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With moments of silence punctuated by somber music, readings of names, and tears, Americans held solemn memorial services Thursday to honor the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld returned to the Pentagon to help dedicate a memorial to victims of the attack there.

“Today we renew our vows to never forget how this long struggle began and to never forget those who fell first,” said Rumsfeld, who despite his high office helped carry the wounded from the burning building seven years ago.

“We will never forget the way this huge building shook. We will not forget our colleagues and friends who were taken from us and their families.

“And we will not forget what that deadly attack has meant for our nation.”
Rumsfeld donated hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money to help build the Pentagon memorial.

President Bush followed Rumsfeld at the lectern.

“On a day when buildings fell, heroes rose,” Bush said. “… One of the worst days in America’s history saw some of the bravest acts in America’s history.”
After the ceremony, participants moved through the memorial, finding and touching the benches honoring loved ones, colleagues and fellow citizens.

Earlier, a bagpiper walked alone across the Pentagon memorial playing “Amazing Grace.”
Seven years ago, al Qaeda terrorists used hijacked airplanes to attack the World Trade Center and the Pentagon — the twin symbols of America’s financial and military might. Another hijacked plane crashed in Pennsylvania. iReport.com: ‘I just sat in my car and cried’

At the Pentagon, the ceremony dedicated a memorial to the 184 victims killed when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the building’s west wall.