People place flowers on plates on which the names of 9/11 victims were inscribed around the South Pool at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York, the United States, on Sept. 11, 2017. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)
Richard Nixon Foundation hosted a special commemoration ceremony on Monday for the 16th anniversary of 9/11 at the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Orange County, California, the United States.
About 750 people gathered at the White House East Room of Nixon Library.
Representatives from the Orange County Fire Authority and Orange County Sheriff's department also joined the event.
Retired New York policeman John Curtis, who was a 9/11 first-responder, made remarks at the ceremony.
"Remember when things seem to be at their worst, look to those closest to you, your moms, dads, aunts, uncles and friends for support, guidance, and most of all strength," Curtis said in his speech.
Inside the museum, steel from the World Trade Center wreckage and soil from Ground Zero were on display.
The lawn in front of the library entrance was decorated by nearly 3,000 flags to honor victims who fell on 9/11.
"Looking back on the incident 16 years ago made me feel stronger," Marisol Hernandez Curtis, wife of John Curtis, told Xinhua. "It was a tough day, but it was nice to see people were helping each other. That's what helped keep on going and not give up on things, just to stay strong, work hard, help each other and stay together," she said.
On Sept. 11, 2001, a group of terrorists flew hijacked planes into New York's World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed during the attacks.
