Americans on Friday marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks with memorial ceremonies, moments of silence and tributes to the nearly 3,000 people killed in the deadliest attack on U.S. soil.
The anniversary brought together victims’ relatives, survivors, first responders, government officials and members of the public at sites connected to the attacks. Events included wreath-laying ceremonies, flag displays, vigils, readings of victims’ names and volunteer projects held in their memory.
The attacks began on Sept. 11, 2001, when al-Qaida extremists hijacked four commercial airplanes. Two of the planes were flown into New York’s World Trade Center, bringing down the twin towers. A third aircraft struck the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. military near Washington, while the fourth crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Officials concluded that the fourth plane was headed toward Washington, but passengers and crew members attempted to storm the cockpit and take control of the aircraft before it crashed.
The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and reshaped U.S. foreign policy, national security and public life, with consequences that continued to affect the country decades later.
President Donald Trump attended the anniversary ceremony at the Pentagon, where he reflected on the hatred behind the attacks and the country’s response in the years that followed.
“Sept. 11 reminded us of the terrible power of hate,” Trump said. “The 25 years since have shown us the even greater power of the American spirit to endure and prevail, and to win.”
Trump, who was in New York on the day of the attacks, joined other officials and families in remembering those who died.
Former President George W. Bush, who was president during the attacks, attended the New York observance alongside former Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as well as Vice President JD Vance.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also visited the World Trade Center memorial. He wiped away a tear as he revisited the site where 658 of his former colleagues at the investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald were killed, including his brother, Gary Lutnick.
Other administration officials attended ceremonies at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania.
At the National Sept. 11 Memorial in New York, relatives of victims gathered to hear the names of those killed read aloud.
Elsie Caldwell carried a photograph of her son, Kenny Caldwell, as she attended the ceremony. She said her son’s final phone call to her that morning included the words: “Mom, I just want to let you know that I love you.”
His remains, like those of many other victims, have never been recovered.
For other relatives, the anniversary remained an opportunity to speak directly to loved ones who died and to reflect on the lives they never had the chance to share.
Trisha Pakka, who lost her mother, Deepa Pakkala, said: “You dreamed my whole life for me, and you only got eight months of it.”
Kiersten Haub, who was 16 months old when her father, firefighter Michael Helmut Haub, died in the attacks, also paid tribute to him.
“I carry you through every milestone,” she said.
Angilic Casalduc, whose mother, Vivian Casalduc, was killed, said attending the annual commemoration helped her feel less alone.
“There’s no timeline for grief,” she said, adding that returning to the memorial each year made the pain “just a little bit better.”
In addition to the traditional moments of silence marking key points in the attack timeline, this year’s ceremony included a tribute to people who became sick or died after being exposed to toxic dust released when the World Trade Center towers collapsed.
Many first responders, rescue workers, residents and others who were near ground zero developed cancer and other illnesses in the years following the attacks.
The number of people whose health problems were linked to exposure to the dust remains a subject of continuing questions and research.
The anniversary also served as a reminder of the long-term human cost of the attacks, extending beyond those who died on Sept. 11 to families and communities that have continued to experience grief, illness and loss.
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