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Obama pays respects to victims of 9/11

WASHINGTON — Vowing to never falter in the pursuit of al-Qaida and its allies, President Barack Obama placed a wreath under rainy skies at the Pentagon in memory of the victims of 9/11 on the eighth anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

“Let us renew our resolve against those who perpetrated this barbaric act and who plot against us still,” Obama said. “In defense of our nation, we will never waver.”

Obama said the strongest rebuke against the terrorist attackers is the nation’s renewal of a common purpose. Following the ceremony, the president and first lady Michelle Obama, along with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, greeted families of the victims of the Pentagon, where 184 people died.

The Obamas attended the ceremony after observing a White House moment of silence at precisely 8:46 a.m., the moment the first jetliner struck the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. About 150 White House staffers stood in silence around the Obamas.

“No turning of the season can diminish the pain and the loss of that day,” Obama said at the Pentagon as raindrops splattered his suit jacket. “No passage of time and no dark skies can ever dull the meaning of this moment.”

About 500 people attended the Pentagon observance, including families of the victims and survivors of the Pentagon attack. In New York, Vice President Joseph Biden laid flowers at the memorial at the site of the World Trade Center attack.

Remembering Sept. 11

• View photos, video of memorial’s opening