US President Lays Wreath at Pennsylvania Crash Site

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, September 12, 2002

US President Lays Wreath at Pennsylvania Crash Site

US President George W. Bush laid a wreath Wednesday at the airplane crash site in Pennsylvania to pay tribute to passengers and crew who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks last year.

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US President George W. Bush laid a wreath Wednesday at the airplane crash site in Pennsylvania to pay tribute to passengers and crew who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks last year.

Bush, who did not make a speech there, met with more than 500 family members and friends of the victims of Flight 93 in a memorial ceremony.

The plane slammed into a field at Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing everyone on board. Investigators say people on board rose to fight with their four hijackers and brought down the flight believed to be heading to the White House or the US Congress.

A bell tolled 40 times at the site, once for each victim of United Flight 93, as thousands of people gathered to honor those who died in the crash.

The tolling, accompanied by the reading of each victim's name, led up to the moment that the plane crashed at 10:06 a.m. local time last Sept. 11. It followed a minute of silence and a fly-overby three military planes.

A metal fence surrounded the crash site to keep people from digging in the area, which is still considered a crime scene. Flags, photographs and flowers were left there as a memorial to the victims.

"Today is not just to mark their tragic and honorable deaths, but to celebrate their lives and mark a nation's gratitude for their actions," said Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge, who wasgovernor of Pennsylvania at the time of the terrorist attacks. Hisremarks were followed by a 21-gun salute and the release of 40 doves.

"The most important thing to me is that we do not forget," saidHamilton Peterson of Maryland, whose father and stepmother were killed in the crash.

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