JOE Biden and Kamala Harris stood alongside rivals Donald Trump and JD Vance at the 9/11 memorial service as they honored the victims on the 23rd anniversary of the terror attacks.
The unlikely pairs came together in a show of unity as they stood at the front of the memorial with the former Mayor of New York City, Mike Bloomberg.
Biden flew to New York City on Tuesday to celebrate his granddaughter's birthday before the Wednesday service.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Senator Chuck Schumer were also at Ground Zero for the memorial and were seen talking to Biden and Harris before the events began.
The attacks occurred on September 11, 2001, and marked the deadliest attacks in American history.
Almost 3,000 people were killed after al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked two planes flying from Boston to Los Angeles.
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- Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and JD Vance, stood together in a rare show of unity to honor victims of the 9/11 terror attack
- The move came the morning after Trump and Harris faced off at their first presidential debate
- On Wednesday, New Yorkers gathered to honor the 2,966 victims who died after al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airplanes on September 11, 2001
- The hijackers crashed the planes into the Twin Towers and Pentagon in a horrifying move that sparked the Global War on Terror
- In the following days, heartbroken family members begged the public for help finding their missing loved ones
- The U.S. Sun spoke with Rachel Uchitel who relived the emotional moment she was photographed looking for her fiance Andy O'Grady
- The interview came days after unseen footage surfaced of a Saudi 9/11 suspect scoping out Washington DC
The first plane crashed into the World Trade Center's North Tower at 8:46 am, killing all passengers on board.
The second plane crashed into the South Tower at 9:03 am.
A third plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC at 9:37 am.
A memorial is held every year on the morning of 9/11 to honor the lives lost 23 years ago.
At 9:03 and 9:
The ceremony began with a performance of the National Anthem before the names of those who died in the attack were read aloud.
Families of the victims gave touching tributes to those who were killed as attendees placed roses and American flags around the memorial.
"This place has become my altar," one of the victim's brothers told attendees after painfully recalling the day his family member's life was lost.
Children spoke about family members they never got to meet as first responders honored colleagues they lost.
"A month from today I'm getting married and I'll be saving a seat for you and Mom," one of the victim's daughters said.
"We'll never stop walking down memory lane to run into you," another family member said.
"Your spirit lives on through your nieces and nephew, keep an eye out for all of us down here," a brother of a victim tearfully said.
Family members of first responders who have taken up the profession themselves thanked those whose lives were lost for inspiring them to help others.
NEVER FORGET
The fateful attacks began in the early hours of September 11, when al-Qaeda terrorists Mohamed Atta and Abdul Aziz al-Omari met at the Portland International Jetport in Maine to board a flight to Boston, Massachusetts.
At the Boston Logan International Airport, they boarded American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 to Los Angeles, California.
Just after 8 am, as Americans were heading off for the workday, a flight attendant on Flight 11 alerted authorities that the plane was hijacked.
Mohamed Atta then accidentally alerted air traffic controllers by pressing a button
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9/11 timeline of events
On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda operatives coordinated a terrorist attack against the United States, hijacking four commerical airplanes and crashing them into the Twin Towers and Pentagon.
Timeline:
- 5:45 am: Two hijackers get through security in Portland, Maine, and board a flight to Boston, where they will link up with three more hijackers and check in for American Airlines Flight 11 to Los Angeles.
- 7:59 am: American Airlines Flight 11 takes off. The plane is carrying 76 passengers, 11 crew members, and five hijackers.
- 8:15 am: United Airlines Flight 175, carrying 51 passengers, nine crew, and five hijackers, takes off from Boston to Los Angeles.
- 8:20 am: American Airlines Flight 77 takes off from Washington DC Dulles to Los Angeles. The plane is carrying 53 passengers, six crew members, and five hijackers.
- 8:42 am: United Airlines Flight 93 takes off from Newark. The plane is carrying 33 passengers, seven crew members, and four hijackers. The flight was bound for San Francisco.
- 8:46 am: Flight 11 crashes into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
- 9:03 am: Flight 175 hits the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
- 9:36 am: Vice President Dick Cheney is evacuated by Secret Service agents to an undisclosed location.
- 9:37 am: Flight 77 hits the Pentagon building in Washington DC.
- 9:45 am: The US Capitol and White House are both evacuated.
- 9:59 am: The South Tower is the first to collapse after burning for around 56 minutes.
- 10:03 am: United Airlines flight 93 crashes into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The passengers and crew got together and stormed the cockpit of the hijacked plane. All on board are killed.
- 10:28 am: The North Tower collapses.
- 8:30 pm: President George W. Bush addresses the US from the White House regarding the attacks. Almost 3,000 Americans died in the terror attacks.