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NEW YORK (AP) - Visitors are entering New York City's 9/11 memorial for the first time as the site at ground zero opened its doors to the public. The first visitors passed through metal detec… Click to Read More and see additional updates

NEW YORK (AP) - Visitors are entering New York City's 9/11 memorial for the first time as the site at ground zero opened its doors to the public. The first visitors passed through metal detectors Monday morning and started making their way to the huge square fountains at the center of the 8-acre memorial plaza.

Bronze plates around the fountains feature the names of the 2,977 people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, as well as the six who died in the bombing of the trade center in 1993.

Visitors have to register for tickets online. Some 7,000 people had tickets to visit Monday.

About 400,000 have registered to visit during the coming months. Families of victims had been able to visit the memorial Sunday, but Monday was the first time the public was allowed in.

News 5 hosted a 9/11 remembrance forum to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Click the video to view the forum as it aired during Sunday night's special "9/11: America Remembers" broadcast.

Hundreds of brave first responders sprung into action on September 11, 2001--risking their lives to save others. We recently talked with a New York firefighter who remembers the pain and heroism as our nation was attacked.

Michael Bellantoni was asleep when the first plane crashed into World Trace Center in New York. His wife quickly woke him up. "Telling me a plane had accidentally flew into one of the twin towers," said Bellantoni. But Bellantoni and our nation soon realized this was no accident.

"We had two small children. We were watching it on television. The second plane hit and that's when I knew I was going to work that day," said Bellantoni.

Bellantoni is a New York firefighter. He was at ground zero 20 minutes after the second tower collapsed. "And obviously I was scared. Most guys don't admit that or won't admit that, but you just didn't know what you were getting into, that was the biggest thing," said Bellantoni.

Although afraid of the unkown, Bellantoni and many other first responders quickly responded to the scene."I'm what they call a good soldier. If you're told to do something you do it, and you just work around the difficulties," said Bellantoni.

As first responders rushed into the danger zone, some people ran in fear. But in those frantic moments, Bellantoni says he saw something remarkable happen. As first responders put out fires and helped victims he says ordinary civilians also stopped to help strangers. "You see how everybody came together. Everybody, did more than was expected," said Bellantoni.

It was the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil in history and rescuers soon faced a dim reality. Underneath the twisted metal and rubble lay hundreds of bodies. All told close to 3,000 people died in the 9/11 attacks, including 343 firefighters.

"The only reason the emergency service people stand out and I believe rightfully so, is because they ran in to get people out, so let's honor them, but let's honor and remember everybody," said Bellantoni. Bellantoni spread that message during a 9/11 memorial ceremony on Pueblo's riverwalk last month.

As we reflect on that fateful day 10 years later, Bellantoni thinks the most important lesson we can take away from the attacks is to remain vigilant. "That's the part that scares me is that everybody forgets that, there are people out there that hate our freedoms and they'll do anything to take that away," said Bellantoni.

Bellantoni planned to be at ground zero today to pay his respects. He's says it's a yearly tradition he plans to continue for the rest of his life.

Their lives and experiences are vastly different from one another, but they all have one thing in common -- each was deeply and personally affected by the attacks of September 11, 2001. Thirteen Southern Coloradans joined News 5's Zach Thaxton recently for an emotional forum to discuss the impact of 9/11 on their lives.

They range from a retired New York Fire Department battalion chief, to his grandson who was born as the towers collapsed, to a retired Navy Sea Lift commander, to a current commander at Cheyenne Mountain Air Station, to a former Colorado Springs television news director, to a woman who took one of the first harrowing flights from Denver to Washington, D.C. in the days after the attacks. Each of their stories of 9/11 is compelling and emotional and, for many of them, it's the first time they have spoken publicly about how deeply they were affected by the tragic events of that day.

Tonight on a special edition of News 5 following the conclusion of the Cowboys-Jets game on NBC, Nicole Vandeputte anchors Southern Colorado's poignant one-hour 9/11 retrospective. Join the "Where Were You?" conversation right now on Facebook (www.facebook.com/koaa) and your thought may be shared live on-air.

