Barack Obama and John McCain momentarily put their campaigning aside to mark the seventh anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The candidates briefly joined together at the site of the World Trade Center. They laid roses at a reflecting pool and had a moment of silence. Neither candidate made a public statement at the site.

Earlier in the day, McCain visited Shanksville, Pennsylvania, sight of the United Flight 93 plane crash. Many believe that terrorists intended to fly that plane into the U.S. Capitol. McCain, who was in the Capitol that day, said that because of the heroic acts of those who thwarted the terrorists’ plans, hundreds of people “and very possible I, owe our lives to the passengers who summoned the courage and love necessary to deny our depraved and hateful enemies their terrible triumph.”

“I have witnessed great courage and sacrifice for America’s sake, but none greater than the sacrifice of those good people who grasped the gravity of the moment, understood the threat, and decided to fight back at the cost of their lives,” he said.

Obama issued a statement marking the anniversary saying, “we honor the memory of the lives that were lost on September 11, 2001, and grieve with the families and friends who lost someone they loved in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. … Let us remember that the terrorists responsible for 9/11 are still at large, and must be brought to justice. Let us resolve to defeat terrorist networks, defend the American homeland, stand up for the enduring American values that we cherish, and seek a new birth of freedom at home and around the world.”