New York remembers September 11th
Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan filled up Monday morning as Americans gathered to commemorate the 16th anniversary of 9/11.
Visitors wore pictures of loved ones around their necks and tucked red roses and American flags into the engraved names on the bronze parapets surrounding the reflecting pools.
East Rutherford, NJ, resident James Taormina came to the site for the very first time to remember his brother, Dennis, a 36-year-old vice president of finance at Marsh & McLennan, who died in the North Tower that day.
“It feels like yesterday,” said Taormina, 39. “I woke up that morning to a phone call from my mother telling me the plane had hit the building and my brother was inside.
“I held hope for weeks until I saw a magazine that showed where the plane hit and I figured he was killed on impact.”
“I never liked driving in the city, but maybe there was a little emotional stress as well,” Taormina said about why he never came before. “It’s a little easier for me now.”
The ceremony at Ground Zero is marked by six moments of silence — to mark the times each plane hit the Twin Towers, to mark when each tower fell and to mark the attacks on the Pentagon and Flight 93.
The names of the nearly 3,000 victims of both the 9/11 and the 1993 World Trade Center attacks are also read.
The annual recitation included touching personal remembrances.
“I know you’re looking down at me with a big, big smile on your face,” said Connor Murphy while fighting back tears. He lost his father, Kevin James Murphy.
Magaly Lemagne broke down before collecting herself to read her brother’s name, David Prudencio Lemagne. She remembered the slain Port Authority and New Jersey police officer as “the embodiment of selflessness and bravery.”
“I hope today as we commemorate the 16th anniversary of 9/11, everyone will stop for a moment and remember all the people who gave their lives that day,” said Lemagne. “Maybe then we can put away our disagreements and become one country again.”
Young grandchildren of 9/11 victims also attended the ceremony, though they’d never gotten the chance to meet their lost relatives.
“I wish more than anything that I could have met you,” Ruth Daly said after reading the name of her late grandmother, Ruth Sheila Lapin. “I’m very proud to be your namesake. I hope you’re watching down on me from heaven.”
Dignitaries at the Manhattan event included Mayor Bill de Blasio, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Sen. Charles Schumer and former Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump somberly stepped out of the White House to observe a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., when American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower.
They bowed their heads with other staffers on the South Lawn as bells tolled and placed their hands over their hearts as taps was played.
The president will participate in a 9/11 observance at the Pentagon, where 184 people were killed when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building. Most were service members in the Army and Navy.
Trump, who was in New York during the terrorist attacks, spoke of the strength of America after 9/11 and gave thanks to our military.
“We shed our tears in their memory, pledged our devotion in their honor and turned our sorrow into unstoppable resolve to achieve justice in their name,” the president said of the 9/11 victims. “The terrorists who attacked us thought they could incite fear and weaken our spirit, but America cannot be intimidated, and those who try will soon join the long list of vanquished enemies who dare to test our mettle.”
Trump also praised the work of Sgt. Isaac Hoopii, who responded that day and rescued as many as 20 people when the Pentagon was struck.
“He sped to the scene and raced into smoke and fire — few people would’ve done it,” Trump said. “In the pitch black, he began calling out to people in need of help. Isaac heard faint voices and he wanted to answer those faint voices. One by one, he carried people out of the burning rubble.”
Vice President Mike Pence and US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke delivered remarks at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where passengers brought down the plane during a courageous revolt against the al Qaeda hijackers.
Bells tolled and names of the 33 passengers and seven crew members of United Flight 93 were read. On Sunday, ground was broken on the park’s final element — a 93-foot Tower of Voices with 40 tubular wind chimes, one for each victim. It is scheduled to be completed by next year’s anniversary.
*When do you remember learning about September 11th for the first time, Explain? What did you think and feel?
*What information in this article do you find most interesting? Explain your feelings about the article and what sticks out to you?
