AUGUSTA – As the country plunged into uncertainty during the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Maine’s 2nd District congressman stared across the Potomac River from the Capitol steps and could scarcely believe his eyes.

Rep. John E. Baldacci, currently serving his first term as governor, barely had time to process the seemingly inconceivable reports about the World Trade Center that were being broadcast from New York City. And now the Pentagon was burning.

“[I was] looking out over the Potomac and [saw] that the Pentagon had just been attacked,” he told about 75 people who gathered Thursday at the Blaine House for a special memorial service. “Smoke was billowing out and you could feel that ripple blast from when that plane hit the wall at 500 miles-an-hour. It rippled across the Potomac on the grounds of the Capitol.”

The governor presided over the 30-minute ceremony, paying tribute not only to all who died two years ago, but also to all those Mainers in the military serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Maine State Police Pipe and Drum Corps played bagpipes as the Maine Army National Guard color guard presented the state and national flags to the governor.

Baldacci said at the “deepest, darkest moments” of Sept. 11, 2001, his single greatest inspiration was drawn from the way Americans “pulled together.” Later that day, Baldacci joined his fellow lawmakers on the steps to sing “God Bless America” in a moment when partisan, ethnic, religious and regional differences among the lawmakers literally disappeared.

“We stood as one America; it was the most powerful feeling that I had experienced in my eight years in office,” he said. “There was a sense that we could overcome any obstacle, any challenge, that was put before us.”

Pointing to a special 9-11 remembrance flag hanging below the Maine flag at the State House, Maj. Gen. Joseph E. Tinkham II, adjutant general of the Maine National Guard, said the banner honored the “thousands of heroes” who died in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.

“When such a historical event as this takes place, it is our duty as American citizens to ensure that our future generations keep these memories alive – not dwelling on the sadness and devastation that occurred, but learning from the circumstances and making every effort to prevent similar encounters in the future,” he said. “This remembrance flag is our way of keeping the events and lost souls on that tragic day alive forever.”

Students from Falmouth High School and representatives from the Augusta police and fire departments also participated in the ceremonies.