As the one-year anniversary of the tragedy in our nation approaches, plans have been made to commemorate Sept. 11, 2001.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City announced the plans for the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. Bloomberg, New York Governor George Pataki and a committee of other officials have chosen various ways to remember the brutal attack on the nation’s freedom, including reading the names of the 2,800 victims by former Mayor Rudolph Guiliani.
Beginning at 8:46 a.m. (the time at which the first plane hit the north World Trade Center tower), a moment of silence will start off the city’s remembrance ceremony.
The Governor will read Abraham Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address. Support from neighboring states will be shown when New Jersey Governor James McGreevey reads an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence.
The official ceremony ends at 10:29 a.m. (the time when the second tower collapsed), but later in the evening President Bush will be in the area. Bloomberg will then read excerpts from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” speech.
The city is not the only place where commemorations will be taking place. Airports have plans to limit air traffic in and around the areas of New York City and Washington, D.C. Vigils will be held in countless neighborhoods across the country.
Cable television stations are taking part in the memorials as well.
The Food Network will broadcast a message of peace and remembrance from 8:46 a.m. until 10:29 a.m., and will air special public service announcements during commercial breaks throughout the day.
Families of the victims, as well as other citizens, have mixed reactions to the plans for this Sept. 11. While some feel this is all still too soon because the wound is too fresh, others want to see more done on that day. While the opinions are mixed, the plans still stand. To date, there are still no definite plans for the site itself, now known as Ground Zero. Ideas are being tossed around, and more details will prevail in the upcoming months.