NEW YORK — Twenty-five years after the September 11 terrorist attacks transformed the United States and reshaped global politics, Americans once again gathered at Ground Zero, the Pentagon and the Flight 93 National Memorial to remember the nearly 3,000 people killed that day.
The anniversary on Friday, September 11, 2026, brought moments of silence, wreath-laying ceremonies, the reading of victims’ names and tributes to the first responders and ordinary citizens whose lives were forever changed by the attacks.
At the National September 11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan, victims’ relatives gathered to read the names of those killed in the 2001 attacks, along with those who died in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Vice President JD Vance and four former U.S. presidents were among the prominent figures present at the New York observance.
The ceremony followed the timeline of that devastating morning, beginning with a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., when American Airlines Flight 11 struck the World Trade Center’s North Tower.
A new moment of silence was also incorporated into this year’s ceremony to recognize people who died in the years after 9/11 from illnesses associated with exposure to toxic dust and other conditions linked to the attacks and their aftermath. CBS News reported that the additional moment is intended to become a permanent part of the annual remembrance.
A morning that changed America forever
On September 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaida hijackers seized four commercial airplanes.
Two planes were flown into the World Trade Center towers in New York. A third struck the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, while United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew members attempted to regain control of the aircraft.
A total of 2,977 people were killed in the September 11 attacks, according to U.S. government figures. The victims included civilians, airline passengers and crew members, firefighters, police officers, emergency personnel and military and government workers.
The attacks destroyed the Twin Towers and caused massive damage at the Pentagon, while the actions of Flight 93 passengers prevented the aircraft from reaching its intended target.
The tragedy quickly became more than an American catastrophe. It triggered a sweeping transformation in U.S. foreign policy, national security, intelligence gathering, immigration and air travel.
The legacy extends far beyond Ground Zero
The attacks launched the U.S.-led global war on terrorism, including the invasion of Afghanistan and, later, the Iraq War.
They also resulted in the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, expanded federal surveillance and intelligence authorities, major changes to airport security and new counterterrorism measures across the country.
Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaida leader who was identified as the architect of the attacks, was killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan in 2011.
Yet a major chapter of the 9/11 story remains unresolved.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who U.S. authorities identify as the alleged mastermind of the attacks, remains entangled in the military commission process more than two decades after his capture.
The aftermath has also continued to affect the health of first responders, recovery workers and others who were exposed to the toxic environment around the World Trade Center.
ABC News reported that thousands of people have died from illnesses associated with 9/11 in the years since the attacks.
A new generation remembers
Perhaps one of the most striking aspects of the 25th anniversary is that an entire generation of Americans has grown up without personal memories of September 11, 2001.
For younger Americans, the attacks are increasingly understood through photographs, documentaries, school lessons, memorials and the stories of parents and grandparents.
The U.S. Air Force Academy noted that today’s cadets include people who have no personal memory of the attacks, making annual ceremonies increasingly important as a way to pass those stories to the next generation.
That generational divide has become part of the meaning of the anniversary itself: remembering an event that changed the world while ensuring that the people who died are not reduced to statistics in history books.
Remembrance amid a complicated legacy
The 25th anniversary also brought renewed reflection on the complicated consequences of 9/11.
The attacks generated a wave of patriotism and prompted many Americans to join the military, police departments, fire services and other public institutions.
But the post-9/11 era also produced intense debates over surveillance, civil liberties, military intervention and the treatment of Muslim Americans.
Associated Press reports noted that while 9/11 created a powerful sense of national unity, it also contributed to mistrust, prejudice and hate crimes directed at Muslim communities.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who was a child when the attacks occurred, attended the Ground Zero commemoration despite criticism from some political figures and relatives of victims. Mamdani said the anniversary should remain focused on the victims, their families, first responders and New Yorkers who helped one another after the attacks.
‘Never Forget’ remains more than a slogan
Across New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, the 25th anniversary was marked not only through official ceremonies but also through volunteer projects and community events.
The Tribute in Light once again illuminated the New York skyline, recreating the visual memory of the Twin Towers with two beams of light rising from Lower Manhattan.
The White House also formally proclaimed September 11, 2026, as Patriot Day, calling on Americans to remember the 2,977 victims and directing U.S. flags to be displayed at half-staff.
A quarter-century later, the physical landscape of New York has changed. New buildings have risen where the towers once stood. Many children born after 2001 are now adults. Some of the first responders who survived that day have themselves died from illnesses linked to the aftermath.
But the central ritual remains unchanged.
The names are still read.
The bells still ring.
The lights still rise over Lower Manhattan.
And every September 11, America pauses to remember a morning that changed not only the United States, but the course of the world.
Twenty-five years later, the question is no longer simply how America remembers 9/11—but what lessons it chooses to carry forward.
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