The crew of USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) and embarked U.S. 6th fleet staff gathered for a remembrance ceremony to honor those whose lives were lost during the terrorist attacks, Sept. 11.

GAETA, Italy - Information Systems Technician 3rd Class Derek Pitre, left, and Operations Specialist Seaman Apprentice Douglas Mellon, right, raise the national ensign during morning colors on the flightdeck of USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20). The crew aboard Mount Whitney and embarked U.S. 6th Fleet staff attended morning colors as part of a ceremony to remember those who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Mount Whitney, homeported in Gaeta, Italy, is the U.S. 6th Fleet flagship and operates with a combined crew of U.S. Sailors and MSC civil service mariners. The civil service mariners perform navigation, deck, engineering, laundry and galley service operations while military personnel aboard support communications, weapons systems and security.

GAETA, Italy - Operations Specialist Seaman Apprentice Douglas Mellon, left, and Information Systems Technician 3rd Class Derek Pitre, right, prepare for morning colors on the flightdeck of USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20). The crew aboard Mount Whitney and embarked U.S. 6th Fleet staff attended morning colors as part of a ceremony to remember those who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Mount Whitney, homeported in Gaeta, Italy, is the U.S. 6th Fleet flagship and operates with a combined crew of U.S. Sailors and MSC civil service mariners. The civil service mariners perform navigation, deck, engineering, laundry and galley service operations while military personnel aboard support communications, weapons systems and security.

Sept. 11 is a date that has been ingrained in the hearts and minds of many Americans. It marks the anniversary of that fateful morning in 2001, when terrorist attacks cut short the lives of approximately 3,000 people and shook an entire nation. Now, nine years later, the memories of that morning are still fresh in the minds of Americans, including the Soldiers of Multinational Battle Group East, who are deployed to Kosovo as part of the NATO peacekeeping mission here.