New York ( CNN ) -- Al Qaeda 's deadly attack on America 10 years ago solemnly reverberated Saturday on the eve of the anniversary , as Americans remembered the trauma and police stood guard from coast to coast amid ongoing fears of terror attacks . President Barack Obama and the first lady visited Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington to pay their condolences to families mourning the loss of family members who served in the military . They visited a section of the vast cemetery where people who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried . They embraced a young woman and walked hand in hand down a row of graves . Obama proclaimed this weekend , Friday though Sunday , as National Days of Prayer and Remembrance and will be attending memorial services at the attack sites in New York , Washington and western Pennsylvania . He also called on Americans to honor the victims of the terrorist attacks through activities such as prayer , memorial services , the ringing of bells and evening candlelight vigils . `` They wanted to terrorize us , but , as Americans , we refuse to live in fear , '' Obama said in his weekly address Saturday . `` Yes , we face a determined foe , and make no mistake -- they will keep trying to hit us again . But as we are showing again this weekend , we remain vigilant . We 're doing everything in our power to protect our people . And no matter what comes our way , as a resilient nation , we will carry on . '' Obama said the `` United States must not relax its counterterrorism efforts in the weeks and months that follow . '' A solemn memorial service at St. Patrick 's Cathedral in New York included the recitation of the names of 343 firefighters who died at ground zero . Patrick Mate Lyons , who was born Oct. 7 , 2001 , read an open letter to his father , Patrick , one of the casualties . `` I want you to know that Mommy is doing a great job of loving me and raising me in a happy home , '' Patrick said . `` I play flag football in the same league as you , and in the same position as you , as quarterback . In baseball , I pitch , just like you did . I really like it when people compare me to you . '' Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano said he recalled seeing a firefighter searching for his sister , who was killed . `` It was then that the magnitude of the loss ... really began to sink into me . I realized the victims and their loved ones formed a far wider community than just the fire department . '' Retired New York firefighter Rocco Chierichella recalled then-President George W. Bush 's visit to ground zero on Sept. 14 , 2001 . Chierichella yelled for Bush to speak louder to crews . `` I can hear you , the rest of the world hears you , '' Bush said to cheers . `` And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon . '' Chierichella told CNN that firefighters who arrived after the first World Trade Center tower was hit `` did n't know this was an act of war . '' But they knew they were in a `` war zone '' after the second strike . `` These firefighters did n't know what to expect ( next ) . '' Meanwhile , about 5,000 people joined hands in an unbroken chain along Manhattan 's West Side waterfront to remember the attacks . `` I felt it was important to recall and celebrate the generosity of spirit that united our community , city and nation , '' event organizer Julie Menin said . `` I am delighted by the overwhelming and immediate outpouring of support by individuals and companies who contributed so generously to the success of this living memorial . Each participant is making a very personal statement . Yet by their individual presence , they are a multitude becoming one . '' At the Pentagon , Bush and his wife , Laura , laid a wreath of flowers by the 9/11 stone . Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta , former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen also attended . Bush also attended the dedication of the Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville , Pennsylvania . He was expected to join Obama in New York on Sunday . Bush gave an emotional speech , retelling the story of how the passengers of Flight 93 made the decision to take on their captors , losing their lives so that others could be saved . He called their action the first great counteroffensive of the war on terror . `` One of the lessons of 9/11 is that evil is real . And so is courage , '' Bush said . Theirs was `` one of the most courageous acts in American history , '' he said . Former President Bill Clinton echoed Bush 's sentiments . `` They saved the Capitol from attack , they saved who knows how many lives , '' Clinton said at the site . Also Saturday , New Jersey Gov . Chris Christie helped dedicate the Empty Sky Memorial at Liberty State Park in Jersey City . The memorial , which overlooks the Manhattan skyline and is in the shape of two rectangular towers , displays the name of 746 New Jersey residents who died in the attacks .
NEW : Retired firefighter recalls Bush visit to ground zero . Service remembers 343 fallen NYC firefighters . Empty Sky Memorial is dedicated in New Jersey . Score: 6