Across the country, Americans marked the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, tolling church bells, pausing in silence to reflect and mourning the loss of the nearly 3,000 people who died.
On the White House South Lawn, President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama bowed their heads at 8:46 a.m., the moment the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. They later laid a wreath at the Pentagon, where the third plane struck. A flag was draped over the building to mark the day.
Video
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama had a moment of silence at the White House Tuesday morning to pay tribute to the 11th anniversity of September 11th, 2001. The President and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta also spoke at a memorial service at the Pentagon.
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“Eleven times we have marked another September 11th come and gone. Eleven times, we have paused in remembrance, in reflection, in unity and in purpose,” Obama said to families and military brass who gathered at the Pentagon, where 184 were killed. “This is never an easy day.”
At Arlington National Cemetery, the Obamas visited the graves in Section 60, one of the sections where those killed in Afghanistan and Iraq are buried under white marble markers.
They placed a “challenge coin” on a collective memorial to the victims of an Oct. 29, 2009, helicopter crash in Afghanistan.
At a ceremony in Manhattan, where One World Trade Center is under construction, the families of victims read the names of loved ones killed in the attacks, and traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange stood silent.
In Shanksville, Pa., where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in an open field after being hijacked by four terrorists, Vice President Biden spoke of the sacred hallowed ground, weaving in his own experience of loss to comfort the families of the 40 passengers and crew members who died there.
“For no matter how many anniversaries you experience, for at least an instant, the terror of that moment returns, the lingering echo of that phone call. That sense of total disbelief that envelops you. And you feel like sucked into a black hole in your chest,” said Biden, whose first wife and baby daughter were killed in a car accident 40 years ago. “My hope for you all is that with every day that passes, the depth of your pain recedes, and you find comfort, genuine comfort, as I have.”
Thousands of miles away, in Kabul, troops prayed and reflected on the event that triggered America’s longest war.
In Chicago, a couple dozen firefighters stood on the tarmac of O’Hare International Airport, a few hundred yards from Mitt Romney’s campaign plane, for a moment of silence observing the anniversary.
Romney shook their hands one by one and then boarded his plane to Reno, Nev., where he is scheduled to address the National Guard Association convention.
“Those who would attack us should know that we are united,” Romney said in a statement. “Eleven years ago, evil descended upon our country, taking thousands of lives in an unspeakable attack against innocents. America will never forget those who perished. America will never stop caring for the loved ones they left behind. And America shall remain ever-vigilant against those who would do us harm.”
Romney, who was criticized for his failure to mention U.S. troops or the war in Afghanistan in his nomination acceptance speech at the recent Republican National Convention in Tampa, will deliver a foreign policy address in Reno. Although national security and foreign policy have taken a back seat to economic issues this election season, some conservatives are urging Romney to take a strong stance in the speech.
According to a Washington Post/ABC News poll, Obama has a clear advantage over Romney on foreign policy and national security. Four in 10 voters say the country is safer since Obama took office; only one in eight sees the country as less secure. And 51 percent of all voters polled said they trust Obama to handle terrorism; 40 percent said they trust Romney to do so.
On the steps of the U.S. Capitol, lawmakers put aside partisan bickering and gathered in prayer, remembering the day that changed the country and took so many lives.
“Every generation has endured hard sacrifice to preserve the blessings of freedom. If we ever falter, it will be because we forget what we learned in hardship,” said House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), fighting back tears. “Today we listen, and vow to never forget. To celebrate the greater good that comes from serving one another and standing shoulder-to-shoulder. And to carry on, come what may, to meet the unmet challenges and complete the unfinished work.”
Both presidential campaigns pulled their negative ads from television and radio out of respect for the day. Obama is expected to visit patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center later Tuesday.
“So as painful as this day is and always will be, it leaves us with a lesson that no single event can ever destroy who we are,” Obama said. “No act of terrorism can ever change what we stand for. Instead, we recommit ourselves to the values that we believe in, holding firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.”
Philip Rucker in Chicago and Peyton Craighill in Washington contributed to this report.
On the White House South Lawn, President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama bowed their heads at 8:46 a.m., the moment the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. They later laid a wreath at the Pentagon, where the third plane struck. A flag was draped over the building to mark the day.
