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A Call To Action On Solemn Anniversary Of 9/11

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A solemn ceremony in Philadelphia marked the 15th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks, featuring a march through the streets of Old City and remarks from the mayor and other dignitaries.

The Philadelphia Police and Fire Pipes and Drums provided a moving soundtrack to the ceremony in the courtyard of the Betsy Ross House.

Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel said there's one important thing to remember today.

"We are, in fact, still fighting an adversary that seeks to destroy us," he said.

Theil says he knew many of the firefighters lost in New York, and wants them remembered as servants who fought and died together.

"And how all of our service men and women and our first responders across the country as they continue to respond to terrorist attacks on our soil continue to fight and die together," the fire commissioner told the crowd.

Mayor Jim Kenney was among those honoring the fallen.

"This event will never be erased from our minds in our generation, as it should not be," the mayor said. "But for us to be bogged down in hatred and fear is not what those police officers and firefighters stood for. They stood for love and for public service and the willingness to give their lives for others."

And Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross says there's an easy way to honor their legacy.

"Your greatest appreciation and honor can be to the men and women in public safety, as well as our service men and women, is just a mere, thank you for your service," Ross said. "God Bless America."

And as tradition dictates, Thiel sounded a bell for firefighters not returning to quarters.

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