25 YEARS LATER, AMERICA REMEMBERS THE DAY THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

A quarter-century after hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field, Americans gathered once again to remember nearly 3,000 lives lost on September 11, 2001.

Twenty-five years have passed since four passenger planes were hijacked and turned into weapons in one of the darkest days in American history.

But on Friday, September 11, 2026, the memories returned with extraordinary force.

Across New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, families, survivors, first responders and officials gathered to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

At the National September 11 Memorial in New York, the names of those who died were read aloud as the nation paused to remember the victims.

The ceremony began with a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., the time American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

For families who lost loved ones, the passage of 25 years has not erased the pain.

FOUR PLANES. THREE LOCATIONS. ONE DAY THAT CHANGED AMERICA

On September 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaida hijackers took control of four commercial aircraft.

Two planes were deliberately flown into the World Trade Center in New York.

American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower at 8:46 a.m., followed 17 minutes later by United Airlines Flight 175, which hit the South Tower.

The images were broadcast around the world as the towers became engulfed in smoke and flames before eventually collapsing.

A third hijacked aircraft, American Airlines Flight 77, was flown into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.

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

Nearly 3,000 people were killed across the three locations.

THE NAMES WERE READ AGAIN

At Ground Zero in 2026, the ceremony carried the weight of a generation.

Families stood together as the names of the victims were read aloud.

The observance included moments of silence marking key moments of the attacks. This year, a seventh moment was also included to honor people who later died from illnesses associated with exposure to the toxic dust released after the World Trade Center towers collapsed.

The consequences of that morning have continued long after the attacks themselves.

First responders, recovery workers and others exposed to the toxic environment have suffered serious health consequences in the years since.

The New York Fire Department alone has lost more than 600 firefighters to illnesses connected to the aftermath of 9/11, according to Reuters.

A FLAG OVER THE PENTAGON

In Arlington, President Donald Trump attended the Pentagon ceremony with First Lady Melania Trump.

The names of the 184 people killed at the Pentagon were read, with a bell tolling between each name.

Earlier that morning, a giant American flag was unfurled over the portion of the Pentagon struck by the hijacked aircraft 25 years earlier.

The ceremony was both a tribute to the victims and a reflection on how profoundly the attacks changed American national security and foreign policy.

Vice President JD Vance attended the New York ceremony alongside former presidents and other dignitaries.

REMEMBERING FLIGHT 93

In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, another solemn ceremony honored the passengers and crew members aboard Flight 93.

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

Passengers learned through phone calls that other planes had struck buildings in New York and Washington. They then confronted the hijackers and attempted to take control of the aircraft.

The plane crashed into a field at 10:03 a.m.

All 40 passengers and crew members aboard were killed, but their actions became one of the defining stories of courage to emerge from September 11.

Today, the Flight 93 National Memorial stands as a place where visitors can remember those who fought back.

25 YEARS LATER

For Americans old enough to remember September 11, the images remain difficult to forget.

For younger generations, 9/11 is increasingly something learned through photographs, documentaries, memorials and the stories of parents and grandparents.

Yet the anniversary continues to bring the country together around the same simple act: remembering the people whose lives ended that day.

Twenty-five years later, the names are still read.

The memorials are still visited.

The stories are still told.

And across the United States, one message remains unchanged:

NEVER FORGET.