NEW YORK (AP) — As the nation and the world mark the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Associated Press journalists are tracking down the most salient details of the day, and capturing the mood, from ground zero to Afghanistan and everywhere in between.
Here, in real time, are the latest updates on how the day is unfolding, together with occasional flashbacks to AP reports distributed on Sept. 11, 2001. The archival material has been left as it was transmitted 10 years ago, including the original typos, as well as information from AP sources that later turned out to be incorrect.
All times EDT.
11:16 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 11:16 A.M.
BULLETIN
World Trade Center collapses in terrorist attack; Washington hit by apparently coordinated attack
By JERRY SCHWARTZ
AP National Writer
In a horrific sequence of destruction, terrorists crashed two planes into the World Trade Center, and the twin 110-story towers collapsed Tuesday morning. Explosions also rocked the Pentagon and spread fear across the nation.
"I have a sense it's a horrendous number of lives lost," Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said. "I don't know yet. Right now we have to focus on saving as many lives as possible."
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11:15 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 11:15 A.M.
APNewsAlert
NEW YORK — Mayor Guiliani says: "I have a sense it's a horrendous number of lives lost."
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11:12 a.m.
Mary Bannister was headed to the World Trade Center for a meeting when the first plane struck, said her daughter, Mary Purcell. Bannister survived, but "we didn't know if she was dead or alive until 10 or 10:30 that night," said Purcell, attended a 9/11 ceremony in Richmond, Va., because her mother was too overcome with emotion to be there in person.
"She couldn't cry that date because she was running for her life," Purcell said. "This weekend, though, is affecting her greatly. She has shed a lot of tears for the fallen."
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11:04 a.m.
The official White House Twitter account has just put out a photo showing President Barack Obama and his daughter Malia preparing food at a D.C. Central Kitchen, a community kitchen in Washington.
The accompanying tweet asks, "How are you serving on (hash)911day?
Here's the photo: http://apne.ws/qxmKZ8
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11:02 a.m.
TEN YEARS AGO TODAY: New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani ordered the evacuation of lower Manhattan.
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11 a.m.
The Rev. Michael Carroll delivered a homily today at St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish in Melville, N.Y., saying he did 17 funerals after 9/11. At the last one — in July 2002 — there were no remains, just the fireman's helmet that was found in the rubble.
Carroll told worshippers today, "We can turn this into a celebration of life."
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10:52 a.m.
In Shanksville, Pa., Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said the passengers of Flight 93 "charted a new course, set a new standard for American bravery."
"Over the past 10 years we have heard this place compared to many other places" including the Alamo and Gettysburg, he said. "But the truth is that this place is like no other because the deeds aboard Flight 93 were like no other."
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10:46 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 10:46 A.M.
BULLETIN
A large plane crashed Tuesday morning just north of the Somerset County Airport, airport officials said.
The plane, believed to be a Boeing 767, crashed about 10 a.m. about 8 miles east of Jennerstown, according to county 911 dispatchers, WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh reported. The airport is about 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.
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10:41 a.m.
Paul Simon, who grew up in New York, strapped on his guitar and donned a 9/11 hat to play and sing "The Sound of Silence" at the ceremony at ground zero: "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls. .."
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10:37 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 10:37 A.M.
APNewsAlert
PITTSBURGH — Large plane crashes in western Pennsylvania, officials at Somerset County Airport confirm.
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10:35 a.m.
Rudolph Giuliani, New York's mayor on 9/11, paid tribute to the victims at this morning's ground zero ceremony.
"God bless every soul that we lost," he said. "God bless the family members who have to endure that loss."
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10:30 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT 11, 2001, 10:30 A.M.
(NOTE; This update includes a reference to an explosion at the State Department, which was later determined to be a false report.)
BULLETIN
In a horrific sequence of destruction, terrorists crashed two planes into the World Trade Center and knocked down the twin 110-story towers Tuesday morning. Explosions also rocked the Pentagon and the State Department and spread fear across the nation.
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10:29 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 10:29 A.M.
FLASH
NEW YORK — Second World Trade Center tower collapses.
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10:23 a.m.
The crowd at ground zero applauded when 12-year-old Patricia Smith paid tribute to her late mother.
"Mom, I am proud to be your daughter," she said. "You will always be my hero."
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10:21 a.m.
In Joplin, Mo., 9/11 is being remembered in conjunction with another tragedy — the massive tornado that tore through the city in May, killing 160 people and reducing 2,000 buildings to rubble.
New York firefighters and ground zero construction workers are joining tornado survivors in a ceremony here. The New York contingent brought with them a large American flag recovered a decade ago from a building near the World Trade Center.
