9/11 at 25: Families remember loved ones lost in America’s darkest day

The United States is marking the 25^th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, with Americans gathering at the three locations where nearly 3,000 people were killed in one of the most devastating days in the country’s modern history.

A quarter of a century after the attacks, victims’ families, survivors, first responders, military personnel, government officials and members of the public are returning to the National September 11 Memorial in New York, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The commemorations are taking place against the backdrop of a profound national reckoning with the human cost of the attacks and the far-reaching political, military, security and public-health consequences that followed.

A day that changed America

On September 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaeda hijackers seized control of four commercial passenger aircraft as part of a coordinated terrorist operation against the United States.

Two of the planes were deliberately flown into the World Trade Centre’s Twin Towers in New York City, causing both skyscrapers to collapse and killing thousands of people inside the buildings and on the ground.

A third aircraft crashed into the Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Department of Defense, killing people inside the building and those aboard the aircraft.

The fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed into a field near Shanksville after passengers and crew members attempted to regain control of the aircraft from the hijackers.

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In total, 2,977 people were killed in the attacks, excluding the 19 hijackers.

The victims came from different parts of the United States and from countries around the world, turning September 11 into an international tragedy.

Names, silence and remembrance in New York

At the National September 11 Memorial in lower Manhattan, relatives of those killed are participating in the annual ceremony by reading the names of the victims.

Moments of silence are being observed to correspond with key moments in the attacks, creating periods of solemn reflection as the names of those who died are read aloud.

For many families, the annual ceremony remains an intensely personal ritual. Twenty-five years later, the passage of time has not erased the impact of losing parents, children, spouses, siblings, friends and colleagues.

This year’s observance also recognizes people who died in subsequent years from illnesses associated with exposure to toxic dust and other hazardous substances released following the collapse of the World Trade Centre buildings.

The recognition reflects one of the less immediately visible consequences of the attacks: a continuing health crisis among first responders, recovery workers and others who were exposed to the disaster site.

National leaders join anniversary observances

President Donald Trump is attending the anniversary ceremony at the Pentagon, while Vice President JD Vance is participating in the commemoration in New York.

Other members of the Trump administration are attending events in Shanksville, where the story of Flight 93 has become an enduring symbol of resistance and sacrifice.

The White House has proclaimed September 11, 2026, as Patriot Day, while ordering that the US flag be flown at half-staff in honour of the 2,977 victims.

The presidential proclamation adds a national dimension to ceremonies that have increasingly combined remembrance of the dead with recognition of the sacrifices made by survivors, first responders, military personnel and emergency workers.

Flight 93 and the passengers who fought back

In Pennsylvania, the Flight 93 National Memorial is holding its 25^th annual September 11 observance.

The ceremony includes the reading of the names of the 40 passengers and crew members who died when Flight 93 crashed into the Pennsylvania countryside.

Unlike the other three hijacked aircraft, Flight 93 never reached its intended target.

Investigations and accounts from family members indicate that passengers and crew members, after learning through telephone calls that other hijacked planes had struck major targets, attempted to overpower the hijackers.

The struggle ultimately resulted in the aircraft crashing before reaching Washington, D.C.

The passengers and crew are remembered as having acted under extraordinary circumstances, and their actions have become an important part of the national narrative surrounding September 11.