America remembers the 3,000 victims of 9/11 attacks at ground zero anniversary service to mark 12th anniversary

Relatives of the September 11 victims gathered at ground zero today to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the attack that killed almost 3,000 people.

The moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. Wednesday marked when the first plane hit the twin towers on a clear, sunny day in 2001. Then, families of the victims started reading aloud the names of those who died.

Along with the names of those who died when the hijacked jets crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were read out the names of those killed in the hijacked Flight 93 and the victims of the 1993 trade center bombing.

 President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and Jill Biden stand for a moment of silence on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, as they mark the 12th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks

Kayla Fallon, daughter of William Fallon who died on 9/11, wipes away tears at the 9/11 Memorial during ceremonies marking the 12th anniversary

Hannah Townsend, 25, gives a prayer next to the One World Trade tower at Ground Zero on September 11, 2013 in New York City

 

The names of those who died when the hijacked jets crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were read out at the ceremony at the two-year-old memorial plaza

 

 

President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Jill Biden observe a moment of silence to mark the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington

Memorial organizers expect to take primary responsibility for the ceremony next year and say they plan to continue concentrating the event on victims' loved ones, even as the forthcoming museum creates a new, broader framework for remembering 9/11.

'As things evolve in the future, the focus on the remembrance is going to stay sacrosanct,' memorial President Joe Daniels said.

Hinson said she would like the annual ceremony to be "more low-key, more private" as the years go by.

The 12th anniversary also arrives with changes coming at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, where officials gathered Tuesday to herald the start of construction on a visitor center. At the Pentagon, plans call for a morning ceremony for victims' relatives and survivors of the attacks and an afternoon observance for Pentagon workers.

Around the world, thousands of volunteers have pledged to do good deeds, honoring an anniversary that was designated a National Day of Service and Remembrance in 2009.

When Bloomberg and then-Gov. George Pataki announced the plans for the first anniversary in 2002, the mayor said the 'intent is to have a day of observances that are simple and powerful.'

His role hasn't always been comfortable. When the ceremony was shifted to nearby Zuccotti Park in 2007 because of rebuilding at the trade center site, some victims' relatives threatened to boycott the occasion. The lead-up to the 10th anniversary brought pressure to invite more political figures

 

Tribute In Light: Two beams were lit on Tuesday behind the Statue of Liberty in preparation for today's anniversary