Video
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama had a moment of silence at the White House Tuesday morning to pay tribute to the 11th anniversity of September 11th, 2001. The President and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta also spoke at a memorial service at the Pentagon.
More from PostPolitics
Chris Cillizza THE FIX | We dig into the new Washington Post-ABC News poll data so you don't have to.
Glenn Kessler FACT CHECKER | We dissect and explain the blizzard of Washington gobbledygook over sequestration.
Chris Cillizza and Aaron Blake THE FIX | Romney must convince voters that he is uniquely suited to steer the ship during these economic times.
“Eleven times we have marked another September 11th come and gone. Eleven times, we have paused in remembrance, in reflection, in unity and in purpose,” Obama said to families and military brass who gathered at the Pentagon, where 184 were killed. “This is never an easy day.”
At Arlington National Cemetery, the Obamas visited the graves in Section 60, one of the sections where those killed in Afghanistan and Iraq are buried under white marble markers.
They placed a “challenge coin” on a collective memorial to the victims of an Oct. 29, 2009, helicopter crash in Afghanistan.
At a ceremony in Manhattan, where One World Trade Center is under construction, the families of victims read the names of loved ones killed in the attacks, and traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange stood silent.
In Shanksville, Pa., where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in an open field after being hijacked by four terrorists, Vice President Biden spoke of the sacred hallowed ground, weaving in his own experience of loss to comfort the families of the 40 passengers and crew members who died there.
“For no matter how many anniversaries you experience, for at least an instant, the terror of that moment returns, the lingering echo of that phone call. That sense of total disbelief that envelops you. And you feel like sucked into a black hole in your chest,” said Biden, whose first wife and baby daughter were killed in a car accident 40 years ago. “My hope for you all is that with every day that passes, the depth of your pain recedes, and you find comfort, genuine comfort, as I have.”
Thousands of miles away, in Kabul, troops prayed and reflected on the event that triggered America’s longest war.
In Chicago, a couple dozen firefighters stood on the tarmac of O’Hare International Airport, a few hundred yards from Mitt Romney’s campaign plane, for a moment of silence observing the anniversary.
Romney shook their hands one by one and then boarded his plane to Reno, Nev., where he is scheduled to address the National Guard Association convention.
“Those who would attack us should know that we are united,” Romney said in a statement. “Eleven years ago, evil descended upon our country, taking thousands of lives in an unspeakable attack against innocents. America will never forget those who perished. America will never stop caring for the loved ones they left behind. And America shall remain ever-vigilant against those who would do us harm.”
Romney, who was criticized for his failure to mention U.S. troops or the war in Afghanistan in his nomination acceptance speech at the recent Republican National Convention in Tampa, will deliver a foreign policy address in Reno. Although national security and foreign policy have taken a back seat to economic issues this election season, some conservatives are urging Romney to take a strong stance in the speech.
According to a Washington Post/ABC News poll, Obama has a clear advantage over Romney on foreign policy and national security. Four in 10 voters say the country is safer since Obama took office; only one in eight sees the country as less secure. And 51 percent of all voters polled said they trust Obama to handle terrorism; 40 percent said they trust Romney to do so.
On the steps of the U.S. Capitol, lawmakers put aside partisan bickering and gathered in prayer, remembering the day that changed the country and took so many lives.
“Every generation has endured hard sacrifice to preserve the blessings of freedom. If we ever falter, it will be because we forget what we learned in hardship,” said House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), fighting back tears. “Today we listen, and vow to never forget. To celebrate the greater good that comes from serving one another and standing shoulder-to-shoulder. And to carry on, come what may, to meet the unmet challenges and complete the unfinished work.”
Both presidential campaigns pulled their negative ads from television and radio out of respect for the day. Obama is expected to visit patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center later Tuesday.
“So as painful as this day is and always will be, it leaves us with a lesson that no single event can ever destroy who we are,” Obama said. “No act of terrorism can ever change what we stand for. Instead, we recommit ourselves to the values that we believe in, holding firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.”
Philip Rucker in Chicago and Peyton Craighill in Washington contributed to this report.