Survivors of another tornado in Greensburg, Kan., began repairing the flag in 2008, using remnants of flags from their community. Other disaster survivors have continued the work, and the final stitches are being placed in Joplin.
Once the flag is complete, it will be delivered to the 9/11 memorial in New York.
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10:19 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 10:19 A.M.
(NOTE: Reports from sources about an explosion or fire at the State Department turned out to be incorrect.)
BULLETIN
The State Department was evacuated Tuesday due to a possible explosion or fire amid a rash of explosions in New York and Washington.
A senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the incident appeared connected with two plane crashes at the World Trade Center, an explosion at the Pentagon and the evacuation of the White House.
"Something has happened at the State Department," the source said. "We don't know what yet. We hear it might have been a plane."
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10:14 a.m.
A choir sang before a crowd of about 5,000 at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania, at the site where one of the airliners hijacked on 9/11 crashed into a field after passengers stormed the cockpit.
The crowd listened to a reading of the names of the 40 passengers and crew killed aboard the plane.
Flight 93 knifed into a field after some of the passengers overcame the plane's four hijackers, helping prevent a likely attack on Washington.
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10:11 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 10:11 A.M.
BULLETIN
Two planes crash into World Trade Center in apparent terrorist attack; tower collapses to the ground
By JERRY SCHWARTZ
AP National Writer
In a horrific sequence of destruction, two planes crashed into the World Trade Center and one of the towers collapsed Tuesday morning in what the President Bush said was an apparent terrorist attack. A witness said he saw bodies falling from the 110-story towers and people jumping out.
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10:03 a.m.
TEN YEARS AGO TODAY: Flight 93 crashes in Pennsylvania field.
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10 a.m.
After a moment of silence at 9:37 a.m. — the moment, 10 years ago, when the Pentagon was hit by a hijacked airliner — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta noted that more than 6,200 members of the U.S. military have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11 attacks.
"Because of their sacrifices, we are a safer and stronger nation today."___
9:59 a.m.
TEN YEARS AGO TODAY: South tower of trade center collapses.
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9:57 a.m.
As the memorial ceremony takes place at ground zero, AP reporter Chris Hawley has been wandering the streets of New York to see what life is like today in the city most deeply and violently affected by 9/11.
One man he came across was Sean Harris, 45, who was panhandling on Broadway. Harris, who spent last night at LaGuardia Airport, has been homeless for the last eight years.
For many New Yorkers like Harris, Hawley is finding, today is no different than any other day.
___
9:53 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:53 A.M.
BULLETIN
By RON FOURNIER
Associated Press Writer
An aircraft crashed near the Pentagon Tuesday, and the Capitol and White House were evacuated after bomb threats.
President Bush said the two earlier plane crashes into the World Trade Center were "an apparent terrorist attack on our country."
The Federal Aviation Administration shut down all airplane traffic nationwide.
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9:45 a.m.
A tweet from AP reporter Heidi Vogt in Afghanistan: At bagram, 9/11 ceremony is small, interrupted by fighter jet buzzing overhead.
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9:45 a.m.
I don't know no love songs." — James Taylor is at ground zero, singing "Close Your Eyes" before a hushed crowd.
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9:44 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:44 A.M.
BULLETIN
An aircraft crashed near the Pentagon and the West Wing of the White House was evacuated amid threats of terrorism.
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9:43 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:43 A.M.
APNewsAlert
WASHINGTON — An aircraft has crashed into the Pentagon, witnesses say.
APNewsAlert
WASHINGTON — West Wing of White House evacuated amid terrorist threats.
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9:42 a.m.
TEN YEARS AGO TODAY: FAA ordered all aircraft in U.S. space — more than 4,500 — to land at nearest airport.
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9:42 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:42 A.M.
BULLETIN
One of two planes that crashed into the World Trade Center was hijacked after takeoff from Boston, a U.S. official said, citing a transmission from the plane.
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9:41 a.m.
Some touch the names. Others bestow a gentle kiss. And some adorn the carved letters with roses, sliding the stems through openings in the stone. The families of 9/11 victims are finding their own relationship with the memorial.
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9:40 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:40 A.M.
APNewsAlert
WASHINGTON — First plane to hit World Trade Center was hijacked after takeoff from Boston, U.S. official says.
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9:37 a.m.
TEN YEARS AGO TODAY: Flight 77 crashed into Pentagon.
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9:34 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:34 A.M.
BULLETIN
By RON FOURNIER
Associated Press Writer
President Bush said Tuesday that two plane crashes into the World Trade Center were "an apparent terrorist attack on our country."
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9:33 a.m.
President Barack Obama stood behind bulletproof glass near the 9/11 memorial's white oak trees when he delivered his comments at this morning's ceremony.
