COMPLETE COVERAGE | FRONT LINES | AMERICA AT HOME | INTERACTIVES »

Bush speaks at service for fallen firefighters

EMMITSBURG, Maryland (CNN) -- President Bush paid tribute at a memorial service Sunday to firefighters killed in the line of duty last year and more than 300 New York City firefighters who perished at the World Trade Center last month.

CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

The outdoor service took place on the site of the National Fallen Firefighters monument at the National Fire Academy. It was the 20th annual service at the memorial.

Bush said the firefighters who raced into the burning World Trade Center on September 11 didn't "live to know who caused the destruction or why. They only knew their duty."

"Each one of those firefighters felt a calling and knew its risks," Bush said. "On September 11th that calling led them into burning towers on a mission of rescue. Within a single hour more than 300 firefighters were lost and our nations still mourns."

According to the U.S. fire administrator's office, the names of 101 firefighters from 38 states and Puerto Rico will be added to the monument. The names of the 300 New York City firefighters, and the names of others who died in the line of duty in 2001, will be inscribed on the monument at next year's ceremony.

"Each year we honor America's fire service heroes who gave their life in the line of duty to serve their communities," said Joe Allbaugh, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "It is with a heavy heart that we honor those who perished in 2000, and we take time to give special recognition to the more than 300 fire service heroes lost in battle from the Fire Department of New York on September 11."