SCRANTON, Pa. -- It was a dreary and somber morning for a somber ceremony honoring those killed in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
"I'm the bugler for the Marine Corps League and I have been here for every one of the ceremonies honoring the people killed on 9/11. Innocent people who died for hate. H-A-T-E. And that's all it was hate,” said Richard "Finner" Kane of Scranton.
For many, it is hard to believe 17 years have passed since that tragic day.
Some under a tent at McDade Park were not even born yet.
Nearly 3,000 people including Lackawanna County natives killed from New York City to Arlington, Virginia, to Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
"At the time I had a tree service and I was working right down the street and I heard it on the radio and then we went to some place down the street that had a TV,” said Vince Carden of Scranton.
"While we were watching the news, the second plane hit live. We watched the second plane fly into the second tower. Yeah, terrible,” said David Evans of Tunkhannock.
The ceremony also marked the last day of a traveling memorial in the Scranton park, dedicated to the military men and women who died in the war on terror after the attacks.
"Patriotism is alive and well in America. People can say what they want, but it's alive and well in Pennsylvania. I know that,” said Art Lescher of Dickson City.
Governor Tom Wolf has ordered all flag lowered to half-staff on Sept. 11. It's to observe Patriot Day and honor all who lost their lives in the 9/11 terror attacks. The order will remain in effect until sunset.