Vivid memories, deep pain

NEW YORK - Life in lower Manhattan resembled any ordinary day Wednesday as workers rushed to their jobs in the muggy heat, but time stood still at the World Trade Center site while families wept for loved ones who perished 12 years ago.

For the families, the memories of that day are still vivid, the pain still acute. Some who read the names of a beloved big brother or a cherished daughter could hardly speak through their tears.

"Has it really been 12 years? Or 12 days? Sometimes it feels the same," said Michael Fox, speaking aloud to his brother, Jeffrey, who died in the South Tower.

On the memorial plaza overlooking two reflecting pools in the imprint of the twin towers, relatives recited the names of the nearly 3,000 people who died when hijacked jets crashed into the towers, the Pentagon, and in a field near Shanksville, Pa. They also recognized the victims of the 1993 Trade Center bombing.

Bells tolled to mark the planes' hitting the towers and the moments when the skyscrapers fell. "Tribute in Light" searchlights, turned on at sunset, illuminated the skies where the towers stood.

In Washington, President Obama, Michelle Obama, Vice President Biden and Jill Biden walked out to the White House's South Lawn for a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. - the time the first plane hit the North Tower.

"Our hearts still ache for the futures snatched away, the lives that might have been," Obama said.

A moment of silence was also held at the Capitol.

But as leaders commemorated victims, tensions over Syria, Libya, and other hot spots reminded Americans how that day 12 years ago sparked a new, troubled era that is still playing out in American politics.

Obama, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, House Speaker John A. Boehner and others noted that the terrorist attacks have taken almost 10,000 American lives - the 2,996 who died in New York, outside Washington, and in Pennsylvania, plus thousands who have fallen in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"Today, we remember not only those who died that September day," Obama said as he laid a wreath at the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon. "We pay solemn tribute to more than 6,700 patriots who have given their full measure since, military and civilians."

Boehner, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and other Republicans criticized Obama for the failure to find and punish the perpetuators of the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.

"It is disgraceful that one year later, even though a number of terrorists who participated in this attack have been identified, not a single one has been brought to justice," Boehner said. "For the past year, this administration has failed to provide sufficient answers, fully comply with [congressional] subpoenas and make available relevant individuals to provide testimony."

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. did not respond to the barb, but he did include the names of the four Americans who died in Benghazi in a sweeping homage to terrorism's victims.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid laid down his own partisan marker during a Senate speech in which he segued from remembering the 9/11 victims to challenging members of Congress to back Obama's plan to punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for his alleged use of chemical weapons.

In New York, away from the politics, loved ones milled around the memorial site, making rubbings of names, putting flowers by the names of victims and weeping, arm-in-arm. Former New York Gov. George Pataki, Gov. Christie, and others were in attendance. As with last year, no politicians spoke. Mayor Michael Bloomberg watched the ceremony for his final time in office.

Carol Eckna recalled the contagious laugh of her son, Paul Robert Eckna, who was killed in the North Tower.

"Just yesterday, you were 28," she said. "Today, you are 40. You are forever young. Dad and I are proud to be your parents."

By next year's anniversary, a 9/11 museum is expected to be open beneath the memorial plaza in New York City. While the memorial honors those killed, the museum is intended to present a broader picture.

"As things evolve in the future, the focus on the remembrance is going to stay sacrosanct," memorial president Joe Daniels said.

Douglas Hamatie, whose 31-year-old cousin, Robert Horohoe, worked for Cantor Fitzgerald and died on 9/11, drew applause from the crowd when he declared that the day should become a national holiday.

"The kids today, they know when the next iPhone's coming out, and they know when the next Justin Bieber concert is, but they don't know enough about 9/11," he said. "So let's change that, please."

Boston: A bravery award named after a 9/11 flight attendant was given to Carlos Arredondo, a Boston Marathon spectator who aided a man who lost both legs in the Boston blast.

London: British Princes William and Harry participated in

a charity event organized by Cantor Fitzgerald,

which lost 658 employees at

the World

Trade Center.

Appleton, Newfoundland: A monument made from a piece of Trade Center steel was unveiled to mark the area's role in helping stranded air passengers after the attacks.

Kabul, Afghanistan: 300 U.S. and other troops met at Bagram Airfield for a ceremony for those lost.

Israel:

At a Navy graduation ceremony, President Shimon Peres paid tribute to 9/11 victims, saying, "The mourning of the United States

of America is

also the mourning of Israel."

Tirana, Albania: The prime minister- elect began a policy address

to parliament

by noting the 9/11 attacks. "Sept. 11 dead are our dead, too," he said.

- APEndText