12 Years: 9-11

From USA Today:
"Sept. 11 remembrances still take many forms"

Sept. 11, 2001, was Valerie Sanetrik's 10th birthday. Mom Denise Morris had a party planned, with cake ready. Then came the devastating news that terrorists had hijacked four planes and killed thousands of people. Any idea of celebrating fell by the wayside. While discussing the postponement of the birthday fete, Val asked about the victims who "will never get to have another birthday," Morris recalls. So the family made a decision: They would still have a birthday gathering, albeit a smaller, more somber one, and instead of just marking Val's birthday, they would also light candles on the cake for those who were killed. Every year since then, the family has gathered on Sept. 11, with one cake and candles for Val and another cake and candles dedicated to those who lost their lives. "We all celebrate her birthday," Morris says. "And we all celebrate all of their birthdays." The 12th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks will be marked by formal events such as public readings of victims' names, wreath-laying ceremonies and charity fundraisers. But across the country, there will also be countless modest actions to honor the heroes and memorialize the victims of that day, such as a family in Norfolk, Va., blowing out the candles on a special cake. People will donate blood, fly American flags, attend religious services and take baked goods to firehouses. They will spend extra time with family, give money to charity and volunteer at soup kitchens. Some who take these small but significant actions have a direct link to the horrors of Sept. 11, such as losing a loved one. Others don't have a close connection but want to commemorate the day. Nearly half of Americans plan to observe this anniversary in an informal way, such as saying a prayer or taking a moment of silence, according to a new American Pulse survey. Thirteen percent will do it in a more formal manner such as attending a memorial service. Even with the passage of time, the desire to recognize each anniversary remains strong, says David Paine, president and co-founder of the 9/11 Day Observance. His organization encourages people to perform a good deed in tribute to the victims. For this Sept. 11, more than 20,000 people have made such a pledge on the group's 911Day.org website. The 9/11 Day Observance expects to have more than 40,000 pledges by the end of the day Wednesday. "The reason you see this outpouring of support with Sept. 11 is that the entire country feels like they were victims," Paine says. "They are trying to find a way to pay respects and find a way to regain control over what they felt." Those who volunteer or do some other constructive deed want "to take what was painful and turn it into a positive experience," he says. The homage on Sept. 11 — deemed by Congress a "National Day of Service and Remembrance" — is varied. Some people take brownies to a firehouse or clothes to the needy. Others give something more personal: their blood. The New York Blood Center says Sept. 11 is a popular day for people to show up to make donations. The numbers aren't as plentiful as they were in 2001, 2002 and 2003 — at 6,103, 3,599 and 3,150 respectively — but they are higher than normal.

^ I have written about my personal experiences as well as what my family went through on 9-11. I haven't found many articles on commemorating the attacks, but this one seemed fitting. I got the picture from Facebook. I saw on TV the other day about the 9-11 Museum that will open next year. It seems like it will be a good museum that will show the whole story of what happened 12 years ago. One thing that is a concern is that with every year there are those that were either too young or not yet born to remember 9-11. That is a good and a bad thing. It is good because they didn't have the personal memory of seeing the attacks unfold. It is bad because it only becomes a part of history that they will have to learn. Some 12 year olds were asked what 9-11 was and they said it had something to do with September 2011 and not September 11, 2001 (and those in foreign countries said it dealt with November 9th because they write the date differently.) It must be a difficult job for teachers around the country (and the world) to teach their students about what happened  - it must be hard especially since they (the teachers) have a first-hand account of seeing the attacks live either in NYC or the Pentagon or on TV. ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/09/sept-11-anniversary/2774173/