[9/11 Terror Commemoration. Photo Credit to Unsplash]

The United States marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on Friday with solemn memorial ceremonies held in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, honoring the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives.

At the National September 11 Memorial at Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan, families of victims gathered to read aloud the names of 2,983 individuals, including 2,977 victims of the 2001 attacks and six people killed in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

The annual ceremony began at 8:30 a.m., continuing throughout the morning to commemorate the attacks.

The ceremony honored those who died when the South and North Towers of the World Trade Center collapsed and also commemorated the victims of the four hijacked planes: two crashed into the South and North Towers of the World Trade Center, one crashed into the Pentagon, and one crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.

For the first time as part of the 25th-anniversary commemoration, a moment of silence was held to remember people who later died from illnesses and injuries associated with the rescue, recovery, and cleanup operations following the attacks.

Reading the victims’ names continued until around 1 p.m. before concluding with the performance of “Taps,” a traditional military bugle call that is commonly used at American memorial ceremonies.

Vice President JD Vance represented the administration, standing alongside others at the New York ceremony at Ground Zero for the moments of silence, while former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden were also among the prominent attendees.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump instead attended a separate ceremony at the Pentagon in Virginia, where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed after being hijacked during the attacks, accompanied by senior military officials and other government representatives.

Michael Massaroli Jr., the son of a 38-year-old vice president of operations killed at Cantor Fitzgerald, gave an applauded speech at Ground Zero to stop spreading hate against Muslim Americans and stated “You do my dad’s legacy and the legacy of all these victims no honor by using this tragedy to spread hate.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also attended his first commemoration as mayor by presenting “truly in awe of all that these families have given us,” and later at an interfaith service, he spoke about the resilience of New Yorkers, saying attackers failed to break the city at its fractures.

At the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, relatives and visitors gathered to honor the passengers and crew members of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed into a field after passengers attempted to regain control of the aircraft while it was being flown toward Washington, D.C. 

The Pennsylvania ceremony also included the reading of the victims’ names, the ringing of a memorial bell, speeches and musical performances, followed by a public flower-laying ceremony at the Wall of Names.

Across the United States, flags were lowered to a position below the top of the flagpole as a sign of mourning or respect for communities that held ceremonies and other events to remember those killed in the attacks and those who died later from related health problems.

In New York, two powerful beams of light known as the “Tribute in Light” pierced into the night sky, symbolizing the twin towers of the World Trade Center to serve as a reminder of the lives lost and the lasting impact of the attacks.

Twenty-five years after the attacks, the anniversary ceremonies brought together victims’ families, survivors, first responders, government officials, and members of the public, reflecting the ongoing commemoration of September 11th, the most dreadful event in American history and collective memory.