A mourner stood at Ground Zero in New York City holding a placard with the words "Cathy Smith - we will never forget you" and a picture showing a pretty woman with short dark hair.

A simple "I love you, Daddy" is written on another placard.

Thousands arrived at this ceremony with similar messages on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The sky over the city was cloud-filled on Sunday, not a brilliant blue as on that day 10 years ago when two planes were flown into the World Trade Center, instantly extinguishing the lives of thousands of innocent people.

The ceremony marking that tragic event began with bagpipes and drums in the presence of a US flag that had flown at the site of the Twin Towers.

A Brooklyn youth choir sang the American national anthem, after which President Barack Obama read aloud a passage from Psalms 46.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the Earth should change, though the mountains shake in their heart of the sea," the president read.

Former President George W. Bush, whose time in office was heavily influenced by the attacks, also attended the ceremony and took the opportunity to read a letter written by Abraham Lincoln to a mother who had lost five sons during the American Civil War.

"I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost," he recited.

Solace and closure

Mary Beth Dougherty also attended the ceremony with all 24 members of her family. Her brother, Kevin James Murphy, who worked at financial firm Marsh & McLennan, died when the first plane struck the North Tower.

"I hope this can bring some closure for my mother," Mary Beth said.

To commemorate Kevin, the family brought a batch of cookies to the ceremony. Mary Beth says Kevin would routinely pick up such cookies on his way to work each day.

Those who attended the ceremony heard from over 300 people who read aloud the names of 2,983 victims who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks - those killed in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, those aboard Flight 93 which crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, as well as the six people who perished in an attack on the World Trade Center back in 1993.

As the ceremony continued, mourners approached the memorial site to lay wreaths and reflect on the tragedy of the attacks. As of Monday, the memorial will also be open to members of the public wishing to pay their respects.

A memorial for all victims

Where the massive towers once stood there are now two pools of remembrance, in the middle of which water cascades down two nine-meter-deep waterfalls. Each pool covers approximately 4,000 square feet (372 square meters); they act as the "footprints" of the buildings which once stood tall on the site.

The ceremony also included six minutes of silence as the thousands gathered stood sadly in the oak-lined square, but there was also music. Cellist Yoyo Ma played Bach's "Sarabande" from the first Cello Suite No. 1, and Paul Simon sang "Sounds of Silence." Falling water could be heard throughout the performances.

This site will serve many in the coming years. While the remains of victims like Kevin James Murphy were never found, it's hoped the memorial will now give people a place to mourn.

Mary Beth Dougherty says the 10th anniversary ceremony is of particular importance for her two nephews - Kevin's two sons. She has come to Ground Zero on several occasions in the past 10 years, such as when she learned of the death of Osama bin Laden.

The difficulty, she says, is not visiting the site - but rather leaving.

"I feel as though I'm abandoning him," she said.

Author: Christina Bergmann, New York / dfm
Editor: Kyle James