Jersey City held its annual memorial ceremony this morning on the Hudson River waterfront.

Thirty-nine residents from the city lost their lives in Lower Manhattan 24 years ago. The gathering took place at the 9/11 Memorial just off Grand Street, directly across from Ground Zero. Some arrived early for quiet reflection before the ceremony began.

"I came down early so I could just stand here and meditate and look over at the NY skyline. I lost friends like family," said Regina Fleming of Harlem.

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, who was working in Lower Manhattan on 9/11, later joined the Marine Corps. He spoke about the importance of passing on the memory to younger generations.

"I was thankful that we had some younger people here today... it becomes just another date you might read about, similar to Pearl Harbor... so it's kind of on all of us who were there and lived it to reinforce the importance," Fulop said.