NEW YORK (AP) — As presidential candidates looked on, 9/11 Relatives of the victims called for accountability on Wednesday as the U.S. marked an anniversary tainted by the political climate of election season.
In the midst of the amazing scenery President Joe Biden, Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris Trump and Harris stood together at Ground Zero just hours after their showdown. Their first debateTrump and Biden, Trump’s successor who missed the inauguration, shook hands, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg appeared to broker the handshake between Harris and Trump.
AP Audio: AP correspondent Julie Walker reports that America is remembering the lives lost in the 9/11 attacks, marking the anniversary in both family and political ways.
Then, standing just a few feet apart, Mr. Biden and Mr. Bloomberg, his presidential rivals, began reading the names of the victims for what seemed like hours, with Mr. Trump flanked by his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance.
The image set politics aside during a solemn memorial service for the attacks by hijacked planes that killed nearly 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001. But some of the victims’ families delivered their own political messages after the names were read out.
“We are asking for your help and you are ignoring us,” said Alison Walsh DiMarzio, directly calling on Trump and Harris to put pressure on Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia’s official involvement Most of the 19 hijackers in the attack were Saudi Arabian. Denies being behind the conspiracy.
“Who among you would dare be our hero? We deserve to be treated better,” said Walsh DiMarzio, the daughter of 9/11 victim and office worker Barbara P. Walsh.
Joan Barbara is It has now been cancelled Plea The deal struck by the military prosecutor The alleged mastermind behind 9/11 Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two accomplices.
“It’s been 23 years and the family deserves justice and accountability,” said Deputy Fire Chief Gerald A. Barbara, widow of the deceased.
BidenTrump and Harris were scheduled to pay tribute Wednesday at three sites of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks — Ground Zero, the Pentagon and in rural Pennsylvania — during their final days in office.
The president, vice president and President Trump each laid wreaths at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday afternoon. Biden and Harris spoke with families of the victims and visited a local fire station. President Trump and Vance visited a New York City fire station earlier in the day.
The Flight 93 memorial stands on the spot where one of the hijacked planes crashed after crew and passengers tried to storm the cockpit, a site that Trump described as an “incredible place” in a brief speech to reporters from afar.
The attack killed 2,977 people and left thousands of bereaved and disfigured survivors. The planes destroyed the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and inflicted serious damage on the Pentagon, headquarters of the US military.
While many Americans may not celebrate the anniversary of 9/11 anymore, “the people of the Department of Defense remember,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday.
The attacks transformed U.S. foreign policy, domestic security practices, and the thinking of many Americans who had not previously felt vulnerable to foreign extremists.
The United States Global War on Terrorism“for, Afghanistan and IraqHundreds of thousands of Afghans and Iraqis, as well as thousands of American soldiers, died in these operations.
Communities across the country will hold their own events on what Congress named Patriots Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance. Thousands of Americans will mark the day with volunteer work, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, who packed meals for those in need in St. Paul.
During early anniversaries at Ground Zero, the president or other public officials will read poems, portions of the Declaration of Independence or other texts.
However, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum was established in 2012. The ceremony will be limited to readings by relatives. The victim’s name.
Colin Bishop, who arrived at the venue to watch Wednesday’s ceremony, said if politicians “actually care about what’s going on, that’s great. Come here.”
“If they’re here just for political influence, it pisses me off,” added Bishop, who lost a cousin, John F. McDowell Jr., who worked in the finance industry.
Brandon Jones was pleased that no politicians were at the podium.
“This should be a place to come together to find workable solutions and peace, not a place to score political points to shore up support,” said Jones, an insurance technology executive and cousin of victim John Richard Grabowski.
In 2008, then-Sen. and his presidential rival John McCain and Barack Obama They mourned together at ground zero, where the hole was still open.
The anniversary became a tense part of the 2016 presidential campaign. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state, Sudden walkout from World Trade Center ceremonyrevealed that he had stumbled while waiting for the motorcade and was later diagnosed with pneumonia. Attracting new attention Her health had been questioned for months by her Republican opponent, Trump, who was also at the ceremony.
Over the years, some victims’ families have used the forum to urge leaders to prioritize national security and recognize the casualties of the war on terror. They complain that officials are politicizing 9/11 And more Criticizing individual officialsothers Lamenting the division of Americans Or appeal for peace.
“I pray that this evil act called terrorism will never happen again,” Jacob Afuakwa said Wednesday, after losing his brother, Emmanuel Akwasi Afuakwa, a restaurant worker.
However, most of the comments remain merely tributes or personal impressions. Born after the attack He murdered one of his relatives.
Thirteen-year-old twins Brady and Emily Henry read out names in memory of their slain uncle, firefighter Joseph Patrick Henry.
“We are committed to continuing to tell your stories,” Emily said, “and never letting anyone forget all of those who died on September 11th.”
AP Audio: As America commemorates the 9/11 attacks with a focus on the victims and a view on politics, AP correspondent Julie Walker reports.
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Contributing authors included Associated Press writers Julie Walker and Adriana Gomez Licon in New York, Josh Bork, Mark Levy and Darlene Superville in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Tara Kopp in Washington and Steve Karnowski in St. Paul, Minnesota.