Immediately after the moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. — the time when the first jetliner slammed into the World Trade Center 10 years ago — he read Psalm 46 from the Bible.
"God is our refuge and strength," the psalm said. "He dwells in his city, does marvelous things and says, be still and know that I am God."
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9:31 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:31 A.M.
APNewsAlert
SARASOTA, Fla. — Bush calls World Trade Center crashes apparent terrorist attack.
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9:29 a.m.
Donald Rumsfeld, who was secretary of defense at the time of the attacks, has been spotted in the audience at the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon, according to a tweet by AP photographer Charles Dharapak.
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9:25 a.m.
An entrance to the Rector Street subway station near ground zero has a new sign: "Rector Street 9/11 Memorial." The number "11" is in a distinctive blue that conjures the twin towers in many signs and logos.
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9:25 a.m.
TEN YEARS AGO TODAY: FAA command center in Herndon, Va., tells headquarters about suspected hijacking of Flight 77.
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9:20 a.m.
Victims' relatives are walking up to the names carved into stone at the memorial.
Many are in tears. Others simply look somber. Still others show little emotion at all — they almost look like tourists.
Most have two things in common, besides the awful fate that brought them together here: They all seem to want to take pictures of loved ones' names, and they're touching the words in the stone, pressing their palms to them or running their fingers gently along the letters.
Others are using pencils and paper to make etchings of the names, so they can bring a piece of this memorial home with them.
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9:18 a.m.
Here's a tweet that just came in from AP's Samantha Gross, who's at scene of today's ground zero ceremonies:
The boys who just read their dads' name at the 9/11 ceremony look so young. I wonder if they can remember them, or if they just have stories
___
9:18 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT 11, 2001, 9:18 A.M.
BULLETIN
Planes crashed into the upper floors of both World Trade Center towers minutes apart Tuesday in a horrific scene of explosions and fires that left gaping holes in the 110-story buildings.
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9:15 a.m.
An Islamist party in Pakistan has organized several demonstrations for today. In Islamabad, about 100 people chanted and held up banners that repeated conspiracy theories alleging American or Israeli involvement in the attacks. And in the sprawling city of Karachi, another 100 people protested against the war in Afghanistan, launched in response to 9/11.
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9:15 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:15 A.M.
BULLETIN
The FBI is investigating reports that two plane crashes at the World Trade Center are the result of foul play, The Associated Press has learned.
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9:12 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:12 A.M.
APNewsAlert
WASHINGTON — FBI investigating reports of plane hijacking before World Trade Center crashes.
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9:11 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT 11, 2001, 9:11 A.M.
BULLETIN
NEW YORK (AP) — An aircraft crashed into the upper floors of one of the World Trade Center towers Tuesday morning, and black smoke poured out of two gaping holes, witnesses said. Shortly afterward a second plane hit the other tower.
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9:09 a.m.
Former President George W. Bush invoked the loss of life in the Civil War as he memorialized 9/11 victims.
"I pray that our heavenly father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement," Bush read, quoting a letter from Abraham Lincoln to the mother of soldiers who died in the war between the states.
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9:09 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:09 A.M.
APNewsAlert
NEW YORK — Plane crashes into second World Trade Center tower.
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9:05 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:05 A.M.
BULLETIN
An aircraft crashed into the upper floors of one of the World Trade Center towers Tuesday morning, and black smoke poured out of two gaping holes, witnesses said. Shortly afterward a second explosion rocked the other tower.
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9:04 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT 11, 2001, 9:04 A.M.
APNewsAlert
NEW YORK — Explosion rocks second World Trade Center tower.
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9:03 a.m.
TEN YEARS AGO TODAY: Flight 175 crashed into the south tower.
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9:01 a.m.
Family members are crowded tightly into the World Trade Center site. One man holds a bouquet of white roses to his chest. Another is carrying a baby, a pacifier in his mouth and a U.S. flag in his hand. Five people wear yellow shirts bearing the words "Forever Young." Below the words are images of lost loved ones.
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9:01 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:01 A.M.
BULLETIN
An aircraft crashed into the upper floors of one of the World Trade Center towers Tuesday morning, and black smoke poured out of two gaping holes, witnesses said.
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8:56 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 8:56 A.M.
BULLETIN
Smoke poured out of a gaping hole in the upper floors of the World Trade Center on Tuesday and there were broadcast reports a plane had struck it.
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8:53 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK; SEPT. 11, 2001, 8:53 A.M.
APNewsAlert
NEW YORK — Plane crashes into World Trade Center, according to television reports.
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8:52 a.m.
"Gordon M. Aamoth, Jr."
The reading of the names of the 9/11 victims — 2,977 of them — has begun.
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8:52 a.m.
