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America Remembers September 11 Terrorist Attacks

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- People across the country paused today to remember the nearly 3,000 people killed in the worst terror attack in our nation's history.

There were moments of silence during the reading of the names at the 9/11 memorial in New York City on Sunday. The 2,977 people killed in the September 11th attacks, were remembered one by one.

At a ceremony remembering those lost at the Pentagon, President Obama hailed the sacrifice of the fallen and the resilience of those left behind.

And outside Shanksville, Pa., where Flight 93 crashed, an honor guard placed a wreath at the memorial, paying tribute to the 40 passengers and crew who lost their lives that day.

Here in Minnesota, hundreds of people gathered at the Lake Harriet Band Shell on the 15th anniversary of 9/11 for a night of music and remembrance. Choirs and bands performed in tribute to those who lost their lives on 9/11. Most people found it hard to believe 15 years have passed since that day no American will ever forget.

Choirs and bands performed in tribute to those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. Some people recalled where they were when they first heard of the attacks.

"We watched it all morning and nobody got any work done and people went home early," one man recalled.

Even children who were not yet born on that day learned more about what happened and how it altered the course of the country.

South Minneapolis parent Shawna Dhariwal explained how important it is to her to teach her three children under the age of 10 about that tragic day.

"I think we try to keep it pretty straight forward without too many details while still showing importance of remembering many peoples' lives were lost while trying to help save people," Dhariwal said.

On a night when a beautiful sunny sky could not have drawn a sharper contrast, everyone remembered a dark day in history.

"I think it's just a way to acknowledge it happened and it's obviously not a celebration but there were many people impacted by it," spectator Rich Scarlato said.

In a presidential election year, when it can be easy to focus on division, most in the audience agreed it was a night for unity.

"It puts it on hold for a day but reminds us we have a lot of figuring out to do," spectator Ned Hancock said.

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