Bush Mourns 9/11 at Ground Zero as N.Y. Remembers
Vowing that he was “never going to forget the lessons of that day,” President Bush paid tribute last night to the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack, laying wreaths at ground zero, attending a prayer service at St. Paul’s Chapel and making a surprise stop at a firehouse and a memorial museum overlooking the vast gash in the ground where the twin towers once stood.
The official commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the attacks, one of many memorial gatherings around New York and the United States yesterday, began without a word. The strains of bagpipes were all that could be heard as the president and Mrs. Bush, joined by Gov. George E. Pataki, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, descended into the pit at ground zero under a steel-gray sky.
There, the president and the first lady set wreaths of red, white and blue flowers afloat in separate small reflecting pools, one in the footprint of each fallen tower. It was a hint of life in a place that still brims with memories of death, a reminder that even five years later, the attacks are not so very distant.
“Laura and I approach tomorrow with a heavy heart,” the president, visibly moved, said later, after an unscripted stop to shake hands with fire crews and view what he called “horrific scenes” inside a small gallery near ground zero established by relatives of trade center victims. “It’s hard not to think about the people who lost their lives on September the 11th, 2001. You know, you see the relatives of those who still grieve — I just wish there were some way we could make them whole.”
The president spoke outside the brick exterior of the firehouse for Ladder Company 10 and Engine Company 10, against the backdrop of a 56-foot-long bronze bas-relief depicting the towers in flames. Harking back to the theme of a series of speeches he delivered last week, he said he was reminded that “there’s still an enemy out there that would like to inflict the same kind of damage again.”
The president’s visit, on the eve of the anniversary, ushered in what will be a solemn day of remembrance of the attacks that tore through the city and the nation.
Across the city yesterday, there was a feeling of bittersweet reunion as streams of humanity converged and mingled at dozens of memorial services.
They heard the mayor sing the praises of a city largely resurrected. They watched a sprout from a tree damaged in the Oklahoma City bombing be planted near City Hall, beside trees scarred by trade center debris. They gathered in houses of worship and across dinner tables.
“The first year or two, I just tried to forget about it,” said Joyce Ng, who was at a restaurant just south of the trade center site where survivors of the devastation of the Marriott hotel at 3 World Trade Center gathered for their annual reunion. She was a guest at the hotel, which was badly damaged when the towers collapsed. “But gradually it’s become about celebration because we survived.”
Jean Cleere, whose husband, Jim, was a guest at the Marriott and died on Sept. 11, made her annual pilgrimage from Iowa. “This is my husband’s death spot,” she said, “but I love New York and I love New Yorkers.”
At St. Patrick’s Cathedral, firefighters in dress blues and white gloves escorted families to the pews for a memorial service, led by Mr. Bloomberg, to honor the 343 Fire Department employees killed on 9/11.
“The events of 9/11 remain a source of great pain to all of us in this country, but our memories of those who responded are also a source of great pride,” the mayor said.
“The city that many thought would be down for the count is now back on its feet,” he said. “I believe the 2,749 victims of the World Trade Center attack would be proud of just how far we’ve come.”
Several survivors of the firefighters who died on 9/11 said they appreciated the service, but they expressed mixed feelings about the political leaders who have wrestled over the struggle against terrorism and the war in Iraq.
Robin Freund, 51, whose husband, Lt. Peter L. Freund, died on 9/11, said she did not wish to revisit ground zero anytime soon.
“I haven’t been to the site since October 2001, five days before they recovered my husband’s body,” she said. “I don’t have a desire to go to the site until there’s an appropriate memorial there.”
Accompanied by her children, ages 17, 15 and 14, Mrs. Freund said, “It’s nice that these men are going to be remembered for their bravery. It’s appropriate that we pay homage to them and the sacrifices they made.”
