America stands tall and America stands proud': Obama pays tribute to the strength of families who lost loved ones in 9/11 on the 13th anniversary of the attacks

President Obama led the tributes to the nearly 3,000 people who died on September 11, 2001 as he spoke outside the Pentagon on Thursday - and vowed to make American even stronger
A name-reading ceremony is underway at Memorial Plaza in Manhattan for victims' families and survivors
A ceremony of remembrance will also take place at Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania
Memorial Plaza will be open to the public for the first time on September 11
The Tribune in Light - two beams of light marking where the towers once stood - will illuminate the skies over the Financial District from sunset to early Friday on morning

President Obama has led moving tributes to the nearly 3,000 victims of 9/11 as America marks the 13th anniversary of the terror attacks.

As victims' relatives gathered at the World Trade Center site for the traditional name reading ceremony on Thursday morning, in Washington D.C. Obama spoke solemnly outside the Pentagon, where 184 people lost their lives.

'It has now been 13 years,' Obama said. 'Thirteen years since the peace of an American morning was broken; thirteen years since nearly 3,000 beautiful people were taken from us; thirteen years of moments they would have shared with us; thirteen years of memories they would have made.'

But he paid tribute to the strength and the endurance of the families, survivors and Pentagon personnel who returned to work the next day, more determined than ever to keep America strong.

'As Americans, we draw strength from you,' he said. 'Your love is the ultimate rebuke to the hatred of those who attacked us that bright, blue morning... America stands tall and America stands proud... We will only grow stronger.'

Tribute: President Barack Obama, flanked by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, left, and Joint Chefs Chairman General Martin Dempsey, speaks at the Pentagon on Thursday as he marks the 13th anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001. He paid tribute to the strength of the victims' families and loved ones

Somber: President Obama, his wife Michelle and Vice President Joe Biden led the moment of silence in remembrance for 9/11 outside the White House on Thursday

Reflection: The Obamas' moment of silence marked 13 years since 2,977 innocent victims perished in four coordinated terrorist attacks across the U.S.

Ceremony: Following his speech, Obama laid a wreath outside the Pentagon to mark the 13th anniversary

The ceremonies came just hours after Obama said he would open a new military front in the Middle East — authorizing airstrikes inside Syria along with expanded strikes in Iraq as part of 'a steady, relentless effort' to root out Islamic State extremists.

In New York, emotional relatives read the names of every single person who died in the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and inside the doomed planes - including Flight 93 that went down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The ceremony started at 8.46am, marking the moment the first plane hit the north tower.

The sad roll call paused only four times: to mark the times when the first plane struck the World Trade Center, when the second plane struck, when the first tower fell and when the second tower fell.

Adriana Fiori, reading her father Paul's name, wept.

'You put me to bed 13 years ago not knowing it would be your last time,' she said. 'I miss you so much, Daddy.'

Joanne Barbara, whose husband of 30 years, Gerard Barbara, was a FDNY captain who died, urged all to feel for not only the lost but 'those who continue to suffer from the aftermath'.

'May God bless America, and may we never, never forget,' she said.

At the ceremony, Thelma Stuart, whose husband, Walwyn Wellington Stuart Jr., 28, was a Port Authority Police Department officer, said the nation should pray for its leaders, 'that God will grant them wisdom, knowledge and understanding on directing them on moving forward'.

Today is the first time the The National September 11 Museum - which includes gut-wrenching artifacts and graphic photos of the attacks - will be open to the public on an anniversary. Fences around the memorial plaza have come down, opening it up to the public and camera-wielding tourists.

The memorial plaza will be closed to the public for most of the day and available only to family members. It will reopen at 6pm, at which point thousands of New Yorkers are expected to mark the anniversary at the twin reflecting pools where the towers once stood.

Silence: Members of the New York Police Department, Fire Department of New York and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department carry an American flag at the beginning of the memorial observances on the 13th anniversary of the terror attacks in New York on Thursday

Heartbroken: In New York, Paola Braut, of Belgium, kisses a photograph of her son Patrice along the edge of the North Pool during memorial observances

Everyday fight: Mrs Braut holds a photograph of Patrice, her only son after three failed pregnancies. Patrice worked in technology at the World Trade Center

Pained: In New York, Maria Cioccone places a flower in the inscribed name of her son Alex along the edge of the North Pool during memorial services on Thursday

Loved: In New York, white roses are placed in an inscribed name along the edge of the North Pool during memorial observances

Overcome: A woman pauses at the edge of the North Pool during memorial observances on the 13th anniversary of the terror attacks

Sadness: A woman places a flower on one of the benches of the Pentagon Memorial at the Pentagon ahead of Obama's wreath-laying ceremony

Love: A woman places flowers in the inscribed name of Sicilian-born Lucia Crifasi, who had been on the 94th floor, along the edge of the North Pool on Thursday

Prayers: Albert Biatta, of Queens, New York, prays while standing front of the inscribed name of his uncle Antoine Biatta at the edge of the North Pool

As they head to the museum, two blue columns of light representing the towers will illuminate the skies over Lower Manhattan in a vivid tribute. This Tribute in Light will shine through the night, beginning at sundown Thursday and ending early Friday.

