Families urge 9/11 inquiry

WASHINGTON -- With the prospect of a somber Father's Day ahead, widows, children and relatives of victims who died Sept. 11 rallied yesterday on Capitol Hill to demand an independent investigation into whether the government could have prevented the terrorist attacks.

"My 3-year-old daughter's most enduring memory of her father will be placing flowers on his empty grave," said Kristen Breitweiser of Middletown, N.J., whose husband, Ronald, worked on the 94th floor of the World Trade Center Tower 2. "We need an investigation so that not one more child has to grow up knowing that their mother's or father's death could have -- and should have -- been prevented."

It was a mix of grief and anger shared by many of the more than 200 who attended the midday rally. Many wore photos of their relatives who died and carried signs urging Congress not to forget their personal stories of pain.

They were joined by a largely Democratic contingent of lawmakers who claimed that they want to make sure future attacks are averted, not conduct a witch-hunt.

"The government of the United States, in ways we don't still fully understand, let our people down. The institutions of our government, for reasons we don't yet grasp, appear to have failed," Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., told the crowd. "The American people need to know why, not only for the sake of justice or for their own peace of mind, but because the truth is the only way of assuring that it never happens again."