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NEW YORK – The nation solemnly observed the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks Monday with moments of silence timed to mark the World Trade Center jetliner crashes and quiet remembrances held around the country.

The 16-acre trade center site in lower Manhattan fell quiet at 8:46 a.m., five years after American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower, and 9:03 a.m., when United Flight 175 slammed into the south tower. A third moment of silence at 9:59 a.m. marked the collapse of the south tower.

“We’ve come back to remember the valor of those we’ve lost, those who innocently went to work that day and the brave souls who went in after them,” former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said in a ceremony at ground zero.

Family members at ground zero held up signs reading “You will always be with us” and “Never forget,” and quiet sobs could be heard as the moments of silence were observed. Some victims’ relatives crossed themselves and wiped away tears.

“Five years have come, and five years have gone, and still we stand together as one,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. “We come back to this place to remember the heartbreaking anniversary and each person who died here those known and unknown to us, whose absence is always with us.”

The sorrowful task of reading the names of the 2,749 victims of the trade center attacks fell to spouses and partners.

“My love for you is eternal,” said Maria Acosta, who began the annual reading of the names, including her lost boyfriend, Paul John Gill. “And we all love you very much.”

President Bush opened the day at a historic New York firehouse, mingling with firefighters and police officers who were among the first to rush to the burning skyscrapers. He was to visit the attack sites in Shanksville, Pa., and the Pentagon later in the day before giving a prime-time address from the Oval Office.