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Nation Pauses to Remember Nearly 3,000 Lives Lost
Twenty-five years after the deadliest attack on US soil, Americans paused on Friday to commemorate the nearly 3,000 people killed when hijacked planes slammed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania .
In New York, family members of the victims joined Vice President JD Vance and four former U.S. presidents at Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan. The ceremony began at 8:46 a.m. ET with a moment of silence to remember when American Airlines Flight 11 struck the World Trade Center’s North Tower. Victims’ family members then began reading aloud the names of all 2,977 people who died on September 11, as well as the six killed in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing .
For the first time, a seventh moment of silence was observed to honor the thousands who have died since 2001 from illnesses tied to toxic dust .
Trump Links 9/11 to Iran War at Pentagon Ceremony
At the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, where American Airlines Flight 77 struck the building’s west flank, killing 184, President Donald Trump chronicled some of the stories of those aboard who perished. The president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth both used their speeches to make the case for the Iran war, which they have defended as necessary to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons .
“We salute the service members working right now to ensure the world’s number one sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, will never ever have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said .
Generational Grief and Lasting Legacy
The attacks shaped generations of Americans, influencing US foreign policy, domestic politics, and public attitudes toward security. The attacks initiated the “war on terror,” which led to the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. The resulting public backlash helped fuel Trump’s rise a decade ago, when he vowed not to start new foreign entanglements — a promise now being tested by the Iran war .
For families of victims, the anniversary remains a deeply personal tribute. Caroline Ogonowski, whose father John was the captain of Flight 11, had her first baby this year and named him after her father. “My father will never know his grandson. And my son will never know his grandfather,” she said .
Casualties Continue to Mount
The New York City Fire Department lost 343 members on September 11. More than 600 additional firefighters have died of 9/11-related illnesses since then, with 26 deaths this year alone .
Muslim Americans and immigrants from Muslim-majority countries faced a rise in prejudice and hate crimes after the attacks. New York’s first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani, faced calls from some Republicans to skip Friday’s ceremony, which he rejected .
