President and First Lady, Vice President and Dr. Biden to Commemorate 9/11 and National Day of Service and Remembrance

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Saturday, September 11th, President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Biden and Dr. Biden will mark the ninth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks at the Pentagon, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania and in Lower Manhattan.

On Saturday morning, President Obama will observe a moment of silence at 8:46 AM at the White House. The President will then deliver remarks and participate in a wreath laying ceremony and moment of silence at the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington to mark the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. To mark the National Day of Service and Remembrance, the President will participate in a service activity in the Washington, DC area. The Pentagon event is open to pre-credentialed media; the deadline to request credentials has passed. The moment of silence observed at the White House will be closed press.

The First Lady will be the keynote speaker at the memorial ceremony in honor of the passengers and crew of United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, along with Mrs. Laura Bush. The event is being hosted by the National Park Foundation and will also include Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. United Flight 93 crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001, after the 40 passengers and crew fought back against terrorists attempting to attack our nation’s capital.

To mark the National Day of Service and Remembrance, the First Lady will accompany Mission Serve, the civilian-military service initiative that she and Dr. Biden helped launch last Veterans Day, at a renovation service project for the Vinson Hall Retirement Community’s community center in McLean, Virginia. Vinson Hall is supported by the Navy Marine Coast Guard Residence Foundation, and among its residents include Navy Veterans of the Attack on Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway. Retired military residents of the Vinson Center will be volunteering alongside active-duty members of the military, wounded warriors, and George Washington University students to renovate the Center. Both events with the First Lady are open to pre-credentialed media; the deadline to request credentials has passed.

The Vice President and Dr. Biden will remember those lost and honor our 9/11 heroes at New York City’s September 11th Commemoration Ceremony at Zuccotti Park. For further guidance on the event, media credentialing and logistics, please go to www.nyc.gov/mediaadvisory.

Afterwards, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will participate in a service activity in the New York City area.

The National Day of Service and Remembrance was developed by 9/11 families and established into law by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which President Obama signed in April 2009. The most sweeping overhaul and expansion of national service programs in 18 years, the Serve America Act will triple the size of AmeriCorps and strengthen service opportunities for Americans at all stages of their lives.