The One World Trade Center is reflected on a nearby building ahead of the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., September 10, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Ben Burke Producer

U.S.

A somber weekend underway: 9/11 remembrance events mark 20 years

Sep 10, 2021

Ben Burke Producer

By Ben Burke (Producer)

Ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks Saturday, officials in New York and Washington, D.C. began holding remembrance events Friday morning. The video above shows clips from some of those events.

In D.C., Secretary of State Antony Blinken reflected on the mark the attacks left on the State Department. “Thousands of diplomats served in Afghanistan and Iraq and elsewhere in support of the war against al Qaida and other terrorist groups. Thousands more served in new bureaus and roles that didn’t exist before the attacks, like counterterrorism, conflict and stabilization,” Blinken said. “Virtually every part of the department was mobilized in some way to play a role in preventing another 9/11. Critical work that many of us continue to this day.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland also marked the 20 year anniversary in front of the “survivor tree” on the northeast side of the courtyard at the Department of Justice. He announced the installation of a plaque at the tree.

“The plaque reminds us that the threats from foreign terrorists like those involved in September 11th is one we must constantly guard against,” Garland said. “What we must do, what we have done is to learn from the past to better anticipate and prepare for the next threat and to seek to disrupt it.”

And in New York City, family members of Thomas Sullivan and Robert Sutcliffe, who both died on 9/11, rang the New York Stock Exchange Opening Bell after a moment of silence. NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, FDNY First Deputy Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, FDNY EMS Division Chief Marie Villani, and PAPD Superintendent of Police Edward T. Cetnar are expected to be on hand to ring the closing bell Friday afternoon.

Friday’s events are far from the only ones planned for the remembrance. Thousands of people are expected to gather in New York City, Washington D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

In New York City, a ceremony will take place at the 9/11 Memorial. They will also observe a citywide moment of silence at the time American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower, with a second pause when United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower.

Further moments of silence will be observed when each tower fell, when American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon and when United Flight 93 crashed into the ground in Pennsylvania.

Antony Blinken, Secretary of State: “Looking around this department today, we can see how the attacks changed us and changed our diplomacy. Thousands of diplomats served in Afghanistan and Iraq and elsewhere in support of the war against al Qaida and other terrorist groups. Thousands more served in new bureaus and roles that didn’t exist before the attacks, like counterterrorism, conflict and stabilization. Virtually every part of the department was mobilized in some way to play a role in preventing another 9/11. Critical work that many of us continue to this day.”

Merrick Garland, U.S. Attorney General: “The tree we are standing before is a living symbol of our values and our refusal to bend in the face of terrorism. It embodies our nation’s spirit of hope and health and strength and resilience in the wake of the attacks. This Callery pear tree is a descendant of a tree at Ground Zero that became known as the ‘Survivor Tree’ after standing through the terror attacks at the World Trade Center. Each year, the National September 11th Memorial and Museum give seedlings from the survivor tree to three communities that have endured tragedy in recent years. In 2015, the department dedicated the planting of the survivor tree, the seedling from the Survivor Tree. The following year, Attorney General Loretta Lynch dedicated a commemorative plaque. And today, I’m humbled to have the honor of announcing the permanent installation of this plaque. The plaque reminds us that the threats from foreign terrorists like those involved in September 11th is one we must constantly guard against.”