Sept. 11: 10 years later

Boston joined the nation and the world Sunday in mourning and remembrance of the attacks that changed the world on Sept. 11, 2001.

Citizens and public officials gathered at City Hall Plaza and the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway to pay tribute to those whose lives were lost in the attacks and to honor those who have sacrificed in their wake.

Volunteers assisted the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund in assembling 1,000 care packages to send to troops stationed overseas, containing everything from granola bars to hand sanitizer to socks.

Gov. Deval Patrick, Mayor Thomas Menino and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano were among those who addressed the crowd at the service project.

“Using this occasion as those memories and those attacks to bring something positive forward is the ultimate expression of our victory,” Patrick said.

Brigadier General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., a member of the Air Force stationed at United States Central Command, urged those in attendance to serve their country all year round, and not only on Sept. 11.

“Since 9/11 some of our patriotism may have faded, intense emotions based on the events of 9/11 have faded, but I know we still remember,” Brown said.

Hundreds of Bostonians donated their time to the cause, and for all, the wounds of Sept. 11 remained fresh.

For Kathleen Dinatale, 37, of Walpole, Sept. 11 was a day of horror and grief, as she talked on the phone with a close friend who was killed when the second plane hit the South Tower of the World Trade Center.

For her 9-year-old son Dominic, who was

not even born in 2001, the attacks are an incident distant and obscure. To Dinatale, serving on Sept. 11 helps to continue the healing process.

“It’s good to be a part of a community and to show that we’re still together even though this terrible moment in history happened,” Dinatale said. “We can still stand up and stand strong, and show that it hurt, but it didn’t break us.”