WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 (UPI) — President Barack Obama marked the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks Friday morning by leading a national moment of silence as flags flew half-staff over the White House.
Obama, with first lady Michelle Obama by his side, bowed his head as a bell tolled four times at 8:46 a.m., the time the first hijacked plane slammed into the World Trade Center complex in New York City. Some 200 guests were gathered on the South Lawn with the Obamas, including Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and National Security Adviser Susan Rice. A lone trumpet played “Taps” as military color guard stood at attention.
Obama did not make any public statements. Instead, he was scheduled to hold a town hall Friday afternoon at Fort Meade in Maryland.
Pentagon Spokesman Peter Cook said Obama will open the town hall with words of appreciation for the service members and their families before taking questions from those at the event and online via Facebook, Twitter and Skype and satellite.
“[The President] very much values face time with troops — listening, asking, and answering questions, and he looks forward to taking time on the anniversary of 9/11 to engage directly with service members,” Cook said.
At the same time, thousands gathered at Ground Zero in New York City to reflect on the day. Family and friends of victims came together at the Memorial Plaza for a private ceremony where the names of each of the nearly 3,000 victims were read. A public ceremony was scheduled to be held later in the day.
During the ceremony, the bells at nearby St. Paul’s Chapel rang a 15-minute pattern of “four fives” — five strikes repeated four times — a custom giving final honors to fallen firefighters.
Memorials were also planned at the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pa., where the two other hijacked planes crashed.
Vice President Joe Biden was scheduled deliver remarks at the 9/11 Memorial Motorcycle Ride Kickoff event at Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum in New York City.
