14 Years Later, Boston Remembers Sept. 11 Attacks

Cities and towns across the country are holding events to observe the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In Boston, Gov. Charlie Baker and Mayor Marty Walsh joined families of victims at the Public Garden Friday morning for a wreath-laying ceremony.

"Today we honor those we lost on September 11, comfort their families and survivors, and pray for a nation that must never forget," Baker said on Twitter Thursday morning.

Also there for the wreath-laying was Tom Gardella, of Needham. He remembers walking through the Public Garden on his way to work on the day of the attack when he overheard someone talking about the second tower in New York collapsing.

"I thought they must be talking about the little radio antennas on top, because I couldn't imagine something so incomprehensible," he told WBUR's Fred Thys Thursday.

Later, a moment of silence was held at the State House at 8:46 a.m., recognizing the moment the first plane, hijacked from Logan International Airport, struck the World Trade Center in New York City. Officials then read the names of the 206 Massachusetts victims killed in the attacks.

Inside the State House, Worcester resident Albeiro Gomez received the Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery. The award, bestowed annually, is named after an American Airlines flight attendant from Acton who is credited with providing authorities some of the first information about the 9/11 terrorists.

Gomez, a livery driver, prevented the kidnapping of a mother and her daughter by an armed suspect last year, according to a statement from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.

“Albeiro Gomez acted quickly and without regard for his own safety to save the life of a mother and her baby who were in grave danger," Baker said in the statement. “Fourteen years after one of the darkest days in our nation’s history, it is inspiring to see that Madeline Sweeney’s spirit and legacy live on in the actions of Albeiro and countless other heroes around the Commonwealth and our country.”

There were also remembrance ceremonies in Andover, Beverly and Lowell Friday. Milton and Dedham will honor victims Friday evening.

Nationally, President Obama observed the annual moment of silence on the South Lawn of the White House. Officials in New York will observe four moments of silence throughout the day at Ground Zero.