On the second anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, some Metro Detroiters paused to remember. Others forged ahead.

Volunteers with Habitat for Humanity did both Thursday, as they attended a brief prayer service before resuming construction of 16 houses near downtown Detroit.

What better rebuke to the terrorists, they asked, than having a group of Muslims, Christians and Jews work side by side building homes for the poor?

And so, on a day that became synonymous with the falling of the World Trade Center, a neighborhood grew in Corktown.

"Hatred isn't the answer," volunteer Andrea Lang said. "Even after Sept. 11, you can't give in to it."

As with the first anniversary, there was song and prayer, the reading of famous speeches and Bible passages, the showing of ribbons and the American flag. Church bells tolled, and candles were lit.

In Pontiac, 150 people, mostly firefighters and police officers, gathered around the Michigan Fallen Heroes Memorial at the Oakland County Complex to pay homage to their fallen comrades.

The ceremony featured a 21-gun salute, "Amazing Grace" played on bagpipes and a flyover by the Oakland County Sheriff's Department helicopter.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said patriots are people who serve their country in a variety of ways.

"When there's danger, the natural reaction is to run from it," he said. "Firefighters and police officers do just the opposite."

Others marked the day in quieter ways, either alone in private reflection or as part of a group observing a moment of silence.

Many of those moments began at 8:46 a.m., which was when the first of two planes struck the World Trade Center. Besides destroying the Twin Towers, terrorists also damaged the Pentagon and crashed a plane in Pennsylvania.

As many as 3,025 people died on the date that no longer needs an introduction.

"I can't emphasize how important it is not to let this day slip into a memory lapse," said Capt. Bob Smith of the Oakland County Sheriff's Department. "We have to keep the memory alive."

At local memorials, which ranged from public parks to college campuses to the county fair, residents said it was important to remember the cataclysmic event so it never happens again.

Others said the memorial services help them cope with the nightmare by giving them an outlet for their grief.

For some, the bruises are still too fresh, even after two years.

"It's sad," said Lang, of Birmingham. "I don't want to see 24-hour news reports (about it)."

She turned off her television Thursday after hearing a new report about a video showing Osama bin Laden. On the tape, the al-Qaida leader's deputy exhorts jihad fighters to attack Americans.

In Lansing Township, firefighters placed 343 American flags on the front lawn of the fire department. The flags represented the number of firefighters who died in the aftermath of the attack of the World Trade Center. They began putting up the flags just after 7 a.m.

"The shift today wanted to show some form of tribute to the firefighters who died," said Richard Curry, the township's deputy fire chief.

In East Lansing, students at Michigan State University raised the American flag to half-staff. The Air Force ROTC normally raises three flags, including the university and Air Force banners. But in honor of those who died, the group only raised one flag Thursday.

"This is symbolic of how important today is," Cadet William Leyrer said.

In Allegan, south of Grand Rapids, residents visited the World Trade Center Traveling Memorial.

The exhibit, which was shown at the Allegan County Fair, contained debris from the rubble and photos of some of the victims. It was put together by two retired officers of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Eric Weir began to cry after reading a small poster that said: "USS Enterprise Salutes the Port Authority Police Department."

Weir has a friend who serves aboard the aircraft carrier, and said the message reminded him of his friend's dedication in serving the nation.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm called on Michiganians to mark the anniversary by performing acts of service and peace.

"The greatest tribute we can pay to those who were lost is to honor their memory and to reflect their extraordinary self-sacrifice by acting as citizen patriots in our own communities," she said.

Habitat for Humanity Detroit and Core City Neighborhoods are already doing just that by building homes in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit.

They're now building 16 homes and will add 44 more as a smattering of vacant lots slowly becomes Tricentennial Village.

In one of the earliest observances of the terrorism anniversary, volunteers gathered at 7 a.m. to attend an interfaith prayer service under a tent.

As an early morning fog slowly lifted away, religious leaders from various faiths led the workers through a short ceremony.

"In the midst of that horror, sorrow and tragedy, we must take time to reflect on the positive and good," said David A. Henig, administrator of the Michigan Board of Rabbis, based in Bloomfield Hills.

Quoting the lyrics of Sheva, an Israeli rock group, Henig said:

"Od yavo shalom aleinu, v'al kulam.

Salaam, aleinu v'al kol ha-olam, salaam, shalom."

Translated, the lyrics mean:

"Peace will come to us, peace will yet come to us.

Peace will come to us and everyone."

Henig and other religious leaders said the building of homes, especially by members of various faiths, shows that good is triumphing over evil.

Imam Hassan Qazwini, who leads the Islamic Center of America in Detroit, said the home construction shows that people need each other, no matter their religion.

"It's the spirit of unity, harmony," he said.