By: VOA News
Source: http://www.voanews.com/
Americans are preparing to commemorate the September 11, 2001 deaths of nearly 3,000 people killed when terrorists crashed hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, and a Pennsylvania field.
Ceremonies in New York and at the Pentagon will begin with moments of silence marking the exact moments 12 years ago when the airliners crashed. A 9/11 museum is nearing completion at the site where the twin towers of the trade center once stood.
President Barack Obama will attend a private Pentagon ceremony with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey. Families of those killed in the attack will attend.
Wednesday also is the first anniversary of the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other U.S. diplomats were killed.
The White House says it continues to mourn their deaths and remains committed to bringing those responsible for the Benghazi attack to justice.