NEW YORK, 11 September 2004 — The United States will pause today in somber remembrance of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, whose legacy looms large and unshakeable over a presidential election just 53 days away.
Three years later, some of the emotional wounds inflicted by the traumatic events of that day have begun to heal, even as the multiple fallout from the destruction of the World Trade Center continues to reverberate around a changed world.
For Americans, the third anniversary comes just days after the death toll of US soldiers in Iraq crossed the symbolic 1,000 mark — a grim reminder of the cost of the open-ended war on terror.
At home, fear of a fresh attack remains a potent force, with regular national alerts, simulated security exercises and, in the past week, shocking television images of the terrorist bombing in Jakarta and massacre of schoolchildren in Beslan, Russia.
And on Thursday, US television networks showed a video broadcast by Al-Qaeda number two Ayman Al-Zawahiri, vowing that defeat for US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan was a matter of time.
Zawahiri last appeared in a video broadcast almost the same time a year ago, on the eve of the second Sept. 11 anniversary, walking with Osama Bin Laden in a green mountainous area.
As was the case with the past two anniversaries, New York City will be the focus of today’s remembrance events, with a ceremony at Ground Zero featuring parents and grandparents reading the names of the 2,749 victims of the World Trade Center attack.
The reading will pause at four moments: Twice to mark the times that each plane hit the towers and twice more to mark the times each tower fell.
And later in the evening, in what looks set to become an annual tribute, two powerful spotlights will send two shafts of light up into the night sky to symbolize the fallen twin towers.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will lay a wreath at the national Arlington Cemetery in memory of the 184 people who died when another hijacked plane was flown into the Pentagon.
A fourth airliner carrying 44 people crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers staged a rebellion against the hijackers. Speculation has it that that plane had been headed for another target in Washington, possibly the White House.
Despite the horrific memories associated with the anniversary, there are increasing signs this year that New Yorkers and their city have moved on.
The gaping scar that was Ground Zero is now a hive of redevelopment, following the groundbreaking ceremony on July 4, Independence Day, for the Freedom Tower that will form the centerpiece of the reconstructed trade center site.
The city’s economy is back on track after three harsh years, with tourist numbers back up and small businesses returning in force to the lower Manhattan area.
New York Fashion Week opened Wednesday and, for the first time since the attacks, will include events on the day of the anniversary.
“I think it’s totally fine that people go to shows on Sept. 11,” said Alexandra Marshall, editor of Daily, the Fashion Week newsletter. “It doesn’t mean they forget, but fashion is a tremendous business and people have to go on with their lives.”
Newspapers have also noted a number of couples who intend to get married today.
As he did last year, President George W. Bush will observe a moment of silence on the lawn of the White House at 8:46 am (1246 GMT) — the time the first plane struck the World Trade Center.
Bush’s Democratic challenger in the Nov. 2 election, John Kerry, will attend a commemorative event in his hometown of Boston.
For Bush, Sept. 11 remains the defining moment of his presidency and the foundation of his national security policy, which he has placed firmly at the center of his election campaign.
“We have fought the terrorists across the earth, not for pride, not for power, but because the lives of our citizens are at stake. Our strategy is clear,” Bush told the Republican convention in New York last Saturday.
While Kerry has focused more on economic and health issues, he has also struggled hard to present himself as a more effective commander-in-chief who would keep Americans safe.
In a Time Magazine poll released Sept. 2, 24 percent of Americans said the war on terror would be their priority issue in selecting the next president, while 25 percent cited the economy.