Honking fills the Academy and Galley intersection today as Criss Seal hold his American Flag high in the air.

As it flutters, he waves to drivers, and many of them honk back in acknowledgement.

He goes by the '9/11 flag guy,' and has raised his flag year after year since the terrorist attacks on American soil.

He's proud to be walking from corner to corner around the intersection on this day of remembrance and resurgence, and he believes it's a way to help the community come together.

Last year Seal says close to 200 came out to raise their flag with him. He hopes many will also join in the effort this year.

He walks from 6am until sun down and says he doesn't ever plan on stopping the tradition.

Former Governor Bill Ritter is speaking to the nearly thousand people who have come out to the memorial service.

SHANKSVILLE, Pa. (AP) - Hundreds of family members and friends of the 40 passengers and crew killed aboard United Flight 93 are gathering for a second day at the newly dedicated national park that marks the site where the hijacked jet crashed during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Sunday's memorial service joins those in New York City and Washington, D.C., where other hijacked jets crashed into both towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Vice President Joe Biden and former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were on hand Saturday to christen the Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville, about 60 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. President Barack Obama is expected to visit the Flight 93 site on Sunday, but the precise time of his arrival has not been announced.

A citizen lead 9-11 Commemorative Ceremony is about to begin at America the Beautiful Park in downtown Colorado Springs.

The event aims to solemnly and respectfully mark the 10 year anniversary of the terror attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in the skies above Pennsylvania.

Gen. Charles Jacoby, Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and US Northern Command, and Colorado Lieutenant Governor Joe Garcia will be among the dignitaries speaking at the event.

Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach will welcome the guest, fire department Chaplain Jerome Nixon will give the invocation and former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter will serve as master of ceremonies.

The event begins at 8:00 and can be viewed live on News 5 Now, and via online streaming.

Balloons were released prior to the memorial service at America the Beautiful park in Colorado Springs. Organizers are expecting at least one thousand in attendance for the 8:00 am service. Regards, Adam Knapik Photojournalist News First 5 Sent from my BlackBerry®

NEW YORK (AP) - The family members of people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks and the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center are remembering their loved ones at the newly opened Memorial Plaza at the World Trade Center site.

The city is observing the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks Sunday at the site. The centerpiece of the ceremony is the reading of the names of nearly 3,000 people who died in the attacks. It also includes six moments of silence, marking the times that each plane hit the towers; when each tower fell; and the attacks on the Pentagon and Flight 93. Houses of worship throughout the city were asked to toll their bells for the first moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., which marks when the first plane hit the North Tower.

The ceremony also serves as the memorial's official opening. The site opens to the public Monday. The memorial sits next to a construction project where office towers, a transportation hub and a cultural center are taking shape. The signature skyscraper, One World Trade Center, is rising quickly and will be the tallest in the country when completed.

Many of this year's incoming freshmen at the U.S. Air Force Academy were born in 1993; making them eight years old during the September 11th terrorist attack. One cadet pointed out that she didn't know exactly what was going on, but the panic and distress left an impact on her. All of the cadets at the Academy signed up for military service in a post-9/11 world.

On Friday the Air Force Academy dedicated a new memorial to those who lost their lives in the attacks.

The memorial is made up of two pieces of marble symbolizing the two towers, and in between them is an actual piece from one of the towers. They know it's a floor beam but they don't know from where. The base of the memorial is the shape of the Pentagon; all of the sides are polished except for one to show where it was hit. Inscribed on the base are the three sites that planes hit that day; "World Trade Center", "Pentagon", and "Shanksville, PA".

Don Addy, president of the Homeland Defense Foundation, has been working since October of 2009 trying to get pieces from the towers to be used in local memorials. He called the Air Force Academy to see if it was something they would be interested in.

When AFA Superintendent Lt. Gen. Mike Gould heard about the possibility of bringing a piece of the World Trade Center to make a memorial on Campus, he decided it should go somewhere that cadets would see often; possibly a reminder of the challenges they'll have ahead.

Lt. Gen. Gould got emotional when talking about the floor beam in the memorial, and what it stood for.

