9/11 Memorials Rise at the Sites of the Attacks

(EndPlay Staff Reports) - To honor those who lost their lives on September 11, 2011, memorial services for the tenth anniversary will be held across the nation. And this year, two of the biggest memorials will be dedicated on the tenth anniversary of the attacks – the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center in New York and the Flight 93 National Memorial in southwest Pennsylvania.

The third, the Pentagon National Memorial , was completed in Aug. 2008, and was dedicated on Sept. 11, 2008.

If you are in any of the three areas where the national memorials are located, here is some information on what you will see and services being held.

World Trade Center, NYC

The World Trade Center, or 9/11 Memorial, is described on the World Trade Center website as, "Two massive pools set within the footprints of the Twin Towers with the largest manmade waterfalls in the country cascading down their sides. They will be a powerful reminder of the Twin Towers and of the unprecedented loss of life from an attack on our soil."

The names of the nearly 3,000 who died in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 and in the bombings on Feb. 26, 1993 are inscribed on bronze panels that border the pools.

The plaza surrounding the two pools have oak trees planted about, as well as a callery pear tree known as the Survivor Tree – a tree that was saved at the site after the attacks.

A private dedication ceremony for victim's families will be held on Sunday. The memorial will open to the general public on Sept. 12. For visitor information, click here .

Flight 93 Memorial

Although the parts of the memorial, which is part of the National Park Service , will not be completed for the dedication this weekend, visitors can expect to see the Memorial Plaza and the Field of Honor when visiting the site, which will be open to the public after the Sept. 10 dedication ceremony.

Future features of the memorial site will include a Tower of Voices, a tower of 40 wind chimes honoring the 40 passengers who died; 40 Memorial Groves, 40 trees planted in 40 groves; Entry Portal, a representation of flight path; Visitor Center; Wetlands; and Sacred Ground.

The dedication ceremony will begin at noon on Sept. 10 and can be watched live. For more information, click here .

Pentagon Memorial

The memorial honoring the 184 people who lost their lives at the Pentagon and aboard the plane that crashed, is a nearly two acre landscaped area that holds 184 illuminated benches representing each victim with their name inscribed.

An official Pentagon Memorial commemoration will be held for families of the 9/11 victims only on the 10th anniversary, but will re-open to the public following the ceremony.

To find out more about each of the memorial sites, here are the official websites:

http://www.911memorial.org/

http://www.honorflight93.org/

http://pentagonmemorial.org/