TEN YEARS AGO TODAY: An attendant on Flight 175 notified United Airlines of a hijacking.
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8:48 a.m.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, at the site of the World Trade Center: "Ten years have passed since a perfect blue-sky morning turned into the blackest of nights."
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8:46 a.m.
10 YEARS AGO TODAY: Flight 11 crashed into north tower of World Trade Center.
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8:42 a.m.
10 YEARS AGO TODAY: United Airlines Flight 93, a Boeing 757 with 44 people on board, left from Newark International Airport for San Francisco.
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8:42 a.m.
A flag that survived the attacks on 9/11 has been unfurled and is being held at a slight, upward angle as the national anthem is sung. The president and first lady, as well as former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush, have their hands on their hearts.
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8:41 a.m.
Here's a tweet that just came in from AP's Larry Neumeister, who's at scene of today's ground zero ceremonies:
The normally active New York airspace is noticeably absent of planes on this morning. (hash)9/11
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8:37 a.m.
A line of bagpipe players and drummers is marching through ground zero, the scene almost completely silent besides the rhythmic beating of the drums.
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8:37 a.m.
10 YEARS AGO TODAY: The Federal Aviation Administration notified North American Aerospace Defense Command about a suspected hijacking of Flight 11.
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8:25 a.m.
The Bushes and the Obamas, from opposite sides of the American political spectrum, are walking around the ground zero area and greeting people. It's a striking image — and a glimpse into the role that ex-presidents play as symbols in the United States.
The current and former presidents ran their hands over bronze panels bearing victims' names at the Sept. 11 memorial.
"Ten years later, I'd say America came through this thing in a way that was consistent with our character," President Barack Obama told NBC News. "We've made mistakes. Some things haven't happened as quickly as they needed to. But overall, we took the fight to al-Qaida, we preserved our values, we preserved our character."
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8:20 a.m.
10 YEARS AGO TODAY: American Airlines Flight 77, a Boeing 757 with 64 people on board, took off from Washington Dulles International Airport for Los Angeles.
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8:14 a.m.
10 YEARS AGO TODAY: United Airlines Flight 175, a Boeing 767 with 65 people on board, left Boston's Logan International Airport for Los Angeles.
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8:10 a.m.
"Time to be a big boy. Time to not let things hold you back. Time to just step out into the world and see how things are."
That's what 17-year-old Elijah Portillo said at the site of today's ground zero memorial ceremony in New York, where he arrived early this morning. It's the first time he's attended a memorial here since the attacks killed his father, an architect named Anthony.
He avoided the ceremonies before because he thought he would feel so angry. This year is different.
"I'm not angry," he said. "I wanted to be here."
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8:03 a.m.
Two dramatically different perspectives on 9/11 came out of Malaysia today.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad reiterated an old claim that the U.S. government was behind the attacks, blogging that Arab Muslims are incapable of "planning and strategizing" such attacks, and that the World Trade Center's twin towers "came down nicely upon themselves" and looked more like a "planned demolition of buildings" than a collapse.
Elsewhere in the country, Pathmawathy Navaratnam did something this morning that she's done every day for the past decade: She wished her son, a financial analyst named Vijayashanker Paramsothy who was killed in the attacks on New York, a "good morning."
"He is my sunshine. He has lived life to the fullest, but I can't accept that he is not here anymore," she said. "I am still living, but I am dead inside."
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7:59 a.m.
10 YEARS AGO TODAY: American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767 with 92 people on board, left Boston's Logan International Airport for Los Angeles.
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7:52 a.m.
People are waking up to a reminder of the horrors and reverberations of that day: In Afghanistan, two Afghan civilians were killed and 77 American soldiers were injured in a Taliban suicide truck bombing targeting an U.S. base.
Afghanistan's foreign minister said the Sept. 11 attacks bound Afghans and Americans together in a "shared struggle."
But the Taliban emailed a statement to the media: "Each year, 9/11 reminds the Afghans of an event in which they had no role whatsoever. American colonialism has shed the blood of tens of thousands of miserable and innocent Afghans."
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7:45 a.m.
It's a little cooler today in New York. But there's a familiar feel in the air.
One of the strongest 9/11 memories for many New Yorkers — and for people all along the Eastern Seaboard — was the crisp, sunny weather before the first plane hit the World Trade Center. The day began as a nearly perfect one.
Maybe we shouldn't be surprised about this morning's weather — this is usually a pleasant time of the year in this part of the world. But there's a familiar feeling in the air.
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Associated Press writers Jaime Holguin, Lori Hinnant, Larry Neumeister and Samantha Gross contributed to this report as did other AP journalists around the world.
