Remembers the victims of September 11th at the September 11th national commemorative ceremony

A heavy silence fell on the September 11th Memorial, as thousands of people gathered in lower Manhattan on Tuesday to remember the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The procession began with the American flag worn on the ground by uniformed police and firefighters just before 8:45 am and the singing of the national anthem.

The families of those who died made photos and placards as the bell rang at 8:46 am to commemorate the moment when the first plane trapped by the terrorists hit the north tower of the Twin Towers.

Sgt. Edwin Morales, a member of the army reserve, was in uniform and wore a framed photo collage of his cousin, firefighter Ruben Correa, who was killed at the 3 World Trade Center hotel.

The collage was made by a Maryland student for a class project and was presented to Sgt. Morales Tuesday morning.

"He's with us now," Morales said of his cousin. "Never forget this day. Never forget someone who has died. "

The crowd included many dignitaries including Mayor Bill de Blasio, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Representative Peter King. There was a moment of silence to mark the moment when the first plane hit the north tower.

Relatives of the victims of the attacks began reading the names, in alphabetical order, of the women, men and children who died 17 years ago.

The 2,983 names read will also include those who died in the Pentagon and aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The names of the six victims of the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center will also be read.

The readings will be temporarily suspended five times – at 9:03 am, to observe the moment when United Airlines 175 hit the south tower; at 9:37 am, at which time Flight 77 from American Airlines hit the Pentagon; at 9:59, the time when the south tower collapsed; at 10:03, when the United Airlines 93 flight crashed; and at 10:28, the time when the north tower collapsed.

In addition to the service at Memorial Plaza, other ceremonies will be held at the Sculpture "Postcards" on Staten Island, which contains the names of all residents of Staten Island killed in the terrorist attacks, the Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance and the 9/11 Tribute Park in Rockaway.