9/11 -- 11 years later: A nation pauses to reflect and mourn anew

With bagpipes and somber bells sounding a sharp counterpoint to the commemorative moments of silence, the nation on Tuesday marked the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attack that brought down the World Trade Center in Manhattan and shattered the country’s political psyche.

At ceremonies in New York, at the Pentagon and in Washington, relatives and friends mourned the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack by Islamic terrorists. The scenes were as moving as those from previous ceremonies, though they also seemed more personal than in the past, especially compared to last year’s 10th anniversary. Unlike past events, authorities did not raise any special security alerts this year.

The sun rose on a cool, crisp morning, remarkably similar to that which dawned 11 years ago. At all three sites -- the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in Manhattan, the Pentagon, and a field in Shanksville, Pa. -- the focus was on the victims who died when terrorists hijacked four commercial jetliners. The Manhattan ceremony also honored the six people killed on Feb. 26, 1993, when attackers set off a truck bomb beneath the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

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