By Catherine Tsounis
“In death a hero, as in life a friend,” said Alexander pope, a 17th century poet, who quoted the Iliad of homer. Mourners expressed these thoughts at the 6th Anniversary of the World Trade Center Catastrophe on Tuesday morning, September 11, 2007. The ceremony was moved from ground zero to Zuccotti Park. The former World Trade Center site is filled with construction equipment. Work is underway for four new towers.

Police lines shut off traffic and controlled pedestrian access to the event. An area supervised by the police was reserved for invited dignitaries and local elected officials. Thousands of family members descended briefly below street level to lay flower sat a spot near the fallen towers. The police lines provided safety and order in an atmosphere of safety. National Intelligence Director, Mike McConnell said Tuesday that t US authorities are worried about would be terrorist cells. Vigilance by police predominated throughout the day.

The 6th Anniversary of 9/11 was marked by presidential politics and the health of ground zero workers. Firefighters, first responders, city workers who participated in the cleanup, construction workers, medical examiner officials who recovered remains and volunteers who helped serve meals at a church across from ground zero, read the victims names for the first time. Many rescuers suffer from respiratory problems and cancers related to the siteʼs toxic dust. A victim who suffered 9/11, but died five months later of lung disease connected to the dust she inhaled, was added to the official roll. New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and others attended. The total number of persons killed at the World Trade center site is 2,750 that do not include the 19 hijackers. More than 7,000 persons were injured.

The World Trade Center was a former building complex in lower Manhattan, New York City, consisting of seven buildings and a shopping concourse on a 16-acre (6.5-hectare) site; it was destroyed by a terrorist attack in Sept., 2001. Prior to its destruction, the World Trade Center had been the worldʼs largest commercial complex, home to many businesses, government agencies, and international trade organizations. Most prominent among its structures were the 110-story rectangular twin towers, one rising to 1,362 ft (415 m) and the other to 1,368 ft (417 m), with floors roughly an acre in size.