NEW YORK — America marks the sixth anniversary of the Sept11 attacks on Tuesday with more low key commemorations than in the past and in the face of mounting concern over the U.S.-led "war on terror."
In New York, where more than 2,700 people were killed when two hijacked planes plowed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, rescue workers are to read out the names of the dead in a solemn ceremony on Tuesday.
As in previous years, al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden released a taped message ahead of the commemorations, mocking the United States as "weak" and threatening to escalate the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq.
Unlike past commemorations, most of Tuesday's ceremony will be held at a park near Ground Zero, the area where the Twin Towers once stood, and not in the site itself, where work is under way on new skyscrapers and a memorial.
In what has become an annual ritual, the reading of the names will pause for four moments of silence to mark the exact times that the planes hit the towers and when the massive office blocks collapsed.
Church bells are to toll at 8:46 a.m. to mark the exact moment that the first plane, American Airlines Flight 11, crashed into the North Tower.
Relatives of those killed will then be able to descend a long ramp into the World Trade Center site to lay flowers and pause momentarily.
The ceremony is a lower profile event than the commemorations last year to mark the fifth anniversary of the attacks, when President George W Bush laid a wreath at the site and later made a televised address to the nation.
Bush, who this year called for Americans to mark the attacks with memorial services and candlelight vigils, was to attend a remembrance service in Washington and later observe a moment of silence at the White House.
"The main problem is to fight extremism, to recognize that history has called us into action," Bush said last month, maintaining a line he has held since the attacks.
"By fighting extremists and radicals, we help people realize dreams. And helping people realize dreams helps promote peace," he added.
At Ground Zero, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is to lead the ceremony, at which his predecessor, Republican presidential hopeful Rudolph Giuliani, will also deliver a reading.
Some of the relatives of those killed in the attacks have criticized Giuliani's attendance, especially given his presidential ambitions.
Giuliani has made much of his role as mayor in the aftermath of the attacks, but firefighters especially have criticized the city's response to the disaster and accused Giuliani of making political capital out of the attacks.
Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton, a New York senator, is also due to take part in the ceremony, at which she will help read the names of the dead.
In the evening, a "Tribute in Light" is to project two massive beams of light into the night sky above Ground Zero to symbolize the collapsed towers.
In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where hijackers brought down United Airlines Flight 93 in a remote field, tributes were to be held Tuesday to honor the 40 passengers and crew killed.
In Washington, where 184 people were killed when American Airlines Flight 77 flew into the Pentagon, the Defense Department was organizing a Freedom Walk on Sunday to honor the dead and show support for U.S. troops serving abroad.
More than 4,100 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since Bush declared a "war on terror" in the aftermath of the attacks.
His popularity has plummeted since he stood in the ruins of the World Trade Center with a bullhorn six years ago to rally the American people.
Other controversies still lingering six years after the attacks include the slow pace of reconstruction at Ground Zero, where only one office tower has so far been completed to replace the several buildings destroyed in the attacks.
A memorial complex known as "Reflecting Absence" is due to open in 2009 featuring two square voids in the footprint of the original Twin Towers.
The largest part of the reconstruction plan being overseen by architect Daniel Libeskind is the Freedom Tower, due to be completed in early 2011. Construction on the skyscraper began last year after a series of delays.
But perhaps the most troubling legacy of the attacks for New Yorkers is the health of the rescue and recovery workers, who six years on are suffering high rates of respiratory complaints and post traumatic stress disorder.
No comments:
Post a Comment