I remember learning about September 11th in like 4th or 5th grade. When I found out about it I didn’t really think about it because I was young but when I became older and understood things better. I felt sad and was wondering why anyone could do that. We fought so hard to become America and united but some people have different beliefs in things and thinks it is okay to hurt other people to show they have more power. I lived in Jersey City at the time and the Hudson River lies between New York and downtown Jersey City so my mom used to tell me that when it happened, there was debris of smoke coming towards us and all you heard was ambulances coming from everywhere. When I watch videos of people jumping out of windows or music videos of 9/11, I want to cry because it's just so upsetting. I will never understand why there are terrorists or why people do what they do.
ReplyDeleteThe information in the article that I read and stuck out the most to me was when Ruth Daly said about her grandma “ I wish more than anything that I could have met you”. When she said that I kind of related because that was her mom’s mom and she wasn’t able to watch her daughters grandchild grow up or anything. I relate to that because I lost my mom and she won’t be able to witness me growing up or anything. Another thing that stuck to me was when they said VP Mike Pence and the secretary went to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, they gave their remarks about the courageous people who tried to stop the hijackers on the plane but crashed while happening. Those people were really brave and risked their lives to help and try to save others.
Darius Martorano
ReplyDeleteSeptember 13, 2017
Period ⅘
September 11th was a tragic day for people all across America and even though i was too young to remember what had happened on that day, I know when i first learned about the tragic day in our country. I had been in first grade in chorus when everyone did it, and we sang a song to those lost in 9/11 and performed in front of the school. I also remember sitting in class and being told to take a moment of silence at the times at which the towers had fallen. I don’t think at the time I really noticed of significant of a tragedy it really was but now I know that, that day would change the way Americans looked at certain people because of these actions and also the security rate would rise and everything would be make more precocious to prevent another tragedy.
What I found most interesting in this article was the number of people that actually died inside the pentagon who were mostly Army or Navy. I did not know that there was 184 of them there which is crazy to me because the pentagon is looked at as a top military place in the U.S.. What sticks out to me in this article was the grandchildren of those who had died on 9/11 talking about how they would love to have meet them which I find upsetting because they could have known them if they had never been at the trade center on that day or if the attacks just never happened.
I second your response on what you did in school on the 11th of september, learning about 9/11 and doing all those activities was really like a mind check on what the world was to what it had become post 9/11 terror attack!
DeleteThe first time i ever really learned about 9/11 and what it was, was in elementary school and honestly i vaguely remember my teacher showing us a short story on what 9/11 was. Followed with a worksheet that asked questions about what we learned, we also colored some print out worksheets of the world trade center and the american flag. This was my first time in kindergarten because if you did not know i actually went through kindergarten two times due to me being significantly younger than all of the other students in the class, but all i remember is just watching short videos more appropriate videos for a four or five year old to watch because obviously at such a young age kids may see what really happened that day and get scared or nervous and really that isn't what we want in society a bunch of scared people because we all have to live on this earth together and make it at least feel safe to show kids that the future can be bright if you just try to succeed and see what good there is to living here on this planet! You see the thing what was crazy to me is that my first birthday was literally the day after these tragic attacks on our country so learning about this day is kind of crazy considering i was born the day after a year before is just wild to me, and it is just kind of difficult to comprehend. If you really think about what goes on today and with all of the mass murders and killings and school shootings it is just crazy to me that on september 11th the world went from having the most freedoms, it was easy to get into the united states and how the world just kind of turned on its head after this day and changed entirely freedoms were stripped and people started living in fear. I am born in a post 9/11 era so therefore i really can't say what life was like before this day but i can tell you it definitely changed drastically after the attacks on the world trade center, pentagon, and white house.
