Obama leads nation to mark 9/11 anniversary at Pentagon

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK: For President Barack Obama, the prospect of more US military action in the Middle East hung over his observance Wednesday of the Sept. 11 attacks that occurred twelve years ago.
While Obama made no direct mention of the crisis in Syria, he vowed to “defend our nation” against the threats that endure, even though they may be different than the ones facing the country during the 2001 attacks.
“Let us have the wisdom to know that while force is sometimes necessary, force alone cannot build the world we seek,” Obama said during a ceremony at the Pentagon.
The president spoke the morning after an address to the nation where he defended a possible military strike on Syria in retaliation for a deadly chemical weapons attack. But he expressed some hope that a diplomatic solution might emerge that would keep the US from having to launch a strike.
Among those gathered at the Pentagon Wednesday were family members of those killed on Sept. 11, 2001. Many wore red, white, and blue striped ribbons and some cried as the president spoke.
“Our hearts still ache for the futures snatched away, the lives that might have been,” Obama said.
The president also paid tribute to the four Americans killed one year ago in an attack on a US compound in Benghazi, Libya, asking the country to pray for those who “serve in dangerous posts” even after more than a decade of war.
Obama opened the day with a moment of silence on the South Lawn of the White House.
Along with first lady Michelle Obama the president walked out of the White House at 1246 GMT — the moment on Sept. 11, 2001, when the first plane hit the World Trade Center tower in New York City. Obama and the others assembled bowed their heads for a moment, and then listened as a bugler played “Taps.”
Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks that led to a long war in Afghanistan.
Families of the victims of the worst terror attack on the United States in history gathered Wednesday to mark their 12th anniversary with a moment of silence and the reading of names.
The Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York City and Washington killed almost 3,000 people, led to a long war in Afghanistan and created an expansion of government surveillance powers that continues to be debated today.
At a ceremony near Wall Street in New York, people paused at 8:46 a.m. to mark the time when the first of two hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center. The twin towers later collapsed.
The attacks on a clear, beautiful morning as commuters arrived at work shook the country’s sense of security and of itself.
“No matter how many years pass, this time comes around each year — and it’s always the same,” said Karen Hinson, who lost her 34-year-old brother, Michael Wittenstein, in New York. His body was never found.
Obama on Wednesday made no direct mention of the crisis in Syria, but he vowed to “defend our nation” against the threats that endure.
“Let us have the wisdom to know that while force is sometimes necessary, force alone cannot build the world we seek,” Obama said during a ceremony at the Pentagon.
The president also paid tribute to the four Americans killed one year ago in an attack on a US compound in Benghazi, Libya, asking the country to pray for those who “serve in dangerous posts” even after more than a decade of war.
In New York, continuing a decision made last year, no politicians were making speeches.
Around the world, thousands of volunteers have pledged to do good deeds, honoring an anniversary that was designated a National Day of Service and Remembrance in 2009.