Nation Marks Sept. 11 with Acts of Volunteerism

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

Nation marks Sept. 11 with acts of volunteerism

By SUZANNE MA, Associated Press Writer – 37 mins ago

NEW YORK – The selfless spirit that helped mend a stricken nation eight years ago was renewed. Volunteers marked 9/11 Friday by tilling gardens, writing letters to soldiers, setting out flags — and, at ground zero, by joining the somber ritual of reading the names of the lost.

President Barack Obama, who observed his first Sept. 11 as president by declaring it a national day of service, laid a wreath Friday at the Pentagon and, with wife Michelle, helped paint the living room of a Habitat for Humanity house in Washington. "We honor all those who gave their lives so that others might live, and all the survivors who battled burns and wounds and helped each other rebuild their lives," Obama said. He said the day was meant also as a tribute to the "service of a new generation."

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton received a standing ovation from Sept. 11 family members and volunteers at a tribute to the first National Day of Service and Remembrance at Manhattan's Beacon Theatre on Friday night. "September 11 will always be a day that represents humanity at its worst and humanity at its best," Clinton said as she thanked the audience for ushering in a new era of service.
In an annual tradition, two bright blue beams of light rose from lower Manhattan in memory of the fallen towers on Friday night.

Across the country, Americans marked the anniversary with service projects. Volunteers in Boston stuffed packages for military personnel overseas. In Tennessee and West Virginia, they distributed donated food for the needy. Community volunteers in Maine worked on a garden and picnic area for families transitioning out of homelessness.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090912/ap_on_re_us/us_sept11_anniversary

[Oregone]

1. Go figure

I sat around and drank beer...in a different country