Editorial: Dignified memorial servicefor 9/11
Names of those killed on 9/11 are seen around a memorial pool at the National September 11 Memorial at the World Trade Center site. (Sept. 11, 2011) Credit: Getty Images
Tuesday is the 11th anniversay of the 9/11 attacks, but the commemoration will be different this time. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum has decided to limit the ceremony to family members reading the names of the victims.
There's an elegant simplicity to that approach, even if it weren't a presidential election year. No speeches or readings by elected officials are needed. Stripping the program to its essence eliminates any danger the event will be politicized.
As in the past, participants will pause six times, representing the moments each tower was hit and then fell, and when the Pentagon and Flight 93 were attacked.
Befitting the occasion, the ceremony will be simple, solemn and profound. That's all that's needed to remind of us of what we can't forget.