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Follow Eric Carvin on Twitter: http://apne.ws/osp9Eh. And for more real-time updates, follow AP journalists around the world who are tweeting about the 9/11 anniversary: http://apne.ws/r5QDl2.
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All times EDT.
11:16 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 11:16 A.M.
BULLETIN
World Trade Center collapses in terrorist attack; Washington hit by apparently coordinated attack
By JERRY SCHWARTZ
AP National Writer
In a horrific sequence of destruction, terrorists crashed two planes into the World Trade Center, and the twin 110-story towers collapsed Tuesday morning. Explosions also rocked the Pentagon and spread fear across the nation.
"I have a sense it's a horrendous number of lives lost," Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said. "I don't know yet. Right now we have to focus on saving as many lives as possible."
___
11:15 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 11:15 A.M.
APNewsAlert
NEW YORK — Mayor Guiliani says: "I have a sense it's a horrendous number of lives lost."
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11:12 a.m.
Mary Bannister was headed to the World Trade Center for a meeting when the first plane struck, said her daughter, Mary Purcell. Bannister survived, but "we didn't know if she was dead or alive until 10 or 10:30 that night," said Purcell, attended a 9/11 ceremony in Richmond, Va., because her mother was too overcome with emotion to be there in person.
"She couldn't cry that date because she was running for her life," Purcell said. "This weekend, though, is affecting her greatly. She has shed a lot of tears for the fallen."
___
11:04 a.m.
The official White House Twitter account has just put out a photo showing President Barack Obama and his daughter Malia preparing food at a D.C. Central Kitchen, a community kitchen in Washington.
The accompanying tweet asks, "How are you serving on (hash)911day?
Here's the photo: http://apne.ws/qxmKZ8
___
11:02 a.m.
TEN YEARS AGO TODAY: New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani ordered the evacuation of lower Manhattan.
___
11 a.m.
The Rev. Michael Carroll delivered a homily today at St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish in Melville, N.Y., saying he did 17 funerals after 9/11. At the last one — in July 2002 — there were no remains, just the fireman's helmet that was found in the rubble.
Carroll told worshippers today, "We can turn this into a celebration of life."
___
10:52 a.m.
In Shanksville, Pa., Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said the passengers of Flight 93 "charted a new course, set a new standard for American bravery."
"Over the past 10 years we have heard this place compared to many other places" including the Alamo and Gettysburg, he said. "But the truth is that this place is like no other because the deeds aboard Flight 93 were like no other."
___
10:46 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 10:46 A.M.
BULLETIN
A large plane crashed Tuesday morning just north of the Somerset County Airport, airport officials said.
The plane, believed to be a Boeing 767, crashed about 10 a.m. about 8 miles east of Jennerstown, according to county 911 dispatchers, WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh reported. The airport is about 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.
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10:41 a.m.
Paul Simon, who grew up in New York, strapped on his guitar and donned a 9/11 hat to play and sing "The Sound of Silence" at the ceremony at ground zero: "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls. .."
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10:37 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 10:37 A.M.
APNewsAlert
PITTSBURGH — Large plane crashes in western Pennsylvania, officials at Somerset County Airport confirm.
___
10:35 a.m.
Rudolph Giuliani, New York's mayor on 9/11, paid tribute to the victims at this morning's ground zero ceremony.
"God bless every soul that we lost," he said. "God bless the family members who have to endure that loss."
___
10:30 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT 11, 2001, 10:30 A.M.
(NOTE; This update includes a reference to an explosion at the State Department, which was later determined to be a false report.)
BULLETIN
In a horrific sequence of destruction, terrorists crashed two planes into the World Trade Center and knocked down the twin 110-story towers Tuesday morning. Explosions also rocked the Pentagon and the State Department and spread fear across the nation.
___
10:29 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 10:29 A.M.
FLASH
NEW YORK — Second World Trade Center tower collapses.
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10:23 a.m.
The crowd at ground zero applauded when 12-year-old Patricia Smith paid tribute to her late mother.
"Mom, I am proud to be your daughter," she said. "You will always be my hero."
___
10:21 a.m.
In Joplin, Mo., 9/11 is being remembered in conjunction with another tragedy — the massive tornado that tore through the city in May, killing 160 people and reducing 2,000 buildings to rubble.
New York firefighters and ground zero construction workers are joining tornado survivors in a ceremony here. The New York contingent brought with them a large American flag recovered a decade ago from a building near the World Trade Center.
Survivors of another tornado in Greensburg, Kan., began repairing the flag in 2008, using remnants of flags from their community. Other disaster survivors have continued the work, and the final stitches are being placed in Joplin.
Once the flag is complete, it will be delivered to the 9/11 memorial in New York.
___
10:19 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 10:19 A.M.
