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Americans are marking the fifth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks today (Monday), by observing moments of silence and reading the names of the victims.
President Bush joined firefighters and police officers in moments of silence in New York City -- at the exact times hijackers crashed two airliners into the World Trade Center to destroy the famous twin towers.
Bagpipes played at Ground Zero, the site where the tall towers once stood. Spouses and partners of the 2,749 people killed in the towers are reading each one of the victims' names. Other family members gathered to listen, many holding roses and photographs of their loved ones.
Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld observed a moment of silence at 9:37 in the morning local time at the Pentagon (near Washington), the time it was hit by a third airliner. One hundred and eighty-four people were killed in that attack.
Later Monday, Mr. Bush will also participate in ceremonies at the Pentagon and in an empty field (near Pittsburgh) in Pennsylvania, where a fourth hijacked jet crashed after passengers tried to overpower their captors.
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