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U.S. President George W. Bush will visit sites and address the U.S. on the anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks
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WASHINGTON,
Sept 4 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - U.S. President George W. Bush
will mark the anniversary of the September 11 deadly attacks by visiting
the three crash sites and speaking to the nation, the White House said
Tuesday.
Bush
and First Lady Laura Bush will begin the day with a private church
service, then observe a moment of silence at 8:46 am (1246 GMT), the
exact time at which the first of the two hijacked airlines crashed into
the twin towers of the World Trade Center, said spokesman Scott
McClellan.
The
Bushes will also visit the Pentagon, which was also struck by a hijacked
plane, as well as the field in Pennsylvania where another commandeered
jet crashed after a passenger uprising against the hijackers.
The
U.S. president frequently pays tribute to those passengers in his
speeches around the country, and McClellan appeared to lend credence to
theories that the downed jet was speeding towards a target in
Washington.
"Those
who were here at the White House that day feel strongly about honoring
those who gave their lives that day on Flight 93, particularly given the
fact that most of us view that as saving the lives of those who were
here at the White House that day," he said.
At
4:30 pm (2030 GMT), the Bushes will lay a wreath at "Ground
Zero," now cleared of the rubble of the twin World Trade Center
towers, which collapsed shortly after the stolen jets were used as
missiles by the hijackers.
In
a speech set to start at 9:01 pm (0101 GMT), Bush "will honor those
whose lives were lost, in a respectful and solemn way," said
McClellan. The deadly attacks, the worst ever on U.S. soil, left 3,052
dead.
White
House press secretary Ari Fleischer promised a "respectful, solemn
tribute to those who lost their lives on the attack on our country on
Sept. 11 ... words of thanks and love to the families of those whose
relatives were taken from us."
"And
I think it will be a reminder of the importance of liberty, and how our
United States stands strong throughout the world in promoting
liberty," the spokesman added.
"He
will also talk about the task that lies ahead as we continue defending
freedom and honoring those who gave their lives that day," added
McClellan.
