America commemorates 9/11: 17 years of a war
On September 11, many activities took place across the United States to commemorate the nearly 3,000 victims who died in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
17 years have passed, although the wounds and hauntings left by this terrorist attack have not yet closed, America is still developing day by day and together with the world community persistently fighting terrorism.
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| The American flag amid the rubble of the September 11, 2001 attacks. (Photo: Reuters) |
In Manhattan, the central borough of New York City, the memorial service, as it does every year, began at 8:46 a.m. at the September 11 Memorial at the World Trade Center.
People gather for a moment of silence at the exact moment the Twin Towers were attacked and collapsed. The names of victims of both the 1993 and 2001 attacks will be read during the ceremony. The 9/11 Memorial Museum on the grounds will be open all day.
Activities were also held in Washington, D.C. and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
On September 11, 2001, exactly 17 years ago, the whole world was shocked to witness the collapse of the twin towers of the World Trade Center (WTC) in a series of terrorist attacks against the United States.
The attack killed nearly 3,000 people and was the deadliest foreign terrorist attack in the United States. More than 6,000 others were injured, while the identities of more than 1,100 victims remain unconfirmed.
At a New York lab, experts are still working to identify the remains of victims of the terrorist attacks. They repeat the same technical process dozens of times a day, day after day, in the hope of confirming more of the victims' identities.
Bones are the most difficult specimens to identify with DNA, experts say. Over the years, there have been times when experts have been unable to identify any more people for a year, but they have persisted.
“We’ve created DNA profiles from remains that we had no hope of identifying before,” said Mark Desire, deputy chief forensic pathologist at the New York City coroner. “Our job is not just to create these profiles, but to improve the process. What can we do better? What new equipment can we use? This is what we do here every day, and we’re not going to stop. Our commitment is the same, whether it’s 2001 or 2018.”
17 years have passed, although the scene of panic, giant columns of fire and black smoke that seemed to want to burn down the entire city of New York that day, is still engraved in the minds of many people, but America is still developing, considering this as the answer to terrorists who are always threatening the lives of millions of people around the world.
In a powerful symbol of revival, after 17 years of closure, the Cortlandt Street subway station in New York City, which was buried in the rubble of the attack, has reopened.
The new stop will feature a ventilation system, elevators and a white marble mural by artist Ann Hamilton featuring the text of the US Declaration of Independence and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
According to the city government, the reopening of Cortlandt Station is a significant milestone in the recovery and growth of Manhattan. This is not only a new subway station, but also "a symbol of the recovery of New Yorkers in improving the world's largest trade center.
Earlier, the Tower of Voices Memorial was unveiled at the site where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania.
Its highlight is that it is mounted with 40 wind chimes, each adjusted and positioned to emit a separate sound, like an “eternal concert for heroes”./.
