Thousands gathered at a New Jersey park Saturday for the unveiling of a monument to honor residents who died in the Sept. 11 attacks.
Among those attending the ceremony at Liberty State Park were relatives of the more than 700 people who perished 10 years ago.
They were joined by several state officials and lawmakers, including Gov. Chris Christie and five former state govern They were all at the Jersey City waterfront to dedicate the "Empty Sky" memorial, a structure composed of two 30-foot-high rectangular towers that stretch 208 feet, 10 inches long-- the exact width of the World Trade Center towers.
Designed by architects Jessica Jamroz and Frederic Schwarz, the memorial's towers are sunk into a berm and divided by a granite walkway that faces on a line to the World Trade Center site across the Hudson River, in lower Manhattan. The name of each New Jersey victim is etched in the stainless steel in 4-inch-high letters.
Speaking during the ceremony, Christie said the memorial will let victims' families know that others support them and feel their pain. He also said the "inconveniences'' and other changes that have occurred since the attacks "pale in comparison to the loss suffered by the 746 New Jerseyans killed on 9/11.''
The governor also said people should focus on those who lost loved ones on Sept. 11, not on retribution or vengeance.
While noting that if --starting Saturday --a minute of silence was held for each of the nearly 3,000 people killed on that day, it would last until Monday afternoon.
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"But the silence of the loved ones (the victims' families) lost has lasted 10 years, minute by minute,'' Christie said, as many in the crowd dabbed tears from their eyes..
