Americans mark 25 years since Sep 11 attacks amid enduring grief, reflection

Twenty-five years after the deadliest attack on U.S. soil, the nation will gather to honor the nearly 3,000 lives lost on September 11, 2001, and to reflect on the lasting impact of that tragic day. The attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania reshaped American foreign policy, domestic politics, and public attitudes toward security. For the victims' families, first responders, and rescue workers, the anniversary is a somber reminder of the profound grief and heartbreak that followed.

Caroline Ogonowski, whose father was captain of the hijacked flight that struck the World Trade Center, names her first-born son after him and plans to attend a memorial ceremony in his honor. She laments that her father will never know his grandson, and her son will never meet his grandfather. She emphasizes the importance of educating future generations about the event, the heroes, and the strength the nation displayed in response.

In New York City, Vice President JD Vance, all four living former presidents, and victims' relatives will join Mayor Zohran Mamdani at the September 11 memorial. The ceremony will include moments of silence marking the times when the hijacked planes struck the towers and when each tower collapsed. Family members will recite the names of all 2,977 victims from New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania, as well as those killed in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

President Donald Trump will commemorate the occasion at the Pentagon, while mourners will hold a ceremony at the crash site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where passengers brought down a fourth hijacked jetliner.

The attacks set in motion the "war on terror," leading to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. The resulting public backlash contributed to Donald Trump's rise, when he pledged not to engage in new foreign entanglements—a promise tested by the current Iran war. At home, the nation displayed solidarity and patriotism but also witnessed a rise in prejudice and hate crimes against Muslim Americans and immigrants from Muslim-majority countries. Public polls show that 9/11 continues to shape Americans' perceptions of Muslims today.

The casualties of September 11 extend beyond those who perished that day. Many rescue workers and nearby residents who were exposed to toxins at the site later developed rare cancers and died. Patrick Whalen's father, also named Patrick, was a New York City firefighter who responded to the attacks and worked at Ground Zero for months.

He was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer linked to toxic exposure, and died in August 2021. The government told him it was safe to breathe, but it was not true. More than 600 firefighters, including some retired members, have died from 9/11-related illnesses since the attacks, including 26 in the current year.