strength. He dwells in his city, does marvellous things and says, be still and know that I am God.'

Present: U.S. President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden and his wife Jill Biden attend the 'A Concert For Hope'

Poised: Mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, performs at the 'Concert for Hope'

Tribute: Spot lights are pointed toward the sky commemorating the 10 year anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks before game between the New York Jets and the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium

A father's grief: Robert Peraza, who lost his son Robert David Peraza, lays his hand on his son's name at the North Pool of the 9/11 Memorial today

A country mourns: The tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks brought dramatic scenes today as the victims' families broke down in grief as they remembered their loved ones

Grief: A young girl cries as she lies against the name of a loved one at Ground Zero today. The site is not just a memorial to those who died but also burial ground

Lighting up the sky: Beams of light are sent up from the site where the Twin Towers stood

Speakers: Both President Obama and his predecessor George W. Bush made moving speeches today as the country paid tribute to the victims of 9/11

Grief: A girl cries before reading her father's name as the families of the victims of 9/11 read the names of all those lost in the attacks

Emotional: Two women hold each other at the site of the World Trade Center today as America mourned the loss of the victims from terror attacks 10 years ago

Memories: Visitors hug near a memorial pool at the National September 11 Memorial at the World Trade Center site

Spectacular scene: The World Trade Center memorial ceremony took place this morning as the families of the victims attended and spoke with incredible composure as they read out the names of their loved ones

United in grief: Mourners touch the names of loved ones at the memorial. Thousands were in tears as they left notes and messages at the site as the world watched

Tribute: Barack and Michelle Obama and George and Laura Bush read memorial at the World Trade Center today

Alone: President Obama touches the names of victims engraved on the side of the north pool of the World Trade Center site as former President George W. Bush and first lady Michelle Obama look on

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke briefly to introduce the first silence. He said it was 'a chance to reflect and remember' a day when 'perfect blue skies turned into the blackest of nights.'
Former President George W. Bush then read a letter Abraham Lincoln wrote to a Civil War widow who lost five sons in battle.
Families of those lost in the terror attacks paid tribute through a series of moving tributes.

Vicki Tureski's brother in law Steve Pollicino, 48, from Long Island, worked for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 105th floor of the North Tower. Her twin sister Jane, Steve's wife, was there to read out his name. He had two children who were 19 and 12 at the time.

She told MailOnline: 'He was with some businessmen when the first plane hit. He also worked there in the 1993 bombing so he knew exactly what to do and what was happening.

 

'He said to the businessman he was with: 'Call my wife, tell her I'm OK and I'm getting out.'

'That was the last we heard. We never got any of his remains and don't know how far he got or who he was with when he died.
'This never gets any easier and I actually think today is one of the easier days. Everyone expects you to be sad. But every other year you have to put your poker face on and say it's OK.'

Sombre: Obama pauses for a moment of silence after placing a wreath at the Pentagon Memorial in Washington, DC

Reflective: President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk to the crash site of Flight 93 during their visit to Pennsylvania today

Marie Cirmae lost her sister Debra Ann di Martino, 36, from Staten Island, who worked for KBW. She was in the second tower on the 89th floor. She has two children who were aged 10 and five at the time.

Through tears, Marie said: 'She was telling us people were jumping from the first tower when she called and they were being told they had to get out as soon as possible.
But she said they were being told to go up instead of down. Then the second plane hit and we never heard from her again.

Comfort: President Obama embraces victims' family members as first lady Michelle stands by at the 9/11 Memorial

Moment of silence: The First family observes the scenes at Ground Zero and remember the victims and the events of 9/11

Reflection: America stops to remember the time the first plane went into the North Tower on 11 September

Moving scenes: The crowds flocked to the Ground Zero today as the world watched the tributes to those who lost their lives in the terror attack ten years ago

United: Huge crowds packed the streets of New York as thousands of people descended on Manhattan to mark the 10th anniversary

'We didn't want to believe that she was dead. Everyday we held on to hope that she was alive. A long time later they found parts of her remains but not all.