Rebuilding efforts at the site, where 2,753 people died, are nearing completion. The area, by turns a smoldering grave and an off-limits construction site for more than a decade, is now increasingly reconnected with the streets.

In May, when the museum opened in a ceremony attended by President Obama, the fences that had surrounded the plaza for years disappeared, as did the need for visitors to obtain a timed ticket. Now, thousands of people freely visit every day, from cellphone-toting travelers to workers on a lunch break, and those crowds will only swell further this year when One World Trade Center finally opens.

'The memorial and museum is extremely important to those impacted on 9/11,' said Mary Fetchet, whose son died in the attacks. 'And surrounding that memorial, lower Manhattan has been revitalized.'

But for some who lost loved ones in the attacks, the increasing feel of a return to normalcy in the area threatens to obscure the tragedy that took place there and interfere with their grief.

Gathered: Joseph Visciano, 12, hugs his mother Judy Visciano whose brother-in-law Joseph died, as they attend the traditional name-reading ceremony in Manhattan

Never forgetting: Port Authority Police Assistant Chief Norma Hardy rings the bell to signify the collapse of the first tower at the site of the World Trade Center

Struggle: A woman mourns for Hector Tamayo, an engineer from the Philippines who died when the second tower collapsed. He was one of 20 Filipinos who died

Remembering: NJ Governor Chris Christie comforts his wife Mary Pat as they hear relatives read the names. Right, Faye Kane, who lost her 26-year-old daughter Jennifer in the attacks, wipes away a tear, while she is comforted by her friend Diana Hunt, who lost her 32-year-old son William Christopher

Eileen Esquilin hugs her husband Joe Irizarry while mourning the loss of her brother, 35-year-old sports lover and maintenance worker Ruben Esquilin Jr

Crowds: Firefighter bagpipers attend a ceremony at the 9/11 memorial in Exchange Place, New Jersey

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giulianiis accompanied by unidentified officials as he visits South Tower during the memorial observances

Family and friends of the 40 passengers and crew of Flight 93 walk past the Wall of Names at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania

Keith E. Newlin of the National Park Service rings one of the bells of remembrance during a Service of Remembrance at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville

Breathtaking: The Tribute in Light rises behind the Brooklyn Bridge and buildings adjacent to the World Trade Center complex on Wednesday evening

Never forget: Relatives of victims will come together at the 9/11 Memorial Plaza for a somber name-reading ceremony

New beginning: Until a few months ago, the part of New York where crowds will gather on Thursday to mark the 13th anniversary had been mostly fenced off

'Instead of a quiet place of reflection, it's where kids are running around,' said Nancy Nee, whose firefighter brother, George Cain, was killed in the attacks. 'Some people forget this is a cemetery. I would never go to the Holocaust museum and take a selfie.'

Painful memories linger. Franklin Murray of New York wore a shirt with a photo of his brother, Harry Glen, who worked at Cantor Fitzgerald, one of the companies that lost the most workers.

'Coming down to the area is rough,' he said.He said it gave him a 'funny feeling"' to know there was now a memorial. He has come to the ceremony before but 'before it was getting harder, so I forced myself to get down here'.

For others, the changes to the area are an important part of the healing process.

'When I first saw (One World Trade Center), it really made my heart sing,' said Debra Burlingame, whose brother Charles Burlingame was the pilot of the plane that crashed into the Pentagon. 'It does every time I see it because it's so symbolic of what the country went through.'

'I want to see it bustling,' she said. 'I want to see more housing down there; I want to see it alive and bursting with businesses.'

Although the reconstruction has been plagued by delays, two of the new skyscrapers built around the site of the fallen twin towers are now open, while 1 World Trade Center, the tallest skyscraper in the Western hemisphere, is due to open later this year.

Some 300 miles southwest of Lower Manhattan, mourners will converge on the half-finished Flight 93 National Memorial, which marks the spot where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed after passengers fought back against hijackers. All 33 passengers and seven crew members were killed.

Gordon Felt, president of the Families of Flight 93 support group, said the spot is a living memorial to those who died and brings peace to a place where violence occurred. Felt's oldest brother, Edward, 41, was among the passengers who died in the crash.

‘It helps one understand the juxtaposition of violence and peacefulness,’ Felt said of the memorial, and more specifically, the visitor center and learning center being built on a plateau overlooking the crash site. ‘It's not just a 93-foot statue in the middle of the field. It's a living memorial.’

