en.malanginspirasi.com — The United States (US across the country are commemorating the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on Friday, gathering for traditional memorial rituals that include readings of victims’ names, moments of silence, wreath-layings, and volunteer service projects.
On that clear morning a quarter-century ago, 19 al-Qaida hijackers seized four commercial airliners.
Two struck the World Trade Center’s twin towers in New York, one hit the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., and the fourth crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew fought back.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed that day.
Thousands more have since died from illnesses linked to exposure to the toxic dust and debris, particularly at Ground Zero.
At the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in lower Manhattan, family members began reading the names of the dead around 8:46 a.m. EDT — the moment the first plane struck the North Tower.
The ceremony, which traditionally features no political speeches, includes seven moments of silence this year.
Six mark the times the planes hit or the towers fell, the attack on the Pentagon, and the crash of Flight 93. For the first time, a seventh honors those who later succumbed to 9/11-related illnesses and injuries.
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Vice President JD Vance is expected to attend the New York observance, joined by former presidents including George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Joe Biden. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, is also scheduled to be present despite some criticism from critics who questioned his attendance.
President Donald Trump is attending the ceremony at the Pentagon, where he is expected to deliver remarks. Other administration officials are at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania.
Remembrances extend far beyond the three attack sites. Events include stair climbs symbolizing the 110 floors of the World Trade Center, beams of light, concerts, and ceremonies at military bases overseas and in communities nationwide.
Congress has designated September 11 as Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance, with many participating in volunteer efforts organized by groups such as 9/11 Day.
A recent poll found that about half of U.S. adults regard the attacks as the most historic event of their lifetime.
For a generation born after 2001, the day is increasingly taught as history.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum has expanded educational programs, including digital resources aimed at younger Americans who have no personal memory of the events.
The attacks reshaped American life and policy: they led to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, expanded surveillance authorities, changes in air travel security, and lasting debates over the balance between safety and civil liberties.
Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011, but the accused mastermind of the plot, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, still awaits trial.
Personal stories continue to surface. Police Officer Casey Kloepfer, whose father Ronald was among the first responders killed at the World Trade Center, plans to visit the Brooklyn station house where his father worked.
“It’s big footsteps to fill,” the younger Kloepfer, now 29 and wearing his father’s badge number, has said.
Families of those lost to both the initial attacks and subsequent illnesses emphasize that the grief and the need to remember remain immediate even 25 years later.
As the Tribute in Light beams upward once more over lower Manhattan and names continue to be read, the day serves as both a collective act of mourning and a reminder of resilience, service, and the ongoing effort to ensure that future generations understand what happened and why it mattered.
