The Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, together with the Mayor of New York, Eric Adams, and the governor of the state, Kathy Hochul, presided this Monday at the “zero zone” of the Big Apple the tribute acts for the 22nd anniversary of September 11, the most serious terrorist attack recorded in the history of the country.
The most novel thing this year is that two new victims have been identifieda man and a woman whose names have not been made public at the express wish of the families, which makes them victims number 1,948 and 1,649, thanks to advanced DNA tests, as announced on Friday by Mayor Adams, who highlighted that they are the first identifications after two years.
There are still around 1,100 human remains to be identifiedstored in the National September 11 Memorial Museum, located next to where the towers stood.
The city’s chief medical examiner, Jason Graham, recalled that this is “the most extensive and complex forensic investigation in the history of our country”but still “We will continue tirelessly in our (identification) mission using the latest technological advances.”
Although this Monday is a normal working day, several signs in the country remind us of that date that will mark its history forever: flags at half-mast in official places, tributes in each fire station, a beam of double light in the place where they were raised the Twin Towers and the annual public reading of all those who perished in that multiple attack.
Every September 11, the two moats that replace the towers this Monday and in which the names of those killed in the attack are inscribed, They are filled with American flags and yellow roses.in sober and solemn acts at the same time and that last several hours.
“THE OTHERS CONTINUE WITH THEIR LIVES”
“For those of us who lost someone that day, that day is still happening. The others continue with their lives. But you find a way to move on, even if that day is always present”Edward Edelman, brother-in-law of Daniel McGinley, who died in one of the towers, told reporters today when he arrived at the ceremony.
Although the main tribute is held in New York, there are also events at the Pentagon and in Shaksville, Pennsylvania, where two other planes crashed on that day, resulting in a total of almost 3,000 deaths.
The president, Joe Biden, noted on X (formerly Twitter) that American history itself changed 22 years ago, “but what could not change and will not change is the character of the nation.”
“Today we remember the 2,977 precious lives that were stolen from us on September 11 and reflect on all that was lost in the fire and ash that September morning,” said the Democratic president, who was also Barack Obama’s vice president (2009-2017).
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, for his part, pointed out in a statement that the memory of those who perished “reminds us why we must continue to fight those who commit acts of terrorism.”
“In the years since, we have worked closely with allies around the world to end the scourge of terrorism and ensure that terrorists are held accountable for their crimes. The United States will continue to defend our homeland, our people, and our allies.”held.
From the Pentagon memorial in Arlington, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, in turn, remembered the 184 who died both in those facilities and on Flight 77, the third hijacked in the framework of those attacks.
“We will always honor the memory of our fallen comrades. We will always be with their families and we will always strive to be worthy of the memory of those we lost.“he added
