Americans commemorate 25th anniversary of September 11 attacks
On Friday, the United States marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with ceremonies at Ground Zero, the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania crash site, while also honoring victims of related illnesses.
Americans gathered on Friday to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, remembering the nearly 3,000 people killed when hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. At Ground Zero in New York, family members, Vice President JD Vance and four former presidents observed a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., the time the first plane hit the North Tower, followed by a reading of the names of all 2,977 victims and the six people killed in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. For the first time, a seventh silence was added to honor those who have died from illnesses linked to the toxic dust released after the attacks.
In Arlington, Virginia, senior military leaders assembled in heavy rain to witness the raising of an American flag at the Pentagon, where Flight 77 crashed. President Donald Trump is slated to speak later in the morning. Mourners also gathered at the Shanksville, Pennsylvania site of Flight 93’s crash.
Personal stories highlighted the lasting impact on families. Gregory Carafello, who escaped the South Tower, attended the ceremony to remember his friend James Martello, a Cantor Fitzgerald employee who perished. > "Everyone should realize that it was a very bad, catastrophic day for many families," Carafello said.
Caroline Ogonowski, whose father captained Flight 11, reflected on the generational loss, noting that her newborn son will never meet his grandfather. > "We owe it to my father and all the others that we lost on that day to make sure that we continue to teach future generations about what happened," she said.
The anniversary also prompted reflection on broader consequences, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, shifts in domestic politics and ongoing prejudice against Muslim Americans. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, rejected calls from some Republicans to skip the ceremony.
Health effects continue to claim lives; the New York City Fire Department reports that more than 600 firefighters have died from 9/11-related illnesses, with 26 deaths recorded this year alone.