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On this momentous September 11th, America and the world marked a fateful occasion - the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that sent chills down everyone's spine.
As many wonder what has become of unity in America 20 years ago, President Joe Biden and former U.S. Presidents used the sombre backdrop to call for a return to the spirit of cooperation that emerged instantaneously after the 9/11 attacks 2 decades ago.
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20 years have passed, and America remembers.
Mourners descended upon New York City to pay tribute to those who met their demise.
Flanked by his wife, U.S. President Joe Biden joined a large crowd including victims' families at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, where the twin towers once stood, to observe the first crash at 8:46 a.m. local time.
There was a father whose daughter was among those deceased giving mourners at Ground Zero a few well-chosen words.
Mike Low, Father of Sara Low (deceased flight attendant): And as we recite the names of those we lost, our memory goes back to that terrible day. It felt like an evil spectre had descended on our world, but it was also a time when many people acted above and beyond the ordinary.
The world came to blows with our adversaries - terrorists - some of whom were held culpable for the attacks that culminated in the deaths of 2,996 people and 25,000 injuries, almost instantaneously after the moment in which news pertaining to the 9/11 attacks sent shock waves across the entire world.
Another two members of the presidential troika, formed by Biden, Obama and Bush - former Presidents Barack Obama and his predecessor, George W. Bush, also made an appearance.
At the Pennsylvania site, where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed after true heroes of sacrifice aboard deterred terrorists from utilising the aircraft as a weapon against Washington, was also where Bush called for a united front against terrorism.
He sent a desperate plea to Americans, calling for a return to the spirit of cooperation as audacious terrorists are at it again, trying to confront America and the rest of the world.
George W. Bush, former U.S. President: On America's day of trial and grief, I saw millions of people instinctively grab for a neighbor's hand and rally to the cause of one another. That is the America I know. This is not mere nostalgia. It is the truest version of ourselves. It is what we have been and what we can be again.
Vice President Kamala Harris, flanked by her spouse, also gave plaudits to passengers on Flight 93.
Accentuating their and the first responders' indeed innate resolve, Harris hailed them as the epitome, paradigms and paragons of courage and sacrifice.
Kamala Harris, U.S. Vice President: What happened on Flight 93 told us then and it still tells us so much about the courage of those on board, who gave everything they possibly could. About the resolve of the first responders, who risked everything. And about the resilience of the American people.
Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, also made an appearance. During his visit to a New York police station and a firehouse, he praised responders' courage while adding insult to injury via criticising Biden over the frantic and haphazard pullout from Afghanistan.
There were altogether six moments of silence to mark the times of the 9/11 attacks. Four moments of silence were held to mark the attacks on New York, as well as those on the Pentagon in Washington and rural Pennsylvania. And the other two were aimed at marking the obliteration of the south and north towers of the World Trade Center.
The anniversary was observed as the world goes down the tubes amid the backdrop of a worsening pandemic, and in the shadow of the haphazard U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Memorials were held as the world still remains in the palm of COVID's hand.
Remembrance took place across the world today, including in Britain, to mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that upended and were inflicted upon America, two decades of abject misery, and yearning for people's loved ones lost in the egregious attacks.
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