By Samuel Weigley: Subscribe to Samuel's RSS feed
September 11, 2011 4:01 PM EDT
Thousands of people journeyed to Lower Manhattan in New York City Sunday to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
The names of those who died on the Sept. 11 attacks were read by people who had lost close family. Pairs of individuals would read multiple names, and then would finally finish by reading the name of their family member along with, often, a short prayer or remembrance. Often times, the family members remained stoic during the reading; however some became emotional as well. The ceremony took place around the memorial, which includes a reflection pool with the names of victims inscribed on a surrounding wall.
President Barack Obama attended the ceremony, where he read a passage from Psalm 46, which talks about God as "our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Obama was joined by former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, along with current New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
The president and First Lady Michelle Obama also went to Shanksville, Pa., later on Sunday morning to visit the United 93 Memorial.
Police were heavily visible throughout downtown Manhattan. To get near Ground Zero, visitors were required to pass through security checkpoints. Although only a limited number of people were able to get close to the ceremony, thousands of others joined in surrounding blocks throughout the area and were able to watch the events on giant screens outside the memorial. At approximately 11 a.m. EDT, police had removed some barricades around the ceremony, allowing other visitors to get closer to the ceremony.
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Many people also visited Battery Park by the Staten Island Ferry to visit the "One Life, One Flag" exhibit on display through Monday.
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People had many reasons for coming to Lower Manhattan on Sunday. Roc Scott, a 34-year old musician living in Queens, N.Y. used to work down at the World Trade Center. He lost a friend during the September 11 attack, and has not been in contact with her family since then.
Scott said he comes to the area as much as 75 times a year, usually by himself. This time, he brought along both his girlfriend and his brother. Scott said 10 years after the attack, it is nice to see that people have healed emotionally from the day, and points to the construction of the Freedom Tower, formally known as 1 World Trade Center, as proof.
"We're finally making progress," Scott said.
Germano Riviera, 60, considers himself both a survivor and a rescuer for the Sept. 11 attacks.
"Usually they only talk about firemen and policemen," when talking about the heroes of 9/11, Rivera said. "But what about us?"
Rivera began as the manager of a jewelry store on Sept. 10. At the beginning of his second day, he said he saw a first plane hit the twin towers. Riviera, who said he was an ex-sergeant, said he helped evacuate people out of the immediate area, and then vividly remembers the South Tower being hit by another airplane.
"When the South Tower was hit, I could certainly feel the radiation," Rivera said.
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