Minnesotans lost on 9/11 missed by loved ones

Minnesota paid tribute to the victims and heroes of 9/11 in several places today including the State Capitol. Family members of victims joined public officials and first responders in the Rotunda for prayers, music and at times silence.

They paused twice for moments of silence, once at 7:46am and another at 8:03am, marking he precise moments the two towers of the World Trade Center were struck by hijacked passenger jets.

An unseen bagpiper played "Amazing Grace" as audience members clutched roses, which were later placed on the star in the Rotunda?s center.

Governor Pawlenty praised the nation?s response to its darkest hour.

?Countless acts of love and bravery renewed our faith in America's spirit.?

And he honored those who have volunteered to fight in the wars sparked by those attacks.

?The cause of freedom gets challenged from time to time. We hope it doesn?t, but from time to time it does. And when it does we rely on the brave men and women who step forward.?

Victims Missed by Loved Ones

Among the Minnesota victims remembered, Gary Koecheler, who died in the trade center.

?I would like to say I think Gary would have been pleased that he taught me more about life by the way he chose to live his, rather than by the way he lost it,? said Koechler?s sister Judi Schneider.

Among the memories she shared were the days when her big brother gave her driving lessons in Saint Paul.

?I'd sit on his lap in the old Dodge Dart, and again this would be off road in parking lots. He'd work the gas and clutch, and he taught me how to do the shifting," Schneider reminisced, ?So I was the only 7 or 8 year-older who could drive a stick at the time!?

A memory of Trade Center victim Gordy Aamoth Jr. also brought a smile to his brother?s face.

?He wanted to be an investment banker since high school I think. After he watched the movie Wall Street he wanted to be Gordon Gecko,? said Erik Aamoth explaining that his older brother died doing what he wanted to do, work in investment banking.

Erik Aamoth said he's been heartened by the nation's response to the victims' families, and the courage displayed by the emergency responders and recovery crews at the WTC site.

But he?ll never get over the loss of his big brother.

?My family and I will always remember the day of September 11th, praying for a phone call that never came,? said Aamoth.

He added, ?I?ll always miss my brother. There?ll always be a hole in my heart for my brother on this day.?

Chamber music in the Landmark Center

Later the intensely emotional strains of Barber's ?Adagio for Strings? filled Saint Paul?s Landmark Center. Members of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra played for a noonhour gathering of people who came to reflect on 9/11 and the wars it sparked.

?Let us turn our swords in to plowshares and sew the seeds of peace across the globe,? said Mayor Chris Coleman referring to a Biblical passage.

Coleman said at the time of the attacks he hoped it would be a unifying event that moved the world toward peace, and cause the United States to unite with countries across the globe.

?At times,? he read from prepared remarks, ?I fear that we are no wiser than before the attacks.?

He wrapped up his remarks calling for peace.

?Let us show our enemies that the true greatness of this nation is our love for one another.?

Two leaders, one Bible verse

Coleman and Pawlenty, while at different events and at different ends of the political spectrum both quoted from the same passage a New Testament scripture, Romans 12:21.

?Don't be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

For the state, officially, part of overcoming has been to build it?s own Office of Homeland Security as part of the Department of Public Safety. Much of its special equipment, bought with federal homeland security grants, were on static display at the Capitol.

As DPS Commissioner Michael Campion explained to the crowd in the Rotunda, ?All events, no matter what the cause, are local in nature and begin with local responders.?

Although it?s safe to say the State officials hope they never have to use the new equipment in a response to a terrorist attack.

By John Croman, KARE 11 News.

More Coverage from the Associated Press

Erik Aamoth and Judy Schneider remember Sept. 11, 2001, by the phone calls that never came.

Aamoth and his family sat by the phone waiting for word that his big brother, investment banker Gordy Jr., was all right. Schneider's older brother, bonds broker Gary Koecheler, always called her on Tuesdays to check in on her. "I never got my call that day," she said.

Both Minnesota natives died when hijackers drove airliners into New York's World Trade Center in the worst terrorist act in the nation's history.

Their younger siblings reflected Monday on the fifth anniversary of the attack, sharing their stories during a somber Minnesota remembrance ceremony in the state Capitol rotunda.

"There will always be a hole in my heart for my brother on this day," Aamoth said, adding, "Today marks the anniversary of the worst day of my family's history. We've grieved and mourned for five years."

Besides the relatives of Sept. 11 victims, the hourlong ceremony included speeches from state political leaders, law enforcement personnel and a National Guard leader. The building grew quiet twice -- for moments of silence marking the time when the planes struck the twin towers.

Hennepin County Sheriff Pat McGowan said watching the attacks on live television left a lasting imprint.

"I remember the morning of September 11th the way I remember the assassination of President Kennedy," he said. "It is forever etched in my mind. When I saw the second plane fly into the south tower, I ached with agony but I was filled with anger."

"Yes we gather today to honor the lost," Gov Tim Pawlenty said. "We also gather today to reaffirm our commitment to those values and principles that made this nation great."

The Capitol ceremony was among several Sept. 11 tributes around Minnesota.

At the University of Minnesota, nearly 3,000 American flags were displayed in front of the student union to honor the victims.

By Brian Bakst, Associated Press Writer

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