(NOTE: Reports from sources about an explosion or fire at the State Department turned out to be incorrect.)
BULLETIN
The State Department was evacuated Tuesday due to a possible explosion or fire amid a rash of explosions in New York and Washington.
A senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the incident appeared connected with two plane crashes at the World Trade Center, an explosion at the Pentagon and the evacuation of the White House.
"Something has happened at the State Department," the source said. "We don't know what yet. We hear it might have been a plane."
___
10:14 a.m.
A choir sang before a crowd of about 5,000 at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania, at the site where one of the airliners hijacked on 9/11 crashed into a field after passengers stormed the cockpit.
The crowd listened to a reading of the names of the 40 passengers and crew killed aboard the plane.
Flight 93 knifed into a field after some of the passengers overcame the plane's four hijackers, helping prevent a likely attack on Washington.
___
10:11 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 10:11 A.M.
BULLETIN
Two planes crash into World Trade Center in apparent terrorist attack; tower collapses to the ground
By JERRY SCHWARTZ
AP National Writer
In a horrific sequence of destruction, two planes crashed into the World Trade Center and one of the towers collapsed Tuesday morning in what the President Bush said was an apparent terrorist attack. A witness said he saw bodies falling from the 110-story towers and people jumping out.
___
10:03 a.m.
TEN YEARS AGO TODAY: Flight 93 crashes in Pennsylvania field.
___
10 a.m.
After a moment of silence at 9:37 a.m. — the moment, 10 years ago, when the Pentagon was hit by a hijacked airliner — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta noted that more than 6,200 members of the U.S. military have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11 attacks.
"Because of their sacrifices, we are a safer and stronger nation today."___
9:59 a.m.
TEN YEARS AGO TODAY: South tower of trade center collapses.
___
9:57 a.m.
As the memorial ceremony takes place at ground zero, AP reporter Chris Hawley has been wandering the streets of New York to see what life is like today in the city most deeply and violently affected by 9/11.
One man he came across was Sean Harris, 45, who was panhandling on Broadway. Harris, who spent last night at LaGuardia Airport, has been homeless for the last eight years.
For many New Yorkers like Harris, Hawley is finding, today is no different than any other day.
___
9:53 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:53 A.M.
BULLETIN
By RON FOURNIER
Associated Press Writer
An aircraft crashed near the Pentagon Tuesday, and the Capitol and White House were evacuated after bomb threats.
President Bush said the two earlier plane crashes into the World Trade Center were "an apparent terrorist attack on our country."
The Federal Aviation Administration shut down all airplane traffic nationwide.
___
9:45 a.m.
A tweet from AP reporter Heidi Vogt in Afghanistan: At bagram, 9/11 ceremony is small, interrupted by fighter jet buzzing overhead.
___
9:45 a.m.
I don't know no love songs." — James Taylor is at ground zero, singing "Close Your Eyes" before a hushed crowd.
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9:44 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:44 A.M.
BULLETIN
An aircraft crashed near the Pentagon and the West Wing of the White House was evacuated amid threats of terrorism.
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9:43 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:43 A.M.
APNewsAlert
WASHINGTON — An aircraft has crashed into the Pentagon, witnesses say.
APNewsAlert
WASHINGTON — West Wing of White House evacuated amid terrorist threats.
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9:42 a.m.
TEN YEARS AGO TODAY: FAA ordered all aircraft in U.S. space — more than 4,500 — to land at nearest airport.
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9:42 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:42 A.M.
BULLETIN
One of two planes that crashed into the World Trade Center was hijacked after takeoff from Boston, a U.S. official said, citing a transmission from the plane.
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9:41 a.m.
Some touch the names. Others bestow a gentle kiss. And some adorn the carved letters with roses, sliding the stems through openings in the stone. The families of 9/11 victims are finding their own relationship with the memorial.
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9:40 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:40 A.M.
APNewsAlert
WASHINGTON — First plane to hit World Trade Center was hijacked after takeoff from Boston, U.S. official says.
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9:37 a.m.
TEN YEARS AGO TODAY: Flight 77 crashed into Pentagon.
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9:34 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:34 A.M.
BULLETIN
By RON FOURNIER
Associated Press Writer
President Bush said Tuesday that two plane crashes into the World Trade Center were "an apparent terrorist attack on our country."
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9:33 a.m.
President Barack Obama stood behind bulletproof glass near the 9/11 memorial's white oak trees when he delivered his comments at this morning's ceremony.
Immediately after the moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. — the time when the first jetliner slammed into the World Trade Center 10 years ago — he read Psalm 46 from the Bible.
"God is our refuge and strength," the psalm said. "He dwells in his city, does marvelous things and says, be still and know that I am God."