"We all will always remember, and the memories are what cause a lot of people to choke up. I think it's good for us; to strengthen that resolve to continue the fight," says Lt. Gen. Gould.

First responders from New York were also at AFA's memorial dedication on Friday. Two of them said memorials like this remind them of the friends they lost that day. They're also very proud of the military men and women that they say are continuing their work.

Addy hopes to create four or five similar memorials around Colorado Springs, as well as provide an artifact to be used on the torch for the Warrior Games.

As we do every year around this time, we think about where we were. Maybe how our lives have changed, and many remember their loved ones lost in that attack or in the war since.

there will be several events and most people we've spoken with say they want to be at one of these services.

How do you tell your children about the day that changed America? There is now a generation who didn't watch as planes crashed into the World Trade Center. They don't know about the other attack on the Pentagon or the lives lost on the plane that crashed into a Pennsylvania field. But their lives, like ours are different for it.

Our security is heightened, most noticeably at airports. And, our wars. Soldiers are still dying in the hunt for terrorists. 10 Years later the community, young and old, will honor those who gave so much.

The "Faces of Freedom" at the World Arena will not only recognize the sacrifices of that day but in the ten years since. Specifically, the thousands of wounded warriors returning home who need our support. Their stories will be performed as songs.

Military, along with law enforcement, will gather at America the Beautiful Park. The services start at 8 a.m.

In Pueblo, at 7:58 a.m., a ceremony on the Riverwalk.

Whether it's in a crowd, or home alone, most people will find a moment to remember.

There will be a lot of other events. To see those or more on the ones mentioned here, click on community section then 9/11.

Use your head and your heart if you plan on donating to 9/11 charities, that's the warning from the Southern Colorado Better Business Bureau this anniversary.

Consumer advocates say an increasing number of people want to donate to the many people that are still affected by that day, but Carol Odell at the BBB says some unscrupulous scammers are willing to do just about anything to make a quick buck.

"If it will pull at the heart strings and they can get a dollar, that works," she says.

According to Charity Navigator, the IRS fast-tracked the approval of 300 new 9/11 related charities after September 11th, 2001. But by 2006, a third of them could not be located and 38 had closed.

Here's what you need to know before you give.

Odell says, do your homework on the organization.

Always ask questions and don't be rushed into giving.

Always use a check instead of the phone or Internet when you do give.

And do your research. Check out IRS.gov to see if the organization is in fact tax exempt. And check out BBB.org to see how the organization stacks up to others.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House says a terror threat against New York and Washington remains credible but unconfirmed and President Barack Obama has no plans to change his plans to travel
to ground zero.
Spokesman Jay Carney told reporters that Obama was briefed again about the threat Friday morning before heading to an economic event in Richmond, Va. The president told his top security advisers to ensure that all necessary precautions were being taken ahead of Sunday's 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
U.S. officials are pursuing what they call a credible but uncorroborated al-Qaida threat about a potential car bombing of bridges or tunnels in New York or Washington.
Obama is scheduled to mark the 9/11 anniversary Sunday at New York's ground zero, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa.

At Peterson Air Force Base this morning many gathered for a wreath laying ceremony in front of the 9/11 Memorial in front of the NORAD and USNORTHCOM headquarters.

Many joined in a moment of silence to remember the nearly 3000 lives that were lost during the horrific events that surrounded that day, and how it changed the lives of many, as well as the course of America's future.

Scam artists can come out at the most tragic times trying to make quick buck, even for the 10th anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. Now the Southern Colorado Better Business Bureau is warning people to make sure the organization they're donating to is reputable. What you need to know and look for coming up.

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AP) - The North American Aerospace Defense Command is holding a remembrance ceremony for the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The ceremony will be Friday at NORAD headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. NORAD's sister command, U.S. Northern Command, will also participate.

Northern Command's deputy chief, Lt. Gen. Frank Grass, will speak. A wreath will be placed at a 9/11 memorial outside the NORAD/Northern Command headquarters building.

The ceremony will include a short prayer and a moment of silence.

