1,600 attend Pentagon 9/11 memorial led by Biden, Panetta, Mullen

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Memories of horror and heroism echoed Sunday across the west side of the Pentagon where, a decade ago, a hijacked airplane carrying 59 doomed passengers and crew and 36,200 pounds of jet fuel smashed into the fortress-like military headquarters, killing all aboard and 125 inside.

At a ceremony attended by an estimated 1,600 people, including 1,200 relatives of the victims, Vice President Joe Biden joined Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in paying solemn tribute to the families of the fallen.

They also highlighted the contributions of the U.S. military since Sept. 11, 2001.

“A generation of Americans stepped forward to serve in uniform, determined to confront our enemies and respond to them swiftly and justly,” Panetta said.

After a moment of silence at 9:37 am EDT — the exact time the Pentagon was hit by the jetliner — the Navy Sea Chanters Chorus sang “Amazing Grace.”

Mullen offered his condolences to the families, who sat in rows of metal chairs facing the outdoor Pentagon 9/11 Memorial near where the plane struck.

“No music can assuage, no tongue can express, no prayer alone may dampen the yearning that must fire yet inside you,” he said. “Lives ended in this place. Dreams were shattered. Futures were instantly altered. Hopes were tragically dashed.”