Yellow ribbon tied around tree

The family of Cpl. Jason Dunham, who is from New York and was killed in Iraq, would receive a Gold Star Plate if they resided in New Jersey. (Credit: Marine Corps Times)

NEW YORK (AP) — On the eve of the Veterans Day parade, the 9/11 memorial at the World Trade Center staged a special gesture of honor: veterans tying yellow ribbons to a tree that survived the terror attack.

More than 100 ribbons were distributed at the Saturday morning ceremony. A wreath was laid near the tree, which thrives more than a decade after it emerged from the smoking rubble.

Standing for a moment of silence were veterans of wars from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as active service members and Joe Daniels, president of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

They heard a violist playing “Amazing Grace” as ribbons were wrapped around the branches of the “survivor tree.”