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china news service, new york, september 11 (reporter wang fan) on the 11th local time, thousands of people gathered at the world trade center site plaza in new york, the united states, to mourn the victims of the september 11 terrorist attacks 23 years ago.

in addition to the relatives of the victims, those who attended the memorial ceremony included us president biden, vice president harris, former president trump, etc. since the current president and former president as well as the presidential candidates of both parties in the 2024 us election were all present, the us media described it as "a memorial day full of presidential campaign colors."

at about 8:40 a.m., a guard of honor composed of new york city police and firefighters walked onto the stage holding the american flag high. a young man sang the american national anthem, and the memorial ceremony officially began. at 8:46 a.m., the bell of mourning rang, and the audience observed a moment of silence. afterwards, representatives of the victims' relatives took the stage and read out the names of all the victims one by one.

"we have never met you, but we will always remember you." joseph henry's nephews and nieces said when reading henry's name. their uncle was a firefighter who died on the job after the 9/11 incident 23 years ago. they will always remember henry's kindness and humor and continue to tell people his stories.

"i miss you every day. you taught me how to love with all my heart." brian murphy's wife said when reading murphy's name that she could feel murphy's presence wherever she was, because it was murphy who made her know that love is the true meaning of life. she thanked new york city for continuing to hold activities to commemorate the victims of 9/11.

as in previous years, the memorial ceremony held six moments of silence, corresponding to six time points in the "9.11" incident. at 8:46 on september 11, 2001, a passenger plane hit the north tower of the world trade center in new york; at 9:03, a second passenger plane hit the south tower; at 9:37,pentagonat 9:59, the south tower collapsed. at 10:03, a passenger plane crashed in shanksville, pennsylvania. at 10:28, the north tower collapsed. during the entire incident, terrorists hijacked four passenger planes and nearly 3,000 people died.

a staff member of the national september 11 memorial museum in new york told china news service that the memorial ceremony held at the world trade center site has been fixed in the form of relatives reading out the names of the victims one by one since 2012. before that, the president and other officials could recite poems or the declaration of independence on the spot, but now they just attend without reciting or giving speeches.

the associated press reported that politics is not the most important issue for the victims' relatives. regardless of the presidential election schedule, organizers of the 9/11 memorial activities will strive to focus on mourning the victims. in recent years, more and more young people have attended the ceremony, and "i never saw you" has become a frequently heard voice of generational change. passing on memories and ensuring "never forgetting" has become more important than ever.

after the memorial ceremony, the world trade center site square was reopened to the public in the afternoon. on the same day, the "9.11" memorial activities held in new york also included a dance performance in the lincoln center fountain square to commemorate the deceased, a flower laying ceremony at the fire museum, the ringing of church bells across the city, and the lighting of blue lampposts near the "ground zero" to symbolize the "twin towers". (end)