Their day of reflection

People who have come to the 9/11 ceremony for each of the past nine years:

Every year on Sept. 11, Steve Hintze, a former FDNY captain, retraces his steps from his initial day as a first responder at the World Trade Center.

"I always come alone," said Hintze, 46, of Setauket. "It's a time for thought. It's an emotional day."

Olivia Perez, who attends Syracuse University, was 10 years old when her dad Anthony was killed on the 103rd floor of the North Tower. The 19-year-old has finished middle and high school and moved from her family's Smithtown home.

"It [the ceremony] brings people and friends together. I liked that it's about looking to the future and not forgetting."

Judith Hobson of New Providence, N.J., comes every year to commemorate her son, Robert Wayne Hobson III. "It is the only place we have," said Hobson, whose son's remains were never found. "I feel that I have to be here to remember my son and all the other people who died."

Avelino Montalvo of Manhattan, his wife and his daughter visit Ground Zero, a downtown park and a museum memorial each year on Sept. 11. Of special importance, however, is St. Paul's Chapel, where Montalvo, 52, said he went after rushing to Ground Zero nine years ago.

SEE PHOTOS9/11/2001 in photos

"It's a symbolic place for us," Montalvo said.