Remembering 9/11: Obama Proclaims Sept. 7-9 as National Days of Prayer and Remembrance

(Photo Credit: Chuck Kennedy/White House)President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, along with former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush, pause at the North Memorial Pool of the National September 11 Memorial in New York, N.Y., on the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks against the United States, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011. The North Memorial pool sits in the footprint of the north tower, formerly 1 World Trade Center.

President Barack Obama on Friday proclaimed September 7 to 9 as National Days of Prayer and Remembrance as the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2011 attacks approaches.

"I ask that the people of the United States honor and remember the victims of September 11, 2001, and their loved ones through prayer, contemplation, memorial services, the visiting of memorials, the ringing of bells, evening candlelight remembrance vigils, and other appropriate ceremonies and activities. I invite people around the world to participate in this commemoration," Obama wrote.

The president also remarked on the nation's diversity and unity during the time of the attacks.

"On September 11, 2001, in our hour of grief, a Nation came together. No matter where we came from, what God we prayed to, or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family. This weekend, as we honor the memory of those we have lost, let us summon that spirit once more. Let us renew our sense of common purpose. And let us reaffirm the bond we share as a people: that out of many, we are one," he added.

He said the legacy of September 11 was one of rescue workers rushing to the scene, and those who served in the Armed Forces during war since that time.

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