ReplyDeleteThe first time that I was tought 9/11 was probably in 5 grade. Because i don't remember anything before that. So when they told me that three buildings had been hit by a airplanes that were in controlled by very bad people. I didn't understand that it was terrorists or why they did it. We were holding a ceremony for the victims. Then we took a moment of silence around 8:50 to 9:00 am. I didn't know why then later on I learned that it was the time one of the planes went into the building. I was showed of what happened. I was shook that a whole airplane disappeared into a building and never came back out , then the explosion happened. I was wondering of what happened to the people that were in it. Then i realised that people had died. Then it showed that another plane had went into the other tower. I was confused and wonder why the planes went into the buildings and not move out of the way(this was before i was told people did this on purpose). I really don't remember the days after I was taught this I remember that I look at the world differently ever since. In the article the thing I found most interesting is that Sgt. Isaac Hoopii save about 20 people after the pentagon was hit. Of how he just went into the burning building and started to yell out for people that needed help. He has to be brave and bold in order to do that.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you because nobody really knew that it was a terrorist attack until the second plane hit the second building. The terrorist attack was very unexpected. Many police and firefighters also saved may people's lives. Most of them died while saving other people to be safe. People should always honor those people who saves our lives.
DeleteThe first time i remember learning about the tragic event on September 11th 2001 was around 3rd grade. I feel that i knew of it but i didn't know really what happened, i knew it as two of the prettiest and biggest buildings fell down. I didn't know why or how until 4th grade when they actually explained it to us because by that age you start to understand more things that are going on or have went on. The teachers in school explained it to us as much as they could but it was all still really confusing to me. As a fourth grader i was really just thinking why would someone want to hurt us? What did we do wrong? So those people who went to work that morning just never got to get out? It all just was scrambled up in my head. I felt that no one should have gone through that.
ReplyDeleteIn the article i find that it most interesting how everyone really has their own story of 9/11. Some people lost relatives, their closest friends, and some people that were supposed to be in one of the towers working, were late to work or had called out that day. In the article the person had lost their brother because of 9/11, another was a grandmother that they were never able to meet. For the people who have lost relatives that they knew of, and seeing their names on the memorial has to be one of the most upsetting things one could take. For the people going to the memorial who had lost a family member but never got the chance to meet them or they werent old enough to have a memory of the person who was lost, has to be one of the weirdest feelings. Seeing your last name knowing that someone who was related to you had to suffer in this way has to really hit home.
I agree on what Nicole said. We knew the little basic things that happened and the the fact that it happened to the biggest and prettiest buildings. Why would they think of doing what they did? We didn't do anything wrong to them. She hit it spot on.
DeleteThe first time i learned about the tragic event of 9/11 was when i was in 4th grade. The teacher that gave me my first knowledge on 9/11 was Mrs. Lorence. She told the stories of what happened on this day, not in much dept but she told us the basic information about it. She talked about how it changed our country as a whole, and that the security would be very hard to get thru when we go on airplanes and to go on public transportation.
ReplyDeleteAt the time of just learning all of this about 9/11 i really didn't think of how bad it was for the people that were involved. I thought of myself and that it didn't involve me so why did it matter to me. I also would think of just rebuilding the towers. I was just thinking like a kid would, the easy ways to fix it, and just to make a truce with the terrorist. In 4th grade i don't think i really understood what really happened so i couldn't really feel bad for any of the people. I didn't think anything of all the people who died and risked there life to save others, or how long it took us to recover from what happened that day.
Reading this article many things interested me but the thing that jumped out to me the most was ¨The terrorists who attacked us thought they could incite fear and weaken our spirit¨. This jumped out at me because even though this was the most tragic event in history we still fought thru the pain and suffering. This can show you that people can come together to things done no matter how hard or bad they can be. Our country joined together to lift the people the lost there loved ones or died in the attach to cleaning the destruction of the twin towers up.
i completely agree with your response and i remember doing all the assignments in potter school and learning how real this was and how terribe it was. No one deserved to go through that, it was a tragic event and hopefully nothing that intense will happen in our country again.
DeleteThe first time I learned about September 11, 2001 was when I had just turned 8. It was a couple days before school started and my parents were watching a movie, the movie was called “The World Trade Center.” I started watching it with them because they told me it was based on a true story that happened in New York, when I was about 12 months old. While watching the movie I kept asking questions, for example; “ Why did the plane crash ?” “Did they all live..did some people die?” and ect. I felt so wretched. Listening and watching the story made me want to burst out crying. Seeing hundreds of people jump of the building is so heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteThere were so many brave people helping others. Some people who weren't cops or firefighters were still helping others. On that exact day a third plane hit the pentagon just outside Washington D.C. and there was a fourth one that crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. About three-thousand people were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attack.
