Seattle remembers 9/11: 'It's tough to explain what it means'
SEATTLE - For many Puget Sounders, it's hard to believe that 10 years has gone by so quickly, and how much has changed since the September 11th attacks.
The images and stories of 9/11 are seared into our memories, making them hard to shake - even a decade later.
And in community after community, the memory of those who lost their lives that fateful day were honored, all across the region.
It began with a pre-dawn flag-raising at Seattle's Space Needle at 5:46 a.m. - the same moment when the first airliner crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City.
Later, at the Chapel of St. Ignatius on the Seattle University campus, ROTC cadets stepped into a reflecting pool fully clothed - to put a peace pole in place.
Others soon followed, dropping off white roses in remembrance.
At places of worship, going to church felt a little different this Sunday for a lot of people.
At St. Ignatius, the sermon focused on forgiveness. And for Pattie Cabrido, that seemed just right.
"I had just started my sophomore year here at Seattle U when the attacks happened, so to bring it back altogether here and participate in this is an amazing feeling," she says.
At Seattle Center, wreaths were laid at the International Fountain in a small tribute to remember the nearly 3,000 victims of the attacks.
Many recalled how the fountain became a breathtaking memorial in the days following 9/11, as tens of thousands of people paid their respects with mountains of flowers.
Seattle artist Deborah Marlott created a "Flag of Heroes" for this somber anniversary, filled with the names of emergency personnel who were killed in the terrorist attacks.
"I want them to read the names of those who passed away, trying to save others," she said.
Deborah remembers, like so many others do, how America came together 10 years ago.
"I don't think the United States is real close anymore. I think there's a lot of discontent going on now," she says. "Hopefully, on this 10-year anniversary, people will think about each other."
A day of countless thoughts and memories.
And for some parents whose children were not even born in September 2001, they wonder how they would ever explain what it all means.
"I think it would be tough to try to say, 'This is what happened - this is how and why.' I don't think we ever had a good 'why.' How do you explain that to a child?"
Also vying for some attention at Seattle Center on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 were members of the "truth movement," or "truthers," who believe there was a 9/11 cover-up or possibly an inside job by the U.S. government that led to the attacks.
The images and stories of 9/11 are seared into our memories, making them hard to shake - even a decade later.
And in community after community, the memory of those who lost their lives that fateful day were honored, all across the region.
It began with a pre-dawn flag-raising at Seattle's Space Needle at 5:46 a.m. - the same moment when the first airliner crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City.
Later, at the Chapel of St. Ignatius on the Seattle University campus, ROTC cadets stepped into a reflecting pool fully clothed - to put a peace pole in place.
Others soon followed, dropping off white roses in remembrance.
At places of worship, going to church felt a little different this Sunday for a lot of people.
At St. Ignatius, the sermon focused on forgiveness. And for Pattie Cabrido, that seemed just right.
"I had just started my sophomore year here at Seattle U when the attacks happened, so to bring it back altogether here and participate in this is an amazing feeling," she says.
At Seattle Center, wreaths were laid at the International Fountain in a small tribute to remember the nearly 3,000 victims of the attacks.
Many recalled how the fountain became a breathtaking memorial in the days following 9/11, as tens of thousands of people paid their respects with mountains of flowers.
Seattle artist Deborah Marlott created a "Flag of Heroes" for this somber anniversary, filled with the names of emergency personnel who were killed in the terrorist attacks.
"I want them to read the names of those who passed away, trying to save others," she said.
Deborah remembers, like so many others do, how America came together 10 years ago.
"I don't think the United States is real close anymore. I think there's a lot of discontent going on now," she says. "Hopefully, on this 10-year anniversary, people will think about each other."
A day of countless thoughts and memories.
And for some parents whose children were not even born in September 2001, they wonder how they would ever explain what it all means.
"I think it would be tough to try to say, 'This is what happened - this is how and why.' I don't think we ever had a good 'why.' How do you explain that to a child?"
Also vying for some attention at Seattle Center on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 were members of the "truth movement," or "truthers," who believe there was a 9/11 cover-up or possibly an inside job by the U.S. government that led to the attacks.
