US marks the 14th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on 9/11

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President Obama and first lady Michelle observed a moment of silence on the south lawn of the White House at 8:46am - the moment the first World Trade Center tower was hit on September 11, 2001
In New York City, hundreds of survivors, first responders and victims' family members fathered at the 9/11 memorial to read the names of the more than 2,000 killed in the towers
Others gathered in Shanksville, Pennsylvania where a memorial opened Thursday for the victims who died in the crash of United 93
President Obama plans to observe the anniversary with a trip to visit troops at Fort Meade, Maryland

By Ashley Collman For Dailymail.com and Associated Press

Published: 08:14 EST, 11 September 2015 | Updated: 09:35 EST, 11 September 2015

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Solemn silence swept the nation this morning as President Obama and first lady Michelle walked out on to the lawn of the White House and bowed their heads in honor of the nearly 3,000 Americans who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

In New York City, hundreds of survivors, first responders and victims' family members gathered at the the World Trade Center memorial for an annual ceremony to read the names of those who perished at Ground Zero.

Bells tolled as the city observed a moment of silence at 8:46am - the moment the first plane struck the north tower on that sunny September day 14 years ago.

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama pause on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on Friday, September 11, 2015, as they observed a moment of silence to mark the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks

The president will be observing the anniversary with a visit to Fort Meade, Maryland later today, in recognition of the military's work to protect the country

'Fourteen years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, we honor those we lost. We salute all who serve to keep us safe. We stand as strong as ever,' President Obama tweeted Friday morning.

White House staff listen as a bugler plays 'Taps' during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on Friday, September 11, 2015, with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama to observe the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks

'We come every year. The crowds get smaller, but we want to be here. As long as I'm breathing, I'll be here,' said Tom Acquaviva, 81, who lost his son, Paul Acquaviva, a systems analyst who died in the trade center's north tower.

For Nereida Valle, who lost her daughter, Nereida De Jesus, 'It's the same as if it was yesterday. I feel her every day.'

The Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville in western Pennsylvania was marking the completion of its visitor center, which opened to the public Thursday. At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Ash Carter and other officials were joining in remembrances for victims' relatives and Pentagon employees.

After years of private commemorations at ground zero, the anniversary now also has become an occasion for public reflection on the site of the terror attacks.

Army Sgt. Edwin Morales prays during a ceremony at the World Trade Center site in New York on Friday, September 11, 2015. With a moment of silence and somber reading of names, victims' relatives began marking the 14th anniversary of September 11 in a subdued gathering Friday at ground zero

From left to right: Zachary Ellicott, a firefighter in Stanhope, NJ, Mitch Ellicott, a lieutenant with the Sussex County Sherrif's office and father to Zach and Benjamin, and Benjamin Ellicott, a firefighter in Stanhope, NJ, take a moment to remember a family member lost in the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, on Friday in New York City

Low clouds surround the top of the One World Trade Center tower, center left, at sunrise during the 14th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, Friday, September 11, 2015, seen from The Heights neighborhood of Jersey City, New Jersey

Flowers are laid at the 9/11 memorial site on September 11, 2015 in New York City. Today marks the 14th anniversary of the attacks where nearly 3,000 people were killed in New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania

Gerard Chipura, a captain with the Fire Department of New York, takes a moment to remember a his brother who was killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 on Friday, September 11, 2015

A man stands in a moment of silence at the 9-11 Memorial site on September 11, 2015 in New York City

Paul Bloess, of Levittown, NY, holds his son, Maxavater Bloess, age 10, in a moment of silence at the 9/11 memorial site on September 11, 2015 in New York City

One World Trade Center is seen through early morning clouds on September 11, 2015 in New York City

People read the victims' names of the 9/11 Empty Sky memorial at sunrise across from New York's Lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center, in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey, September 11, 2015

An estimated 20,000 people flocked to the memorial plaza on the evening of September 11 last year, the first year the public was able to visit on the anniversary. The plaza was to open three hours earlier after the anniversary ceremony.

'When we did open it up, it was just like life coming in,' National September 11 Memorial and Museum President Joe Daniels said this week. While the memorial will still be reserved for victims' relatives and other invitees during the morning ceremony, afterward, 'the general public that wants to come and pay their respects on this most sacred ground should be let in as soon as possible.'

Fourteen years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, we honor those we lost. We salute all who serve to keep us safe. We stand as strong as ever.

President Barack Obama

President Obama was scheduled to observe the anniversary with a visit to Fort Meade, Maryland, in recognition of the military's work to protect the country.

'Fourteen years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, we honor those we lost. We salute all who serve to keep us safe. We stand as strong as ever,' President Obama tweeted Friday morning.