The information in this article I found the most interesting was what Taormina said when she woke up from a phone call from her mother saying that a plane has hit the building and her brother was there. I found this part interesting because you never know what you will wake up to, you should be blessed that you woke up safe. I really like how everyone still and will always remember this day 9/11. This short article made me feel anguish. I still remember when my 3rd grade teacher talked about 9/11 to us i heard the pain in her voice, she has lost someone that day. We will also as well always remember all the brave heroes that risked their lives to save others.
I honestly agree with what you said Dallely. There were many heroic people that day and they deserve all the recognition they can get. She's also right by saying we don't know what we will wake up to so we should live every moment with no regrets and also think of all the people who lost their lives that day for no reason.
DeleteI was about two years old when the plane crash into the twin towers. I remember learning about 9/11 for the first time was when I was in fifth grade. I was attending a school in another country so I didn’t really learned about it until fifth grade.I thought that it was very horrific and traumatizing. I felt bad for people that lost their lives and the families that lost their loved ones. I felt bad for the children that lost their families lives. Many innocent people had lost their lives in the tower which was very tragic. I thought that the police and the firefighters that saved people’s lives were very brave and heroic. The part that interested me the most in the article was, “ Visitors wore pictures of loved ones around their necks and tucked red roses and American flags into the engraved names on the bronze parapets surrounding the reflecting pools.” This part interested me because it showed that people would never forget them and it showed how much those people loved the people that died. I cannot imagine how the children and people felt when they found out that their loved ones died from the tower.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you Iain. It was very horrible of what happened. Also I didn't realize that you were at another country at the time. I thought that the visitors that were the pictures of their love ones was also an important and interesting thing i the article. No one deserves to go through that in their lives ever
DeleteI first learned about 9/11 in second grade. What i remember from that is learning about the planes going in the building. The planes were hijacked and flown into the buildings. They never talked about the pentagon or the plane in shanksville, PA. I had to no idea this happen at my age back then. Thinking about it now you truly see what is and what was 9/11. The feeling people had and i had when they first reacted was probably the same.
ReplyDeleteThe interesting thing from this that i read were the 6 moments of silence they have at ceremonies. If any i would think they would have 4 because of the 4 planes. They decided to have 4 for the planes and 2 for the collapse of the towers. They all don't happen at the same time also. They are done at the time of that event.the fact that the memorial has 3000 names around it is amazing too. The way they allow people to leave roses and good remarks like that is interesting. The feelings when i read about the moments of silence just wowed me. It is the right thing to do but there should be more than just that. They should read off every name.
*When do you remember learning about September 11th for the first time, Explain? What did you think and feel? The first time i learned about 911 was probably in elementary but they probably didn't go into depth because i was to young and we probably wouldn't understand it anyways . How did i feel so i was probably like 7 when they started talking about it but to be honest i probably wasn't paying attention or just didn't care. Later on when i got older i learned more about it and how tragic it was and the biggest terrorist attack in history and still is.
ReplyDelete*What information in this article do you find most interesting? Explain your feelings about the article and what sticks out to you? What i found interesting was at ground zero they do six moments of silence. One moment of silence is when each plane hits the towers, when each tower falls, pentagon attack , and flight 93. Also how a guy figures out in a couple of weeks how his brother died in 9/11 through a magazine and says how his brother probably died in impact . Also how most of the people who died on the attack in the pentagon were military and navy service members.
I agree with you, I didn't fully understand September 11th in elementary school. As we got older we finally understood what it was and why it happened. We are still learning about it because I didn't know about the moments of silences and their meaning about it either.
DeleteTaliah Haughton
ReplyDeleteSeptember 13, 2017
Period 4-5
When do you remember learning about september 11th for the first time, Explain? What did you think and feel?
