RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Minutes ago in New York City, the reading of the 9/11 victims' names stopped temporarily. Three bells rang out to mark the time a plane crashed into the Pentagon 15 years ago today.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELLS)

MARTIN: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, paid tribute to the 184 lives lost at the Pentagon and on American Airlines Flight 77 by placing a wreath at the memorial. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter spoke to the families of the victims.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ASH CARTER: When someone strikes at the heart of what we stand for, we respond with the full might of the finest fighting force the world has ever known because our memory is long and our reach and resolve are endless. Our enemies cannot hide. They cannot escape. They cannot endure. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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