It was a regular day at work for Angie Houtz. Sept 11, 2001 carried no special meaning. She was 27 years old, working as a civilian intelligence analyst in the Pentagon when the plane hit, killing her and 183 others. She was also my cousin; and now September 11th is a day I will always think of her. The 9/11 Memorial in lower Manhattan opened to the public at 6 p.m. Thursday, the 13th anniversary of the attacks. More.

The morning after President Obama stood before a national audience to announce a new campaign against Islamist terrorism in the Middle East, Jordan Thompson stood before television cameras in Lower Manhattan for a few moments and read a short list of names. One of the names had profound meaning for Mr. Thompson: that of his uncle, Leon Heyward, a victim of the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center. More.

A voice on the phone. A cry in the dark. A flag raised amid death and devastation. These are the stories forever linked with the September 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York, Washington and western Pennsylvania. In some cases, they are tales of ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances -- people who became symbols of comfort and hope for a grieving nation. More.

After the 9/11 attacks, people from all over America headed to New York City, wanting to help in any way they could. Since then, New Yorkers like Charlie Sadler have been working to return the favor. At a recent barn raising in Bethel Acres, Oklahoma, CBS News found Sadler working around the clock. What those toiling around him shared in common, he said, was "a big heart and a great sense of humor." More.

A heroic dog is heading back to the site where she earned her superpup status. Bretagne the golden retriever is the last surviving rescue dog who searched Ground Zero after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

This week, the 15-year-old pooch returned to the Manhattan site for the first time since 2001, her fur now more white than golden. At her side was Denise Corliss, her longtime handler and owner.

John Meyers remembers standing at ground zero, feeling like a small speck amid mountains of debris. "Everything was pulverized," said Meyers, a former New York police officer and first-responder who provided security after the September 11 terror attacks. "It was nothing but dust."

For 20 days, during 14-hour shifts, Meyers breathed in countless chemicals; he even ate meals on site as the dust hovered. More.

A worn metal bracelet inscribed with the name of a fallen 9/11 firefighter washed up 10 days ago on the shores of New York's Robert Moses State Park. As the surf rolled away from her feet, Marlene Quinn picked it up. For Quinn, it was more than a serendipitous find. More.

Memories of the 9/11 attack will shadow President Obama's upcoming week. In addition to honoring the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on Thursday, Obama will lay out a strategy to counter the Islamic State jihadist group amid renewed concern about the possibility of new attacks on the United States. More.