My first encounter and knowledge about September 11th was when i moved to the United States of America in my 9th grade history class Mr. VanHise was discussing the details about the events regarding what occurred and I was moved and very emotional to think of all the lives that were lost and families who suffered regarding same, I subsequently came home and did my own research and realise that it was indeed a terror attack with the fact that there were attacks in three different locations that was affected. It was a day when the reality was very difficult to imagine, just to see planes literally and deliberately plunging into buildings such as the world trade center in New york and puncturing a hole into the Pentagon, not forgetting the one plane crashed into the field in Shanksville Pennsylvania, ending the life of almost 3,000 innocent lives plunging the entire country into instant pain, mourning hurt and with questions more than answers as to the reason why? Just like many other Americans i begin to question the safety of our country, as to how in this great country of America such magnitude of destruction could have possibly occurred, then I started feeling empathy for the families and thinking how would I have coped if it was my family member or friend. September 11 is a very important day for all the Americans. A lot of first responders and others died also trying to help by assisting others to get out of the tower , On that day, the Americans began to mourn. It had happened so sudden, everyone was left in shocked. I think that was a very heartless move by t the hijackers , To be honest i was not sure about how I really feel, I have no words to express such cruel and senseless acts on the hijackers behalf . Coming to America at an early age of 13 made me a bit apprehensive ,as no one knew that this would occur or of the possibility exists for a recurrence at any time or place. Thanks to the president, and congress for their critical thinking and putting the necessary security to protect our country and consider those people hero dying for the cause and strength of our great nation, save our nation and wage war on the terrorist until the last one is wiped out, i later discovered recent that there were over 20 men were involved in this cruel act of terrorism led by their leader Osama Bin Laden.
The information about this article that interest me the most is the young grandchildren of 9/11 victims attended the ceremony, though they’d never gotten the chance to meet their lost relatives, and the parents had the strength to take them. It is very heart breaking for the amount of lives the have lost but those people are hero's. They died in harmed but may their souls be at peace.
I completely agree with your response, the president did start putting all the necessary security to make our country a better and safer place,and yes there are many brave people who also died helping others, which is very heartbreaking.No one deserved to go through that,hopefully nothing that horrible will happen again in our country.
DeleteSince I was just a baby when September 11th happened, the first time I learned about it was in elementary school. I don't remember too much about it at first because when you are that young you are too young to realize the full affect of that day. I couldn't fully understand at that time what it all meant. Later on in school, when I understood everything about September 11th , and watching documentaries on it, I feel upset and angry. For all those people to die in a terrorist attack is horrible. It makes me angry and a little worried to know that this happened here on US soil.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find the most interesting in this article is that they still honor everyone who passed away that day at all the sites. I knew they still did ceremonies in New York City because they usually show it on TV, but I did not know they did one at the pentagon and PA. I did not know about the moment of silences either. I am glad that we pay respect to the people who lost their lives that day. They deserve it. Some many stories about bravery. Hopefully are country is learning from this horrible event to make sure it never happens again.
I had my first lesson learning about what happened on September 11th in 8th grade when I started school here in the United States. First when they say today’s lesson is about what happen in the most devastating moment in history of the United States the 9/11. I was what is 9/11 I did not have no exact clue what was 9/11 about. After that lesson I was crying knowing that many people died in that moment. That also there were people who had risk their lives just to save others. Does people who had done that amazing act they are really the true heros. I do think that why this bad persons had done this terrible act. I had seen some clips about 9/11 people were screaming and they were scared. Who would not be scared knowing that they might died that day. This tragic moment melt my heart in all different ways.
ReplyDeleteIn this article I found everything so interesting. How people feel about the ones who died that day. This people were so hurt that after that they did not even drive by the city. The most surprising was that president Trump after the attack spoke to the strength of America and gave them thanks. Just thinking how, I can not believe that really happen. In life there will be some horrible times, but like I always say no matter always be strong. No matter what people went through somehow they will get over with. In memory to who died in 9/11. Who save other people and died.who also died for there country. The article determine to be united again, I really wish that too. All this difference and no liking people have to end.