NORAD is a U.S.-Canada command responsible for defending the skies over both nations and monitoring sea traffic off their shores. Northern Command is responsible for U.S. homeland defense and assisting civil authorities during emergencies.

The same commander leads both, currently Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr.

FORT CARSON-This weeks edition of Weekend on the Go was live from the Mountain Post for the sixth annual Freedom Walk/Run at Iron Horse Park. Troops participated in the 3 mile course run. The event was to honor the victims of 9-11 and to serve as a reminder of the nation's freedom. The event also payed tribute to veterans past and present. The event concluded with the unfurling of the US Super Flag, a 255 by 505 foot American Flag designated the "World's Largest Flag" by Guiness World Records. Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

September 11th Events

10th Anniversary Commemoration
Sunday 8 a.m.
America the Beautiful Park
Colorado Springs
Free

9/11 Motorcycle Tribute
Sunday 9 a.m.
DAV Hall
Colorado Springs
$15 per Bike, $5 per Passenger

9/11 Never Forget Project Flag Display
Sunday 7 a.m. - 12 p.m.
CC Wornor Campus Center
Colorado Springs
Free

Reflections of the 9/11 - Gathering for Community
Sunday 4 p.m.
Shove Chapel
Colorado Springs
Free

"God Bless America" Rally
Sunday 12:15 p.m.
County Courthouse
Pueblo
Free

10th Anniversary "We have not forgotten" Memorial Sunday 8 a.m.
HARP Riverwalk
Pueblo
Free

After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, all U.S. flights were grounded just after 9 a.m.
However Marta Hannon was one of the few that left that morning; she flew from Washington D.C. to Newark, New Jersey.

"I remember looking down at New York and I kept thinking, 'Wow, it looks so nice, so peaceful,'" says Marta. "I landed in Newark about 8:00 a.m."

After getting off of the plane and picking up her rental car, Marta saw heavy smoke in the air in the direction of New York City. She called her fiancé at the time, now husband, Jim Hannon who was working in the Pentagon at the time.

Jim told Marta about the planes hitting the World Trade Center; that's when Marta heard a huge explosion.

"He said, 'Oh my god, oh my god... I think we've just been bombed," says Marta, remembering Jim's reaction.

"I see some people down below in the parking lot and they're going like this (pointing in the air) and they start to run, and a split-second later I hear the rumble of the explosion," explains Jim. "What was really eerie is I saw the reflection of a fireball in the black, glass building across the street."

The phone was disconnected, and Marta and Jim wouldn't speak again for several hours.

It was the section of the Pentagon next to Jim's office that was hit. Jim worked in logistics for the Air Force, and they evacuated but kept working from a nearby building.

Jim says it took a while to figure out exactly what was going on; they were asking themselves the same questions over and over.

"What's happening here and what should we start to do? says Jim. "You know, the world doesn't stop because the Pentagon's been hit."

For months after the attacks, Jim worked very long hours at the Pentagon on military operations and national security.

"I knew there was stuff he was hearing, and I knew he couldn't talk about it," says Marta.

"What were you concerned about, at the time, happening?" News 5 asked Jim.

"There was chatter about the possibility of a chemical or biological attack," says Jim. "We kept chemical warfare bags under our desks, with our masks and our suits. We seriously thought something else was going to happen."

Jim made sure they were ready for the worst at home.

"The code was if I call you and say, 'go', and I hang up; you grab whatever is living in the house and you get in the truck and you drive south out of town," explains Jim.

"Did it ever get so close that you thought you were going to have to make that call?" asks News 5.

"Never got to that point where I though about picking up the phone and saying, 'go.'"

The Hannons are proud of the fact that America hasn't been attacked since; they know the work that goes into keeping it safe.

News 5 is providing special coverage for the 10th anniversary this weekend; extra news, local and national memorial services, as well as your local stories -- that's on Sunday on News 5.

