Sep 11, 2008 8:29 pm US/Eastern
They Came From All Over To Say Goodbye
Thousands Pack Area Around Ground Zero For 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony, Reading Of Names
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Cazzandra Peterson (R) and her mother Robin leave flowers at Ground Zero in memory of father and husband William Peterson during the seventh annual 9/11 memorial ceremony Sept. 11, 2008, in New York City.
Chad Rachman/Getty Images
With heavy hearts, the nation on Thursday marked the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. It was a day to offer comfort to sorrowful loved ones and to remember the fallen.
The mood was especially somber in New York City, where the cranes at ground zero stood silent, draped in American flags as those who died were remembered.
Friends and loved ones came together once again from all over to honor those lost on that fateful day and to remind others to never forget.
At a ceremony near ground zero the grieving leaned on each other for support as they remembered that dark day.
Once again, they came back, the family members of those who were killed, 38-year-old Alex Ciccone, who was on the 98th floor of Tower 1 when the plane hit.
"I come here every year," father Angelo Ciccone said. "I can't … [cry]."
His wife was more composed.
"My God, my God, it brings back all the memories," Mary Ciccone said. "But it's beautiful. It means so much."
In a park near ground zero, at 8:46 a.m., the time the first plane hit, there was a moment of silence.
It was followed by moments of silence for the time of the second attack and the two towers crashing down.
"As the Irish proverb remind us ... death leaves us heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal," Mayor Michael Bloomberg told the gatherers.
Family members and students representing more than 90 countries read the names of the 2,571 victims killed in New York, with some of the readings peppered with personal thoughts. NYPD officer Catherine Hernandez spoke to her father.
"I love you and go with God," Hernandez said.
There were words of comfort from dignitaries, but the most meaningful words came from those who still feel the loss in the own families. One woman lost her brother, Simon.
"We're always gonna be brought back here, go back to where he was at that moment our respect. I want to go back to where he was at that moment." the woman said.
Memorials are planned for ground zero, but their completions are three and four years away.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
September 11, 2001: A Day Of Terror
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