'I just feel really anxious today, that we have to go through all this again but on a much grander scale. I don't find any comfort from coming here but it's something we do for her to honour her, who she is and how she was taken from us. But it's so difficult to come here. She was alone and she died alone and that's so hard for us. But we are here to remember her.'

ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S LETTER OF LOSS TO MRS BIXBY WAS READ BY FORMER  PRESIDENT BUSH TODAY 

Dear Madam,
I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming.

But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,

A. Lincoln

Washington, November 21, 1864.

Families of the victims were escorted by police to find the name of their loved ones etched on to the bronze panels of the memorial pool as the remainder of the names were read out on the main stage.
Footage of the grieving families touching the names of their loved ones was broadcast to the crowd.

With pencils and blank pieces of paper, children traced the names of their lost relatives, they took pictures, left mementos such as teddy bears and mini American flags and some even kissed the spot

Peter Negron, who was just 13 when his father died on 9/11, spoke bravely of his constant attempts to make his father proud and how he has tried to be the father figure to his younger brother, who was two when their father died.

He began the speech by saying he no longer cried about the tragedy but could not hold back a few tears when speaking of striving to make his father proud.

Deborah Epps lost her brother who worked on the 98th floor of the north tower.
'It has been ten years now and it feels like it just happened yesterday. There is not a day that goes by when me, my brother and my four sisters don't think about our brother Christopher. My mother never takes off the necklace with his picture on it.
'He worked next to Wayne Russo whose family requested that his name be placed alongside Christopher's. What we know now is that the force of goodness is all around us. People really do catch each other when they fall. My brother loved knowing that the love he freely gave towards us was given back in his name.'
For Petra Tengelin, the 9/11 memorial site will serve as her older brother's grave.
David, who was 25 at the time, went to work on the 100th floor of the north tower and never returned.
The young Swede's body was never found - it is thought he would have been right where the plane hit.

Petra said today gave her a means of mourning for her brother in a solid way, when usually she has nowhere to visit.
She told MailOnline: 'I was in Stockholm, just out of university when I heard. We had to wait for a week for a flight to come to New York. There was no trace of his body but his flatmate said he went to work that morning.

'We have never had a grave to go to for David so this is where we will come. It feels better being here. We have somewhere to go and we feel it's being marked properly.'
Carlos Segarra, 52, worked on the 39th floor of the north tower. He moved to New York from Puerto Rico when he was eight years old.
His son Juan Carlos said: 'We drove into work together that morning. I worked in midtown and dropped him off. When the first plane hit I called him at his office. He said he was worried as he could see debris falling past his window. But at that time we all thought a small plane had flown into the tower and didn't know how serious it was. He told me they were being evacuated and that was the last I heard from him.
'I heard from one of his colleagues that he was about to leave when he went back to help a woman with asthma who was having difficulty managing the stairwell. That was the last anyone saw of him. Most people on the lower floors made it out but he sacrificed his life saving someone else.
'Since I worked in midtown I came down here to try and find him but was told to check the hospitals. So I went from hospital to hospital but no one knew anything. We waited and waited for news but held a memorial service for him anyway.
'Then on the 23rd of December we got a phone call saying his torso was found and his wedding band and notebook. We then gave him a proper burial in Puerto Rico where he was from.
'It is just as difficult every year when we remember him. It never gets any easier. My mother, his wife, Antonia and I are just here to keep his memory alive.
Today marked the opening of the memorial and museum, set in the footprints of the original twin towers among a small forest of oak trees in an eight-acre plaza.
The memorial, which opens to the public tomorrow, features two 50ft-deep pools, each containing fountains, along with a museum with exhibitions and artefacts to teach visitors about the events of September 11. The pools have the victims' names etched around its perimeter.