NEW YORK (AP) - A new poll finds that only a small fraction of New York City residents plan to attend worship or memorial services on this Sunday's tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Ten percent of those surveyed for the NY1-Marist Poll said they would attend religious ceremonies at their places of worship, while 6 percent said they would attend formal ceremonies marking the anniversary. Manhattan residents were the most likely to say they would be keeping their daily routine, with 47 percent saying they wouldn't alter their schedule. Hundreds of religious services are planned for the weekend of the anniversary. Many interfaith events have also been scheduled in New York, Washington and elsewhere.

A new Facebook app, 9/11 Memorial, lets you dedicate your status updates to the victims of 911.

Members are being asked to update their profile photos or dedicate their statuses in remembrance of the victims who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. Here's more information.

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

WASHINGTON (AP) - The collapse of a crane brought in to repair earthquake damage at the National Cathedral has forced a Sept. 11 commemoration with President Barack Obama to move.
Organizers say Sunday's "Concert for Hope" will now be held at the Kennedy Center. The president is still expected to make remarks at the event.
The crane toppled over Wednesday and the operator suffered minor injuries.

Students at an elementary school in Goddard, Kansas got together for a very symbolic tribute to the victims of the September 11 terror attacks. They came to school dress in red, white or blue shirts and formed a human flag.

The human flag is a tradition at the school. They made similar flags in 2002 and again on the fifth anniversary in 2006.

The vast majority of the students who participated were not even alive 10 years ago. This was an educational opportunity for them, as well as patriotic.

A boost in what the Pentagon calls "Force Protection" is already in place in Southern Colorado and in all military installations across the country.

Pentagon Press Secretary George Little has told reporters this heightened security is due largely in part to the fact that al-Qaeda has focused many of their attacks in the past on anniversary dates.

NORTHCOM here at Peterson Air Force Base were the first to give word of the security alert which now stands at Bravo. That falls in the middle of the threat level alerts.
.
The Pentagon has said there isn't any imminent danger or threat as of right now.

For anyone coming in to a military base you should expect longer wait times at the gate in addition to more random vehicle searches.

This Sunday the City of Colorado Springs is holding a commemoration event to mark the September 11 Tenth Anniversary. It is at 8:00 a.m. at America the Beautiful Park.

The goal of the event is to honor the fallen and to ensure that we never forget what happened that day. Former Governor Bill Ritter hosts the morning service, including remarks by Mayor Steve Bach. There will be music, remarks and a flyover.

Air Force Colonel Marty France saw his first images of the 9/11 terrorist attacks like many, on the television screen; but soon the chaos was at his door step -- working at the Joint Chiefs of Staff office in the Pentagon in Washington D.C.

Col. France was in the opposite side of the building from where the jetliner hit the Pentagon. He didn't feel the impact at all; he got the update from TV.

"There had been a crash at the Pentagon and we recognized the photos, or the video, showing the helicopter pad on the west side," says Col. France.

Col. France says it was about 15 minutes before alarms were sounded and they were evacuated. He never thought he would see the Pentagon emptied out like that. A group from his office got away from the building, and that's where images were burned into his memory.

"To look up and see your capitol under attack and armed fighters going overhead was a shocking experience; the sort of thing you never thought you'd see as long as you lived," says Col. France.

It was still hard to imagine as Col. France went back to work the next day.

"It was really surreal to walk into a building that you see smoke still coming out of on the other side; the smoke billowing and most of the emergency vehicles still there," says Col. France. "It made you very, very serious about what you were doing."

Col. France says he and his co-workers spent the next several weeks working long hours on the recovery. He says the attacks were unexpected, but he felt a deep sense of honor from being able to help with the response.

Since 2005 Col. France has been at the Air Force Academy; he's the head of the Astronautics Department. He says that so many cadets have every detail of their lives planned out, but he tries to tell them to expect the unexpected.

"Cadets want to know, 'why are we doing this, and why are we doing that' and 'what's the purpose of this class or this training event or whatever,' and really the purpose is to make them ready for anything," says Col. France. "We're not just here to teach them about engineering and astronautics; we're here to teach them about being professionals, about being leaders of character."

He never thought he would be put in the roles he was and asked to respond in such crucial moments; Col. France wants to be sure his cadets are prepared to respond to anything they're faced with.