Susan L. White walked slowly to the podium, careful not to trip on the feet of the mourners sitting beside her. Gingerly, she lifted a sheet of paper and began to read off the names, one by one.

“Peter M. Goodrich, Douglas A. Gowell, Andrew Curry Green…”

Her voice was slow and deliberate, a mournful staccato granting each syllable equal prominence. White wouldn’t allow any names to be forgotten; today, September 11, was a day of a remembrance.

“Gerald Hardacre, Melissa Harrington-Hughes, Eric Hartono and my beloved daughter, Susan Blair.”

Citizens from all around the commonwealth gathered at the Massachusetts State House for the 17th annual Massachusetts 9/11 Commemoration to remember the 206 people with Massachusetts connections killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The ceremony began near the General Hooker entrance, when Governor Charlie Baker descended the State House steps with a folded flag held firmly against his chest. The flag was hoisted to the top of its pole while the Boston Fire Department Acapella Quartet sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.” When the song was finished, the flag was lowered to half-staff, two trumpeters played “Taps” and a moment of silence was observed.

Once the silence ended, Leslie Blair, Susan Blair’s sister, recited the poem “We Remember Them” by Rabbis Sylvan Kamens and Jack Riemer. Then came the reading of the names; government officials read first, followed by relatives of the victims. White was sixth to the podium.

After the name reading, the event moved to the House Chamber. Andrew Card, White House Chief of Staff from 2001 to 2006, served as keynote speaker. Card recounted memories of the dignity he observed in President George W. Bush, including Bush privately visiting the family members of first responders.

Card said as he and Bush were getting ready to leave their impromptu meeting, a woman approached the president and held out her hand.

“‘Mr. President, this is my son’s badge. His name is George Howard, don’t ever forget.’ Tears streamed down [Bush’s] face. In fact everyone was crying,” Card said. “The president took the badge, squeezed it, and looked Mrs. Howard in the eyes and said ‘Mrs. Howard, America will forget, they’ll start to move on, but don’t worry about me, I will never forget.’”

For many, the annual commemoration is a bittersweet affair. While connecting with others is generally uplifting, reliving the tragedy that caused so many years of grief is painful. Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representative Robert Alfred DeLeo expressed the difficulty he has faced in honoring a traumatic event every year in his introductory speech.

“As Speaker it is my role to welcome guests and dignitaries to this historic chamber for ceremonial events of many kinds. Of all those events, this is the most staring and most solemn,” DeLeo said. “Sadly, it has become a rite of Fall. As summer ends, school starts, and the sun starts setting a little earlier. I began to think about it. I get an unsettling feeling each time this year. It’s a storm of sadness, of duty, and of patriotism.”

After countless stories of loss and recovery, the ceremony ended with a positive look towards the future. Every year the Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery is given to a citizen who demonstrated courage in the face of extreme danger. The award is named after a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11 who relayed information to ground services about the hijackers, including their seat locations, allowing the airline to identify them.

This year’s award was presented to Ray Armstead and Ryan Saba of Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The two men pulled an elderly couple out of their stalled vehicle moments before it was hit by a train, saving both of their lives.

“The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a better place because of people like Ray and Ryan,” said Governor Baker when presenting the award. ”Their bravery rightly honors the proud tradition of these awards and the legacy of service tragically begun by Madeline Amy Sweeney on September 11, 2001.”