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9:31 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:31 A.M.
APNewsAlert
SARASOTA, Fla. — Bush calls World Trade Center crashes apparent terrorist attack.
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9:29 a.m.
Donald Rumsfeld, who was secretary of defense at the time of the attacks, has been spotted in the audience at the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon, according to a tweet by AP photographer Charles Dharapak.
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9:25 a.m.
An entrance to the Rector Street subway station near ground zero has a new sign: "Rector Street 9/11 Memorial." The number "11" is in a distinctive blue that conjures the twin towers in many signs and logos.
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9:25 a.m.
TEN YEARS AGO TODAY: FAA command center in Herndon, Va., tells headquarters about suspected hijacking of Flight 77.
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9:20 a.m.
Victims' relatives are walking up to the names carved into stone at the memorial.
Many are in tears. Others simply look somber. Still others show little emotion at all — they almost look like tourists.
Most have two things in common, besides the awful fate that brought them together here: They all seem to want to take pictures of loved ones' names, and they're touching the words in the stone, pressing their palms to them or running their fingers gently along the letters.
Others are using pencils and paper to make etchings of the names, so they can bring a piece of this memorial home with them.
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9:18 a.m.
Here's a tweet that just came in from AP's Samantha Gross, who's at scene of today's ground zero ceremonies:
The boys who just read their dads' name at the 9/11 ceremony look so young. I wonder if they can remember them, or if they just have stories
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9:18 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT 11, 2001, 9:18 A.M.
BULLETIN
Planes crashed into the upper floors of both World Trade Center towers minutes apart Tuesday in a horrific scene of explosions and fires that left gaping holes in the 110-story buildings.
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9:15 a.m.
An Islamist party in Pakistan has organized several demonstrations for today. In Islamabad, about 100 people chanted and held up banners that repeated conspiracy theories alleging American or Israeli involvement in the attacks. And in the sprawling city of Karachi, another 100 people protested against the war in Afghanistan, launched in response to 9/11.
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9:15 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:15 A.M.
BULLETIN
The FBI is investigating reports that two plane crashes at the World Trade Center are the result of foul play, The Associated Press has learned.
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9:12 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:12 A.M.
APNewsAlert
WASHINGTON — FBI investigating reports of plane hijacking before World Trade Center crashes.
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9:11 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT 11, 2001, 9:11 A.M.
BULLETIN
NEW YORK (AP) — An aircraft crashed into the upper floors of one of the World Trade Center towers Tuesday morning, and black smoke poured out of two gaping holes, witnesses said. Shortly afterward a second plane hit the other tower.
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9:09 a.m.
Former President George W. Bush invoked the loss of life in the Civil War as he memorialized 9/11 victims.
"I pray that our heavenly father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement," Bush read, quoting a letter from Abraham Lincoln to the mother of soldiers who died in the war between the states.
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9:09 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:09 A.M.
APNewsAlert
NEW YORK — Plane crashes into second World Trade Center tower.
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9:05 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:05 A.M.
BULLETIN
An aircraft crashed into the upper floors of one of the World Trade Center towers Tuesday morning, and black smoke poured out of two gaping holes, witnesses said. Shortly afterward a second explosion rocked the other tower.
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9:04 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT 11, 2001, 9:04 A.M.
APNewsAlert
NEW YORK — Explosion rocks second World Trade Center tower.
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9:03 a.m.
TEN YEARS AGO TODAY: Flight 175 crashed into the south tower.
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9:01 a.m.
Family members are crowded tightly into the World Trade Center site. One man holds a bouquet of white roses to his chest. Another is carrying a baby, a pacifier in his mouth and a U.S. flag in his hand. Five people wear yellow shirts bearing the words "Forever Young." Below the words are images of lost loved ones.
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9:01 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 9:01 A.M.
BULLETIN
An aircraft crashed into the upper floors of one of the World Trade Center towers Tuesday morning, and black smoke poured out of two gaping holes, witnesses said.
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8:56 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK: SEPT. 11, 2001, 8:56 A.M.
BULLETIN
Smoke poured out of a gaping hole in the upper floors of the World Trade Center on Tuesday and there were broadcast reports a plane had struck it.
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8:53 a.m.
AP FLASHBACK; SEPT. 11, 2001, 8:53 A.M.
APNewsAlert
NEW YORK — Plane crashes into World Trade Center, according to television reports.
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8:52 a.m.
"Gordon M. Aamoth, Jr."
The reading of the names of the 9/11 victims — 2,977 of them — has begun.
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8:52 a.m.
TEN YEARS AGO TODAY: An attendant on Flight 175 notified United Airlines of a hijacking.
