Somber

Obama Lays Wreath at Ground Zero

"When we say we will never forget, we mean what we say.”

President Obama laid a wreath Thursday at the site of the Twin Towers in New York to honor the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The trip to the city was his first following the death of Osama bin Laden as well as his first visit to ground zero since taking office. He also laid a wreath at the Survivor’s Tree, which was damaged during the attacks, but was ultimately saved from the surrounding rubble. Obama also stopped by a Lower Manhattan police station, went to a fire station that lost 15 firefighters on 9/11, and met privately with victims’ families. "When we say we will never forget, we mean what we say," he said at the firehouse, not mentioning bin Laden. White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama’s visit was intended to mark a "cathartic moment for the American people."