In memory: The crowds observe the silence at the 9/11 memorial today. Former President Bush read a letter from Abraham Lincoln to the a Civil war widow bringing added poignancy to the service

Vice President Joe Biden paid tribute to the victims today at Ground Zero

Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani remembers the attacks

New Jersey Governor Christopher Christie addresses the crowd today in New York

Arriving: President Obama and Michelle attended the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania after the Ground Zero memorial

Flowers for the fallen: The President and the First Lady lay a wreath at the Wall of Names at the Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville

Observance: Scott and Rachel Tschetter listen to the ceremony marking the 10th anniversary attacks as downtown Manhattan was flooded with Americans who shared in the nation's grief

Salute: Members of New York fire departments bow their heads today as soldiers paid tribute in Afghanistan where U.S. troops have been deployed since 2001

Sombre: Danny Shea, a New York City Police Officer and military veteran, salutes at the north pool during the 10th anniversary of the attacks

Touching: A police officer's white-gloved hand touches names on the wall surrounding the north pool

Never forget: A young woman wipes a tear from her eye as a child is comforted by her mother. Thousands of families across America paid tribute to the victims today

Holding on: Former New York Governor George Pataki and Anthula Katsimatides, who lost her brother in 9/11 attacks are in tears today as they remember the attacks

Patriotic: An American flag is unfurled at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, to commemorate those who lost their lives in the attacks

Meanwhile, 2,753 Flags of Honour - each baring the names of 9/11 victims in patriotic stripes of red and blue - are standing at the tip of Manhattan as New York City marks the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

The NYC Memorial Field, part of a five-day installation, was erected to give New Yorkers a public place to gather in remembrance of those who were killed in the horrific acts of September 11, 2001.
On Friday in midtown Manhattan, 2,753 empty chairs, representing the lives lost on 9/11, were set to face south toward the World Trade on Bryant Park's lawn for part of a project called Ten Years Later, A Tribute 9/11.
Actors and performers from the Broadway community also gathered at Times Square in costume for Broadway Unites: 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance ceremony.
Yesterday morning at precisely 8:46am, thousands gathered to grasp hands and form a human chain to commemorate 9/11 at the tip of the Lower Manhattan waterfront heading north.
Organisers at Manhattan Community Board 1 said the event is open for those who feel excluded from today's official 9/11 Memorial ceremony, which is only open to families of the victims. Events to mark the tenth anniversary will go on throughout today in Manhattan.

Preparation: US Army, police and fire brigade officers practice with a US flag at the stage at the 9/11 memorial in New York

Head bowed: Helen Jordan from London reads ribbons of remembrance at St. Paul's Chapel near ground zero today

Devastated: Family members of victims of the 9/11 attacks share a quiet moment today as the national tribute sweeps the U.S. in grief

Day of remembrance: Dawn breaks at Ground Zero today, ten years to the day after the 9/11 terror attacks that shook America

The Metropolitan Museum of Art displayed the 9/11 Peace Story Quilt with an accompanying programme throughout the afternoon.
Graduate students from New York University read poetry from the quilt and a free concert was performed. Created in collaboration with New York City students aged between 8 and 19, the quilt was made to convey the importance of communication among cultures and religions to achieve peace.

The New-York Historical Society showcased a selection of photos taken during the immediate aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Center. The Remembering 9/11 photo exhibition will be on view until April 12.
A film titled World Trade Center: All Times, based on a 10-year project by Fred J. DeVito that began as a way to remember the events and how they shaped the lives of Americans, played at the Big Screen Plaza in Manhattan's Flatiron district.
The New York Mets will hold a tribute at Citi Field at 7:30pm, half an hour before their game against the Chicago Cubs begins. John Franco will throw the first pitch to Mike Piazza - both members of the 2001 team.
An Evening of Light 10th Anniversary Gala will be also held at Capitale at 8pm.
The fundraiser event is for Tuesday’s Children, a non-profit family service organisation which helps those affected by the attacks on 9/11.
FDNY 10th anniversary memorial service honouring members lost at WTC, a free ceremony at St Patrick’s Cathedral, was held from from 2-4pm, honouring the 343 FDNY families that lost a loved one at the World Trade Center. The ceremony was shown on large TV monitors in midtown Manhattan.
Later in the day, the famous church will hold a free concert given by the Young Peoples Chorus of New York, the New York Choral Society, and Cathedral Choir of St Patrick.