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The names of the dead — some read by weeping children too young to remember the day that would change their lives forever — yesterday echoed around the dazzling new memorial to the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.
It was the 10th annual pilgrimage to Ground Zero for some of the families — but at times, it was as emotional as if Sept. 11, 2001, were only yesterday.
“I love you for loving the idea of having me,” said 9-year-old Nicholas Gorki, addressing his dad, Sebastion, who died while his mom was pregnant, after reading his father’s name during the traditional tribute to victims.
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Standing at the newly unveiled National September 11 Memorial, where the 2,983 World Trace Center victims’ names are inscribed in bronze, the young boy added, “You gave me the gift of life, and I wish you could be here to enjoy having it with me.”
An emotional Peter Negron, 21, told a hushed crowd after reading the name of his father, Pete, a Port Authority manager, “I have stopped crying, but I have not stopped missing my dad.
“My brother, Austin, had just turned 2 when he passed. I’ve tried to teach him all the things my father taught me: How to catch a baseball, how to ride, to always work hard in school. My dad always said how important it was.”
He left the podium to applause from President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush.
The four were standing safely behind panes of bulletproof glass — a reminder of the security concerns that surrounded the solemn day of remembrance.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear,” Obama read from Psalm 46.
Bush read a letter written by Abraham Lincoln to a widow who had lost five sons in the Civil War.
Mayor Bloomberg opened the ceremony with one of several moments of silence to mark the times of terror strikes in New York, Shanksville, Pa., and at the Pentagon, as well as when the Twin Towers collapsed.
For many first responders, it was a day of frustration.
City officials declared that there was no room for them at the site this year, so they held their own tribute nearby.
And about 300 mourners showed up at Engine Co. 54/Ladder Co. 4/Battalion 9 to honor its 15 lost men — the most of any firehouse in the city.
Additional reporting by Helen Freund, Hannah Rappleye and Cathy Burke