Craig Sincock sprinted from a business meeting in the Rosslyn area of Arlington, Va., down a bike path leading to the Pentagon just minutes after a plane hit the building Sept. 11. As he ran, his heart filled with fear and sorrow for his wife, Cheryle, who had been working right at the point of impact.

Sincock, 58, retraced that route Sunday, still in grief over the death of his wife, but this time without fear. He marched calmly to the mournful dirge of bagpipers, walking shoulder to shoulder with relatives of other victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.

About 80 relatives of victims and 80 more local residents some holding hands, others with their arms around each other made the three-mile journey from the Iwo Jima Memorial to the Pentagon and back again under a heavy sky and constant rain. At times, when it poured, it was difficult to tell whether raindrops or tears rolled down their cheeks.

The “We Remember Walk” was one of the first of many area events that will commemorate the terrorist attacks. The purpose was simple: to bring together relatives of victims from the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks and the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania, and help them find healing through sharing their common grief.

The group marched solemnly from the Iwo Jima Memorial, past the rows of white gravestones of Arlington National Cemetery, to a short memorial service in the Pentagon’s north parking lot. Led by three bagpipers, relatives of victims walked in the front, carrying large photographs of their loved ones. Other participants followed, holding U.S. flags.

Kurt and Diane Horning decided to make the trip from their hometown in Scotch Plains, N.J., because a year ago Sunday was the last time they saw their 26-year-old son, Matthew, alive. He died on the 95th floor of Tower One of the World Trade Center, where he was working as an information technology specialist for Marsh & McClennan Cos. Inc., an insurance and risk management firm.

“I just didn’t want to stay in the house today,” said Diane Horning, 55. “It’s such a relief to be with families who know exactly what you are feeling and you don’t have to explain anything to them. You just look at them in the eyes, and they know.”

Another walk will be Sept. 29 near Ground Zero.