Yesterday’s official ceremony was mostly limited to relatives of the victims. It included moments of silence, the somber recitation of victims’ names, a tolling bell and an honor guard.

But outside the ceremony, people showed up to pay respects from afar.

Steve Knowles, 67, of Fairfield, Conn., took photos of the ceremony from across the street. He said he woke up early and traveled in from Connecticut because “I felt the need to be here. This is a profound moment that changed, and is still changing, all our lives in ways we couldn’t imagine then.”

Ashley Nelson, 24, a flight attendant from Queens, leaned against the exterior of the Brookfield Place shopping center and said that honoring the anniversary “helps me put things into perspective.”

“Remembering the people that lost their lives and who sacrificed — that’s important to me,” she said.

Image Harry Ortiz showing off his hand-painted jacket. Credit... Aaron Randle/The New York Times

The same could be said for Mr. Ortiz, who, when he saw a line of uniformed military officers walking near the commemoration ceremony, excitedly showed off his jacket .

They smiled and gave Mr. Ortiz a thumbs-up.

“People don’t forget, but they tend to move on, and that’s a good thing,” Mr. Ortiz said. “But I can’t move on. If you forget past horrors, you stand to repeat them. And this, we can’t let this type of thing happen again.”