NYC Details 9/11 Anniversary Plans
AUGUST 06, 13:41 ET
By KAREN MATTHEWS Associated Press Writer
AP/Bebeto Matthews [18K]
NEW YORK (AP) — A solemn ceremony marking the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks will include a bagpipe procession to ground zero, a moment of silence and the reading of victims' names by former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and others.
The ceremony will begin after a bagpipe procession from each of the city's five boroughs, in honor of rescue workers killed.
Then, a moment of silence will be held at 8:46 a.m., one year to the minute after American Airlines Flight 11 careened into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Gov. George Pataki will then read the Gettysburg Address.
``Our intent is to have a day of observances that are simple and powerful,'' Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a Tuesday news conference.
Giuliani will begin reading the names of the more than 2,800 people killed in the attacks. He will be followed by a cross-section of New Yorkers and people from around the world, including some who lost friends and relatives in the attack.
``If anybody has a tie to those lost and is appropriate to start that out, it is Rudy Giuliani,'' Bloomberg said.
Bloomberg said victims' families would be invited to descend the ramp seven stories to the footprint of the twin towers. Each family will pick up a rose and place it in a vase for an arrangement that will be preserved for a permanent memorial.
``Sept. 11, that date, will live in people's hearts and minds for generations just as the date Dec. 7 will never be forgotten even by people who were not alive when it happened,'' Pataki said.
The ceremony was to conclude with a second moment of silence just before 10:30 a.m., the time that the north tower collapsed. Pataki said houses of worship and schools would be encouraged to toll bells.
The White House announced last week that President Bush plans to visit New York City on Sept. 11. The mayor said world leaders would light an ``eternal flame'' in Battery Park at a sunset service.
City officials said communities nationwide are encouraged to hold sunset gatherings and candlelight vigils that evening.
City leaders had received thousands of suggestions on how to mark the first anniversary of the attacks.
A group of victims' families told city officials Monday night they wanted a list of all those who died to be a central part of the commemoration, according to Bill Doyle, who lost his son, Joseph, in the attack.
The day's events also will include tribute concerts at parks in all five boroughs.
Several firehouses that lost men in the trade center were planning private services for families — many of whom said they would avoid the city's ceremony. Some companies that suffered losses also have separate plans.
Cantor Fitzgerald, whose offices were located among the top floors of the 110-story north tower, lost 658 employees. Company executives plan to mark Sept. 11 with a private remembrance in Central Park.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which lost 75 employees, is planning an afternoon memorial service.
The city's ceremony follows a wordless service that marked the end of the recovery operation at the trade center site. The still-missing victims were symbolically carried from ground zero in an empty, flag-draped stretcher.
When planning the service for May 30 — a weekday — city officials drew criticism from family members who said the ceremony should have been scheduled for a weekend when more people could attend.
City officials were careful to seek the opinions of family members for the one-year service.
``The mayor and the governor saw to it that this morning belonged to the victims' families,'' said Christy Ferer, whose husband Neil Levin, was director of the Port Authority when he was killed.
The city received 4,500 responses when it solicited ideas from the public last month, said Jonathan Greenspun, commissioner of New York City's Community Assistance Unit, who described them as ``deeply touching, heartfelt and personal.'' Solemn services, the tolling of bells and the lighting of candles all were suggested.
Businesses throughout the city have been discussing how, and whether, to mark the day. More than a dozen Broadway theaters will go dark on Sept. 11.
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