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

Twenty-five years after the deadliest attack on U.S. soil, Americans gathered on Friday to remember the nearly 3,000 victims killed when hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. In New York City, family members of the victims, joined by Vice President JD Vance and four former U.S. presidents, observed a moment of silence at Ground Zero, then recited the names of all 2,977 who died, including six from the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

The ceremony also included moments marking when the other three planes crashed and the towers fell. For the first time, a seventh silence honored those who have died since 2001 from illnesses linked to the toxic dust released after the attacks. Gregory Carafello attended the ceremony to commemorate his friend James Martello, who perished at the Cantor Fitzgerald firm along with over 650 colleagues.

In Arlington, Virginia, President Donald Trump honored the passengers of American Airlines Flight 77, which struck the Pentagon, sharing stories of a pregnant woman, a family preparing to move to Australia, and three sixth-grade students on a field trip. He and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth invoked the Iran war, defending it as necessary to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

In Pennsylvania, the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 in Shanksville attracted mourners, including a father whose daughter was the captain of Flight 11. For many directly affected by the attacks, the anniversary is a somber reminder of a quarter-century of grief, while for generations who only remember the aftermath, the event fundamentally shaped U.S. foreign policy, domestic politics, and attitudes toward national security.