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8:48 a.m.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, at the site of the World Trade Center: "Ten years have passed since a perfect blue-sky morning turned into the blackest of nights."
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8:46 a.m.
10 YEARS AGO TODAY: Flight 11 crashed into north tower of World Trade Center.
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8:42 a.m.
10 YEARS AGO TODAY: United Airlines Flight 93, a Boeing 757 with 44 people on board, left from Newark International Airport for San Francisco.
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8:42 a.m.
A flag that survived the attacks on 9/11 has been unfurled and is being held at a slight, upward angle as the national anthem is sung. The president and first lady, as well as former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush, have their hands on their hearts.
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8:41 a.m.
Here's a tweet that just came in from AP's Larry Neumeister, who's at scene of today's ground zero ceremonies:
The normally active New York airspace is noticeably absent of planes on this morning. (hash)9/11
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8:37 a.m.
A line of bagpipe players and drummers is marching through ground zero, the scene almost completely silent besides the rhythmic beating of the drums.
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8:37 a.m.
10 YEARS AGO TODAY: The Federal Aviation Administration notified North American Aerospace Defense Command about a suspected hijacking of Flight 11.
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8:25 a.m.
The Bushes and the Obamas, from opposite sides of the American political spectrum, are walking around the ground zero area and greeting people. It's a striking image — and a glimpse into the role that ex-presidents play as symbols in the United States.
The current and former presidents ran their hands over bronze panels bearing victims' names at the Sept. 11 memorial.
"Ten years later, I'd say America came through this thing in a way that was consistent with our character," President Barack Obama told NBC News. "We've made mistakes. Some things haven't happened as quickly as they needed to. But overall, we took the fight to al-Qaida, we preserved our values, we preserved our character."
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8:20 a.m.
10 YEARS AGO TODAY: American Airlines Flight 77, a Boeing 757 with 64 people on board, took off from Washington Dulles International Airport for Los Angeles.
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8:14 a.m.
10 YEARS AGO TODAY: United Airlines Flight 175, a Boeing 767 with 65 people on board, left Boston's Logan International Airport for Los Angeles.
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8:10 a.m.
"Time to be a big boy. Time to not let things hold you back. Time to just step out into the world and see how things are."
That's what 17-year-old Elijah Portillo said at the site of today's ground zero memorial ceremony in New York, where he arrived early this morning. It's the first time he's attended a memorial here since the attacks killed his father, an architect named Anthony.
He avoided the ceremonies before because he thought he would feel so angry. This year is different.
"I'm not angry," he said. "I wanted to be here."
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8:03 a.m.
Two dramatically different perspectives on 9/11 came out of Malaysia today.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad reiterated an old claim that the U.S. government was behind the attacks, blogging that Arab Muslims are incapable of "planning and strategizing" such attacks, and that the World Trade Center's twin towers "came down nicely upon themselves" and looked more like a "planned demolition of buildings" than a collapse.
Elsewhere in the country, Pathmawathy Navaratnam did something this morning that she's done every day for the past decade: She wished her son, a financial analyst named Vijayashanker Paramsothy who was killed in the attacks on New York, a "good morning."
"He is my sunshine. He has lived life to the fullest, but I can't accept that he is not here anymore," she said. "I am still living, but I am dead inside."
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7:59 a.m.
10 YEARS AGO TODAY: American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767 with 92 people on board, left Boston's Logan International Airport for Los Angeles.
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7:52 a.m.
People are waking up to a reminder of the horrors and reverberations of that day: In Afghanistan, two Afghan civilians were killed and 77 American soldiers were injured in a Taliban suicide truck bombing targeting an U.S. base.
Afghanistan's foreign minister said the Sept. 11 attacks bound Afghans and Americans together in a "shared struggle."
But the Taliban emailed a statement to the media: "Each year, 9/11 reminds the Afghans of an event in which they had no role whatsoever. American colonialism has shed the blood of tens of thousands of miserable and innocent Afghans."
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7:45 a.m.
It's a little cooler today in New York. But there's a familiar feel in the air.
One of the strongest 9/11 memories for many New Yorkers — and for people all along the Eastern Seaboard — was the crisp, sunny weather before the first plane hit the World Trade Center. The day began as a nearly perfect one.
Maybe we shouldn't be surprised about this morning's weather — this is usually a pleasant time of the year in this part of the world. But there's a familiar feeling in the air.
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Associated Press writers Jaime Holguin, Lori Hinnant, Larry Neumeister and Samantha Gross contributed to this report as did other AP journalists around the world.
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Follow Eric Carvin on Twitter: http://apne.ws/osp9Eh. And for more real-time updates, follow AP journalists around the world who are tweeting about the 9/11 anniversary: http://apne.ws/r5QDl2.