New York/Washington, September 11, 2026: Americans on Friday marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, with commemorations across the country honouring those who died and reflecting on the far-reaching consequences of the tragedy.
In New York, victims’ families joined Vice President JD Vance and four former US presidents at Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan. The ceremony began at 8:46am with a moment of silence marking the time American Airlines Flight 11 struck the World Trade Center’s North Tower.
Family members then began reading the names of the 2,977 people killed in the September 11 attacks, along with the six victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The reading was expected to continue for several hours.
Additional moments of silence were scheduled to mark the crashes of the other three hijacked aircraft and the collapse of the Twin Towers. For the first time, a seventh moment of silence was observed in honour of thousands of people who have died from illnesses linked to exposure to toxic dust following the attacks.
In Arlington, Virginia, senior military leaders gathered in heavy rain for the unfurling of an American flag at the Pentagon site where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed, killing 184 people. President Donald Trump was expected to address a ceremony there.
Another memorial was held in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed after passengers attempted to regain control of the hijacked aircraft as it headed toward Washington.
The September 11 attacks shaped generations of Americans and profoundly influenced US foreign policy, domestic politics and public attitudes toward national security.
The attacks triggered the US-led “war on terror”, the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and prolonged military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The immediate aftermath also saw an outpouring of national solidarity and patriotism. At the same time, Muslim Americans and immigrants from Muslim-majority countries faced increased discrimination and hate crimes, with the attacks continuing to influence public perceptions of Muslims.
For victims’ families, first responders and rescue workers, however, the anniversary remains deeply personal.
Caroline Ogonowski’s father, John, was the captain of Flight 11. Ogonowski, now 39, had her first child this year and named him after her father.
“This year, there’s this new sadness in knowing that they won’t ever get to know each other,” she said. “My father will never know his grandson. And my son will never know his grandfather.”
She said future generations must continue to learn about the people who died and the way Americans came together after the attacks.
The human cost of September 11 extended far beyond those killed on the day itself. Thousands of rescue workers, firefighters, police officers, residents and others were exposed to toxic substances in the air around Ground Zero and later developed serious illnesses.
Patrick Whalen’s father, a New York City firefighter, worked at Ground Zero for months after the attacks. He was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer linked to exposure to toxic carcinogens, in 2020 and died the following year.
“The government told him it was safe to breathe, and, obviously, it was not true,” the younger Whalen said after a New York City Fire Department memorial service this week.
The New York City Fire Department lost 343 members on September 11. More than 600 additional firefighters, including some retired members involved in the rescue effort, have since died from illnesses linked to the attacks, according to department figures.
Twenty-six firefighters have died from 9/11-related illnesses this year alone, underscoring the continuing human toll of the tragedy a quarter century later.
