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Diasabra 12 september 2020

US remembers 9/11, with virus altering familiar tributes

never gives up,” he said. three weeks,” Kaitlyn Strada
At the Sept. 11 memorial said of her father, Thomas,
in New York hours earlier, a bond broker. One reader
Biden offered condolences thanked essential workers
to victims' relatives includ- for helping New York City
ing Amanda Barreto, 27, and endure the pandemic, which
90-year-old Maria Fisher, has killed at least 24,000
empathizing with their loss people in the city and over
of loved ones. Biden's first 190,000 nationwide. Another
wife and their daughter died reader, Catherine Hernan-
in a car crash, and his son dez, said she became a police
Beau died of brain cancer. officer to honor her family's
Biden didn't speak at that loss. Other victims' relatives,
ceremony, which customarily however, weren't bothered
doesn't let politicians make by the switch to a recording
remarks. at the ground zero ceremony,
Pence went on to the sepa- which also drew hundreds.
rate ceremony, organized by “I think it should evolve. It
the Stephen Siller Tunnel to can't just stay the same forev-
Towers Foundation, where er,” said Frank Dominguez,
he read the Bible's 23rd who lost his brother, Police
Psalm. His wife, Karen, read Officer Jerome Dominguez.
a passage from the Book of
Ecclesiastes.“For the fami- The Sept. 11 memorial and
lies of the lost and friends the Tunnel to Towers foun-
they left behind, I pray these dation also tussled over the
ancient words will comfort Tribute in Light, a pair of
your heart and others,” said powerful beams that shine
the vice president, draw- into the night sky near the
ing applause from the audi- trade center, evoking the twin
ence of hundreds. Formed in towers. The 9/11 memorial
(AP) — Americans com- cratic challenger Joe Biden rial, Trump recalled how the honor of a firefighter killed initially canceled the display,
memorated 9/11 on Friday both headed for the Flight plane’s crew and passengers on 9/11, the foundation felt citing virus safety concerns
as another national crisis, the 93 National Memorial in the tried to storm the cockpit as in-person readers were cru- for the installation crew. After
coronavirus, reconfigured election battleground state of the hijackers as headed for cial to the ceremony's emo- the foundation vowed to put
ceremonies and a presiden- Pennsylvania — at different Washington. tional impact and could recite up the lights instead, the me-
tial campaign carved a path times of day. names while keeping a safe morial changed course with
through the memorials. "The heroes of Flight 93 are distance. By contrast, record- help from its chair, former
In New York, victims' rela- Biden also attended the cere- an everlasting reminder that ed names emanated from Mayor Mike Bloomberg, and
tives gathered Friday morn- mony at ground zero in New no matter the danger, no speakers placed around the Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
ing for split-screen remem- York, exchanging a pandem- matter the threat, no matter memorial plaza. Leaders said Tunnel to Towers, mean-
brances at the World Trade ic-conscious elbow bump the odds, America will always they wanted to keep readers while, arranged to display
Center's Sept. 11 memorial with Vice President Mike rise up, stand tall, and fight and listeners from clustering single beams for the first time
plaza and on a nearby corner, Pence before the observance back,” the Republican presi- at a stage. at the Shanksville memorial
set up by separate organiza- began. dent said.Biden visited the and the Pentagon.
tions that differed on balanc- In short, the 19th anniversary memorial later Friday, laid a As in past years on the plaza,
ing tradition with virus safety. of the deadliest terror attack wreath and greeted relatives many readers at the alterna- The anniversary has become
on U.S. soil was a complicat- of victims including First Of- tive ceremony added poi- a day for volunteering, with
Standing on the plaza, with ed occasion in a maelstrom ficer LeRoy Homer. Biden gnant tributes to their loved the 9/11 National Day of Ser-
its serene waterfall pools of a year, as the U.S. grapples expressed his respect for ones’ character and heroism, vice and Remembrance orga-
and groves of trees, Jin Hee with a pandemic, searches its those aboard Flight 93, saying urged the nation not to for- nization encouraging people
Cho said she couldn't erase soul over racial injustice and sacrifices like theirs “mark get the attacks and recounted this year to make donations
the memory of the death of prepares to choose a leader the character of a country.” missed family milestones: or take other actions from
her younger sister, Kyung, in to chart a path forward.Still, “This is a country that never, “How I wish you could walk home because of the pan-
the 2001 terrorist attack that families say it’s important for never, never, never, never, me down the aisle in just demic.
destroyed the trade center's the nation to pause and re-
twin towers. “It’s just hard to member the hijacked-plane
delete that in my mind. I un- attacks that killed nearly 3,000
derstand there’s all this, and I people at the trade center, at
understand now that we have the Pentagon outside Wash-
even COVID," said Cho, 55. ington and in a field near
"But I only feel the loss, the Shanksville, Pennsylvania,
devastating loss of my flesh- on Sept. 11, 2001 — shap-
and-blood sister.”Around the ing American policy, percep-
country, some communities tions of safety, and daily life
canceled 9/11 ceremonies, in places from airports to of-
while others went ahead, fice buildings.“People could
sometimes with modifica- say, ‘Oh, 19 years.’ But I’ll
tions. The Pentagon’s obser- always be doing something
vance was so restricted that this day. It’s history,” said
not even victims’ families Annemarie D’Emic, who lost
could attend, though small her brother Charles Heeran,
groups could visit its memo- a stock trader. She went to
rial later in the day.On an an- the alternative ceremony in
niversary that fell less than New York, which kept up
two months before the presi- the longstanding tradition of
dential election, President in-person readers.Speaking
Donald Trump and Demo- at the Pennsylvania memo-