9/11 remembered simply in America But for the first time elected officials made no speeches in New York, and President Barack Obama chose only to make an appearance at the Pentagon Ceremony to speak a few words. After last year's 10th anniversary there was a palpable feeling it might be time to move on, and it appears this is what has happened, with much lower-key events in all three crash locations. Tragedy has brought us together. I have always said that our fight is with Al Qaeda and its affiliates and not with Islam or any other religion. This country was built as a beacon of freedom and tolerance. That's what made us strong - now and forever," said Obama at the Pentagon. None of this means the ceremonies are any less moving, or the sense of loss felt by surviving family members any less quick. The annual reading of the names at Ground Zero is taking on a ceremony and mystique all of its own, the rollcall getting no shorter as the years pass, and which will survive long after the relatives who remember them are gone. More about: 9/11, Anniversary, Ceremony, Terrorism, USA