U.S. Observes 5-Year Anniversary of 9/11

Dawn breaks over ground zero on the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, Monday Sept, 11, 2006 in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) (Mary Altaffer - AP)

NEW YORK -- Clutching photos to their hearts and blowing kisses to the sky, tearful loved ones of Sept. 11 victims recited a 3 1/2-hour litany of the lost Monday, the names echoing across an expanse still largely desolate five years after terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center.

At the Pentagon and on a wind-swept Pennsylvania field, and in simpler, quiet moments in airport security lines, at churches or by themselves, Americans paused to reflect on the worst terrorist act on U.S. soil.

The centerpiece of the commemorations was the mostly barren 16-acre expanse at ground zero, where four moments of silence were observed to mark the precise times jetliners crashed into the twin towers and the skyscrapers crumbled to the ground.

The achingly familiar task of reading the names of the 2,749 trade center victims fell this year to their husbands, wives and partners, who personalized the roll call with heartbreaking tributes to the loves of their lives.

"If I could build a staircase to heaven, I would, just so I could quickly run up there to have you back in my arms," said Carmen Suarez, wife of city police officer Ramon Suarez, killed five years ago at the World Trade Center.

And this from Linda Litto, who lost husband Vincent Litto: "As I said 31 years ago tomorrow, I will love you and honor you all the days of our life. Happy anniversary, my love."

On a crisp, sunny day not unlike the morning of the attacks, family members descended into the pit 70 feet below ground where the towers stood, tearfully laying wreaths and roses in the skyscrapers' footprints.

The mournful sound of bagpipes, so familiar from the seemingly endless funerals that followed Sept. 11, echoed across ground zero after a choir performed the national anthem.

The ritual has changed little since the first anniversary of the attacks, and in many ways the site has remained the same as well.

Squabbles over design and security have caused long delays in the project to rebuild at ground zero. Only this year did construction start on a Sept. 11 memorial and the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower, which is not expected to be finished for five more years. At dusk, officials planned to turn on a memorial light display in lower Manhattan, sending beams of blue light skyward in a glowing silhouette of the twin towers.

President Bush laid a wreath at the Shanksville, Pa., field where United Flight 93 crashed, and privately greeted relatives of the 40 people killed there. Standing without umbrellas in a cold rain, he and first lady Laura Bush bowed their heads for a prayer and the singing of "Amazing Grace."

"One moment, ordinary citizens, and the next, heroes forever," retired Gen. Tommy Franks said, alluding to the Flight 93 passengers who apparently fought the hijackers and forced them to crash the plane into the ground. "We mourn their loss, to be sure, but we also celebrate their victory here in the first battle on terrorism."