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.

An Army lawyer assigned to defend Khalid Sheikh Mohammed at Guantanamo Bay has resigned his commission after being told he was being pulled from the case to attend a graduate program required for promotion. Maj. Jason Wright, one of a team of lawyers defending Mohammed, resigned Aug. 26 from the Army, National Public Radio and others have reported. More.

Two upcoming TV specials argue that it’s time to salute what replaced New York’s Twin Towers, not just focus on what brought them down. To mark the 13th anniversary of 9/11, the History and Smithsonian channels have compiled two separate and quite different specials on the construction of the Freedom Tower and other buildings at the World Trade Center site. History’s “Rebuilding the World Trade Center,” which runs two hours, will air Sept. 11 at 6 p.m.