On Sunday, visitors were at the 9/11 Memorial Plaza in lower Manhattan to pay their respects the day before the 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
“We still remember it very vividly,” says John Kelly of Ireland. “We just couldn’t really grasp the significance of it until we walked around today.”
What You Need To Know
- Many tourists paid their respects to the nearly 3,000 people whose lives were lost on Sept. 11, 2001
- Some families brought the younger generation who weren’t born until after 2001 to serve as a reminder to never forget
- Tourist John Kelly from Ireland said for his first trip to New York City, visiting the memorial was high on his list of priorities
Kelly said with this being his very first visit to New York City, paying his respects and honoring the nearly 3,000 lives that were lost that day was at the top of his do list.
“Just even the silence compared to the rest of the city, the calmness and how everybody in New York and New Jersey must be grieving so much,” said Kelly. “What you’ve done is amazing. It must and should be remembered for all time.”
Fathers like Joshua Otzel of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, felt a similar sense of responsibility.
Otzel brought his three young kids, including his 9-year-old daughter Lauren, to see with their own eyes the World Trade Center site.
“Everyone should remember what happened,” said Otzel. “It was a sad day. Don’t forget ever. The ones that weren’t there to remember should learn about it.”
“I think everyone should see this because it’s inspiring,” said Lauren Otzel. “It’s scary. It just makes you feel so many emotions.”
On Monday morning, the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum will host its annual commemoration ceremony at the plaza.
The first moment of silence comes at 8:46 a.m. with a citywide moment of silence in observance of the time that hijacked Flight 11 struck the North Tower.
The ceremony will also include several additional moments of silence and a reading of the names of all the lives that were lost.
Otzel says while America may seem very divided right now, he wants his children to know that while 9/11 and its aftermath were certainly an upsetting time; it was also a time when he felt closer than ever to fellow Americans.
“It was just scary,” said Otzel. “For me, I didn’t know I should fight for my country. What should I do? I was a freshman in college. I was playing in football at the time but I felt closer to my country and the people of it, coming together.”
Spectrum News NY1 will open to viewers the annual ceremony for the 22nd anniversary. Learn how to watch it live here.