Hundreds gathered at the Pentagon Friday morning for a ceremony to honor the more than 100 who died at the military headquarters on September 11, 2001

Defense Secretary Ash Carter bows his head during a moment of silence at the Pentagon Memorial on Friday, September 11, 2015

US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter places a wreath at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial on September 11, 2015, on the 14th anniversary of the 911 attacks

U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, right, assists a man, center, who fell prior to ceremonies at the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial in Washington, September 11, 2015

Betsy Wolk, with her husband Herb Wolk, of Columbia, Maryland, wipes her eyes as they visit the bench dedicated to their son-in-law, Navy Lt. Darin Pontell, on Friday, September 11, 2015, at the Pentagon Memorial on the 14th anniversary of the September 11th attacks

Wolk's son-in-law, Navy Lt Darin Pontel, was one of the 125 people killed at the Pentagon when a place crashed into the U.S. military headquarters at 9:37am on September 11, 2001

At the Pentagon Memorial a K-9 officer pauses as he looks toward the U.S. flag as it is draped on the side of the Pentagon where the building was attacked on September 11th in 2001, on the 14th anniversary of the attack, Friday Sept. 11, 2015, in Washington, DC

The attack on the Pentagon happened just half an hour after a second plane struck the World Trade Center towers in New York City

A sunny haze obscures the Washington, DC skyline behind the Pentagon on September 11, 2015

A maintenance worker wipes off early morning dew at the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial in Washington September 11, 2015

An unidentified man takes photos before sunrise at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial September 11, 2015, on the 14th anniversary of the 911 attacks

A woman wearing a pin in remembrance of Johnnie Doctor, Jr., visits the Pentagon Memorial, Friday, September 11, 2015, on the 14th anniversary of the September 11th attacks

Elsewhere, Ohio's statehouse will display nearly 3,000 flags - representing the lives lost - in an arrangement designed to represent the World Trade Center towers, with a Pentagon-shaped space and an open strip representing the field near Shanksville. Sacramento, California, will commemorate 9/11 in conjunction with a parade honoring three Sacramento-area friends who tackled a heavily armed gunman on a Paris-bound high-speed train last month.

In Washington, some members of Congress planned to spend part of the anniversary discussing federal funding for the ground zero memorial. The House Natural Resources Committee has scheduled a hearing Friday on a proposal to provide up to $25 million a year for the plaza.

The memorial and underground museum together cost $60 million a year to run. The federal government contributed heavily to building the institution; leaders have tried unsuccessfully for years to get Washington to chip in for annual costs, as well.

Under the current proposal, any federal money would go only toward the memorial plaza. An estimated 21 million people have visited it for free since its 2011 opening.

The museum charges up to $24 per ticket, a price that initially sparked some controversy. Still, almost 3.6 million visitors have come since the museum's May 2014 opening, topping projections by about 5 percent, Daniels said.

Any federal funding could lead to expanded discounts for school and other groups, but there are no plans to lower the regular ticket price, he said

A visitor pauses on the observation deck of the Flight 93 National Memorial Visitors Center in Shanksville, Pennsylvania on Friday, September 11, 2015, as the nation marks the 14th anniversary of the September 11 attacks

A visitor pauses at the Wall of Names at sunrise before a Service of Remembrance at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania on Friday, September 11, 2015, as the nation marks the 14th anniversary of the September 11 attacks

Visitors to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, participate in a memorial service on Thursday, September 10, 2015, as the nation marks the 14th anniversary of the September 11 attacks

A National Park Ranger's shadow falls on the Wall of Names at sunrise before a Service of Remembrance at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on Friday, September 11, 2015, as the nation marks the 14th anniversary of the September 11 attacks

This year's anniversary also comes as advocates for 9/11 responders and survivors are pushing Congress to extend two federal programs that promised billions of dollars in compensation and medical care. Both programs are set to expire next year.

But some of those close to the events aim to keep policy and politics at arm's length on Sept. 11.

Organizers of the ground zero ceremony decided in 2012 to stop letting elected officials read names, though politicians still can attend. Over the years, some victims' relatives have invoked political matters while reading names - such as declaring that Sept. 11 should be a national holiday - but others have sought to keep the focus personal.

'This day should be a day for reflection and remembrance. Only,' Faith Tieri, who lost her brother, Sal Tieri Jr., said during last year's commemoration.

Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Gen. John Campbell, left, and Command Sergeant Major Delbert Byers, right, carry a wreath during a memorial ceremony on the fourteenth anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the United States at the headquarters of the International Security Assistance Force, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, September 11, 2015