PRESIDENT'S ACTIVITIES: Obama presides over D.C. tributes

PRESIDENT'S ACTIVITIES: Obama presides over D.C. tributes

In Washington, Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and members of the White House staff stood silently on the south driveway of the White House. A bell tolled three times as the Obamas stood with their heads bowed.

They then put their hands on their hearts as a military trumpeter played Taps. The one-minute ceremony took place at 8:46 a.m., the moment at which the first plane struck a tower at the World Trade Center.

Obama spoke at the Pentagon during a wreath-laying ceremony, the site where 140 people died when a jet slammed into the building.

He urged the nation "to renew our resolve" against the terrorists who perpetrated the "barbaric act" of eight years ago.

"We remember with reverence the lives we lost," Obama said. Their sacrifice "still shines brightly in the darkness — it calls on all of us to be firm, strong, and united."

Vice President Biden attended the memorial service at Ground Zero in New York City.

"There's a special fraternity of those of us who've lost spouses and children, but there is also one thing all Americans know to be true and which we remember most when we come to this site," he said, "in our jobs and in our sorrows, we know we belong to one another." Biden's daughter and first wife died in a 1972 automobile accident.

Wind and rain kept crowd sizes down on the streets around the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan, but relatives of those killed on 9/11 turned out in numbers.

In an interview, Jay Winuk, whose brother Glenn died when the Trade Center's South Tower collapsed, praised the day's declaration as a National Day of Service and Remembrance: "It's a way to honor those who died, and to preserve the day's meaning." In addition to remembering the attacks themselves, he said, "future generations must learn of the compassionate response. When the chips were as down as they could possibly be, people stepped forward to help."

Winuk was one of three family members who made brief speeches during the ceremony. In his remarks, he called his late brother "my hero," because when others ran from danger, "he ran toward those in peril" as an EMT and volunteer fire fighter. Glenn Winuk died after leaving his law office in lower Manhattan to try to help emergency responders at the Trade Center.

Others stood near the park to pay their respects and tend their memories.

"I come here every year, because I never want to forget what happened that day," said Lawrence Appleman, a financial services worker who recalled running north up Broadway on the same day eight years earlier. "It would take more than rain to keep me away," he said. "This is nothing compared to 9/11."

In remarks before the names were read, Michael BloombergMichael Bloomberg— the only New York mayor ever to preside at the annual commemoration ceremony, — said that in addition to remembering the dead, it was important to recall "all those who rush forward spontaneously to help, whenever and however they could."

As always, there were moments of silence for when jetliners crashed into each tower and for when each tower collapsed.

Thousands were expected at the now-familiar ceremonies in New York, at the Pentagon and in Shanksville.

"It doesn't matter what kind of weather there is. I would be here either way. It's a way to come together and find a common place," said Elaine DeJesus of Clifton, N.J. She carried a framed photo of Nereida DeJesus, 30, her sister and best friend, who died in Tower 2.

DeJesus, wiping tears off her cheeks, said the anniversaries don't get any easier.

"For me, it's just the same as it was the first day," she said. "There are days I just sit there and cry. But I also remember the fun times and what she would want us to do."

Drawing on the spirit that spurred volunteers to rush to the burning towers, Americans looked for ways to help each other on a day better known for mourning the thousands of people killed in the nation's worst terrorist attack.

Teresa Mathai, whose husband, Joseph Mathai, died at the World Trade Center, planned to grieve at a morning wreath-laying ceremony in Boston and hear his name read out loud. Then she planned to install drywall at a home in south Boston with Habitat for Humanity, one of thousands of volunteer efforts planned since Sept. 11 was declared a national day of service.

"Everyone has a different way of mourning," she said. "Some people keep it absolutely sacred. For me, this is something that gives us solace."

The combination of mourning and national giving was troubling to some who feared the volunteerism would overshadow a somber day.

"When I first heard about it, I was concerned," said Debra Burlingame, whose brother was the pilot of theAmerican Airlines jet that crashed into the Pentagon. "I fear, I greatly fear, at some point we'll transition to turning it into Earth Day where we go and plant trees and the remembrance part will become smaller and smaller and smaller."

The ceremony site overlooks ongoing construction. A giant crane hovered over a park where victims' names are to be read.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet NapolitanoJanet Napolitano, who was expected at the memorial service in New York, said Friday that the anniversary is a "day of sorrow and tragedy, but also a day of heroism and unity," and that remembrance and volunteerism are fitting memorials.

"By serving our communities and our country today and throughout the year, we commemorate our past while also preparing for our future," Napolitano said.

Former president George W. BushGeorge W. Bush had no plans to attend any ceremonies but issued a statement.

"Eight years ago, our nation and our freedom came under attack. On this solemn anniversary, Laura and I hold the victims and their families in our thoughts and prayers," the statement said. "We honor those who volunteer to keep us safe and extend the reach of freedom – including members of the armed forces, law enforcement officers, and intelligence and homeland security professionals. Their courage, service, and sacrifice is a fitting tribute to all those who gave their lives on September 11, 2001. On this day, let us renew our determination to prevent evil from returning to our shores."

In Pennsylvania, the names of the 40 passengers and crew of United 93 were to be read at the time the plane crashed.

Jose Melendez-Perez, a customs agent credited with refusing U.S. entry to a man officials believe was supposed to be the fifth hijacker aboard the flight, was going to the site for the first time. Former Secretary of State Colin PowellColin Powell was giving the keynote speech.

The attacks killed 40 people in Pennsylvania, 184 at the Pentagon and 2,752 in New York.