Solemn Bush begins 9/11 anniversary rites

updated 8:52 p.m. ET Sept. 10, 2006

NEW YORK - President Bush and his wife Laura stood in somber silence on Sunday after laying wreaths at the site where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once soared. He later pledged “renewed resolve” to remember the lessons of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

The Bushes set floral wreaths adrift in reflecting pools that mark the former location of the north and south towers at the beginning of a fifth-anniversary tour that will take them to all three sites of devastation.

They uttered no words at the ceremony, and walked hand-in-hand on the floor of the cavernous pit, after a slow procession down the long, flag-lined ramp from the street level four to five stories above.

The Bushes then attended a service of prayer and remembrance at nearby St. Paul’s Chapel.

The 240-year-old Episcopal church, across the street from the site, escaped damage and became a center of refuge for weary rescue workers.

They also stopped by a rebuilt firehouse to greet firefighters.

“Laura and I approach tomorrow with a heavy heart. It’s hard not to think about people who lost their lives on Sept. 11th, 2001,” a tight-faced Bush told reporters outside the firehouse, which was destroyed in the attack and rebuilt. “I just wish there were some way we could make them whole.”

Bush also called Monday’s anniversay “a day of renewing resolve.”

“I vowed that I’m never going to forget the lessons of that day,” he said, still clutching his wife’s hand. “There is still an enemy out there who would like to inflict the same kind of damage again.”

They were the first stops of nearly 24 hours of observances at the three sites where terrorists wrought death and destruction and transformed his presidency. Nearly 3,000 Americans were killed in the attacks.

Prime-time address
On Monday, the anniversary, he was to visit with firefighters and other emergency workers at a firehouse in lower Manhattan; attend a ceremony at the field in Shanksville, Pa., where one of the hijacked planes hurtled to the ground; and participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Pentagon.

He also was to speak to Americans during a prime-time address Monday night from the Oval Office.

NBC VIDEO Bush marks 9/11 Sept. 10: President Bush visited the World Trade Center site Sunday afternoon, laying wreaths where the two towers once stood. NBC's David Gregory reports. Nightly News

Accompanying the president and first lady at ground zero were New York Gov. George Pataki, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Rudy Giuliani, who was New York mayor at the time of the attacks.

Across New York, residents marked the day at other ceremonies large and small. From a service of remembrance at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in midtown Manhattan to a chant at a Buddhist temple on Staten Island, New Yorkers observed the somber anniversary with prayer and reflection.

Bush and his wife wore grim expressions as they took their places for the interfaith service at St. Paul’s.

Sitting next to Bush in the pew was Jane Vigiano, who lost two sons in the attack — Joe, a policeman and John, a firefighter. Sitting next to Laura Bush was Bob Beckwith, the retired firefighter who handed Bush a bullhorn on the president’s first ground zero visit.

On their way in, Bush and his wife greeted Arlene Howard, the mother of 9/11 victim George Howard, a New York Port Authority police officer, with a kiss on the cheek. Bush keeps Howard’s badge as a constant reminder of the attacks. She also sat in the same pew with the Bushes, but farther down.

A printed message from the Rev. James H. Cooper said: “The message to people who visit St. Paul’s is simple: Go back to your communities knowing that a place of love stood next door to Ground Zero. Try to make the world a better place.”

Outside the church, several dozen protesters shouted “arrest Bush” as the president’s motorcade left. They held black balloons that said, “Troops home.”

He also visited a firehouse close by the ground zero construction site, shook hands with firefighters, and entered a not-yet-opened visitor center.

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