US marks 25 years since 9/11 attacks, honors 2,977 victims

Abi Sarabia M., Philippine Canadian Inquirer
September 11, 2026

Photo courtesy: Commonweal Magazine

NEW YORK — The United States is marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on Friday, Sept. 11, honoring the 2,977 people killed and the thousands of first responders, survivors and others whose lives were permanently changed by the tragedy.

Families of victims are gathering at the National September 11 Memorial in lower Manhattan for the annual reading of names, one of the central commemorations of the attacks that struck New York, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001.

The ceremony begins at 8:30 AM Eastern Time, with the first moment of silence at 8:46 AM, the time American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Family members will read the names of those killed in the 2001 attacks as well as the victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

This year, the commemoration carries an additional tribute.

For the first time, organizers are observing a seventh moment of silence for people who have died from illnesses and injuries linked to exposure to toxic dust and other hazards in the aftermath of 9/11. Thousands of first responders, recovery workers and members of the lower Manhattan community have died from 9/11-related illnesses in the years since the attacks.

The other six moments of silence mark the times the two World Trade Center towers were struck and collapsed, the attack on the Pentagon and the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.

What happened on September 11, 2001

Nineteen al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners in a coordinated attack.

American Airlines Flight 11 struck the World Trade Center’s North Tower at 8:46 a.m., followed by United Airlines Flight 175 hitting the South Tower at 9:03AM.

American Airlines Flight 77 later crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. United Airlines Flight 93 went down near Shanksville, Pennsylvania after passengers and crew attempted to retake control of the aircraft from the hijackers.

A total of 2,977 victims were killed, excluding the 19 hijackers. The attacks became the deadliest terrorist attack in United States history and triggered sweeping changes in American national security, aviation security, intelligence and foreign policy.

Remembering 9/11 for a new generation

Twenty-five years later, remembrance is increasingly focused not only on those who lived through the attacks but also on those who have no firsthand memory of them.

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum estimates that about 100 million Americans, roughly one-third of the US population, are too young to remember September 11, 2001. The museum has made educating that generation a major focus of this year’s anniversary.

New educational programs and an exhibition titled “In Their Honor: 25 Years of 9/11-Inspired Service” are highlighting how the attacks inspired people to enter emergency response, military service, healthcare, education, advocacy and other forms of public service.

The public can also watch the anniversary ceremony online, while the 9/11 Memorial is expected to reopen to visitors later in the day. The annual Tribute in Light, featuring twin beams illuminating the New York skyline, will return from dusk until dawn.

President Donald Trump has proclaimed September 11, 2026 as Patriot Day and ordered US flags on federal buildings and grounds to be flown at half-staff in memory of the victims.

A quarter-century after the attacks, the anniversary continues to honor those killed, the people who responded in the immediate aftermath, and those who continue to live with the long-term consequences of 9/11.