Standing strong: United States Navy veteran Richard Fill, of Easton, Pennsylvania, looks up at 1 World Trade Center during a moment of silence

Tammi Powlen-Beck, from Bayonne, New Jersey, sits with her daughters Lauren, one, front right, and Jenna, three, at the Empty Sky Memorial at Liberty State Park

Struggle: Janice Lynch, of Queens, becomes emotional as she pauses at the inscription of her friend Patricia Massani's name at the North Pool

Tribute: Anthony DeBlase and his mother Anita hold a piece of paper as Alexandra DeBlase makes a rubbing of the name of their lost loved one James V DeBlase

Tough: Belynda Adams (left) wipes her face as she remembers her father, 61-year-old Patrick Adams, who died working as a security officer for Fuji Bank

Emotional: Sam Pulia, mayor of Westerchester, Illinois, and a former police officer, salutes the name of his cousin, New York firefighter Thomas Anthony Casoria, who was killed in the South Tower, prior to the the memorial observances held at the site of the World Trade Center in New York on Thursday

From strength to strength: People pause near the 9/11 Memorial site during memorial observances as One World Trade Center stands behind

Tribute: A large American flag is unfurled at the Pentagon on Thursday morning. A ceremony will be held there later on Thursday

The Congressional Gold Medal, the nation's highest civilian award, honoring the passengers and crew who were aboard that flight, will go on public display for the first time Thursday, the National Park Service said.

Jeff Reinbold, the superintendent of the memorial, and Keith Newlin, his deputy, said it was important to the National Park Service for the memorial to give visitors multiple vistas from which to reflect on the events of that day, as well as a way to learn more about the crash.

A memorial plaza was completed in time for the 10th anniversary. It features a white stone wall with separate panels for each victim, with one name engraved on each. The wall traces the path of the doomed flight, and along with 40 groves of 40 trees are a way to focus attention on the crash site and the victims' memories.

The centers under construction during the media tour are ‘more about how do we keep the story alive for future generations,’ Reinbold said.

Newlin said the visitor center's structure should be complete by June, which will give park officials three months to install exhibits in time to open for the 14th anniversary of the crash.

The visitor center will have a window overlooking the crash site in the distance, Newlin said, ‘so people may not have to go to the crash site if they don't feel they can handle it.’

Patriotic: Residents and guests stand by a sea of American flags during a memorial in Matthews, North Carolina on Thursday

Fallen: A card honoring attack victim Jennifer Kane sits at the 9/11 Memorial in the Public Gardens during a ceremony in Boston commemorating the anniversary

Ceremony: Petty Officer 1st Class Trevor Spaulding, right, plays 'Taps' at the Veterans Memorial Wall in Jacksonville, Florida on Thursday

Remembering abroad: US Marine Sgt. Courtney Jones, from Palm Springs, California, is pictured with an Israeli solder as they carry a wreath towards the memorial for the '9/11' victims during a ceremony marking the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, held near Motza, Israel, just west of Jerusalem

Augusta Richmond County Firefighters bow their heads during a moment of prayer at a remembrance ceremony honoring victims in Augusta, Georgia

Quiet: Joseph Eck, left, a student at the West Side Career and Technology center in Pringle, Pennsylvania carries a wreath during a ceremony on Thursday, while his classmates, right, present colors at the event

Taking a moment: TSA officer Alma Pryor reads as TSA officials hold a brief memorial at the Corpus Christi International Airport in Corpus Christi, Texas

The Atlanta Police Department Honor Guard stands at rest under a large American flag during a memorial service on Thursday morning

The building will also have a gap in it, also offering a vista on the crash site. Newlin said architect Paul Murdoch designed the memorial so visitors can pause at various spots to view the site from the rolling fields that surround it, which help focus on the deeper meaning of the park.

Murdoch wanted visitors ‘to have as many opportunities to reflect on what happened here, and the healing nature of the site,’ Newlin said.

The visitor center's concrete walls are being formed with molds that make the exterior look like the hemlock wood used on the sides of barns that dot the rural valley so the center fits with the landscape, Newlin said.

The earlier phase of the memorial, including the stone plaza wall and access roads, cost about $20.5million. The visitor and learning centers are earmarked at between $17million and $23million, Newlin said.

Still to be completed are a 93-foot tall tower with 40 wind chimes near the park's entrance. The tower and other access roads should cost another $3million to $5million, with the total cost of the park at about $60 million, Newlin said. The government spent another $10million for the land.

In Washington DC on Thursday, the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial will be closed to the public until 11am for a private service for the victims’ families, which will begin at 9.30am. The commemoration will be hosted by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey, with President Barack Obama scheduled to deliver an address.

This little light of mine: 40 lights, in memory of the 40 passengers and crew of Flight 93, are carried to the Wall of Names at the memorial in Shanksville on Wednesday

Still healing: Rick Sarmiento, center, hugs Karen Bingham, left, and Nancy Root, right, during a visit to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville

Memorials: A firefighter looks at a memorial mural on the outside of firehouse Engine 10 Company 10 adjacent to the World Trade Center in New York. Three hundred and forty three New York firefighters were killed in the terrorist attacks

Presenting colors: Visitors to the Flight 93 National Memorial hold a giant flag as they participate in a sunset memorial service Wednesday

Sarah Kowalczyk, 6, from Lake Village, Indiana, helps hold up the giant flag

Master of ceremonies: Keith E. Newlin of the National Park Service leads a tour of the construction site of the Flight 93 Visitors Center Complex overlooking the crash site