25 YEARS LATER, AMERICA STILL REMEMBERS — A NATION PAUSES FOR THE LIVES LOST ON 9/11

A quarter-century after the September 11 attacks, families, survivors and Americans across the country gathered to remember nearly 3,000 people whose lives were lost — and the generations forever changed by that day.

Twenty-five years have passed since September 11, 2001.

But for the families who lost loved ones, the memories remain painfully close.

On Friday, September 11, 2026, Americans gathered at memorial sites across the country to mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, remembering the nearly 3,000 people killed in New York, at the Pentagon and aboard United Airlines Flight 93.

At Ground Zero in New York City, relatives once again read the names of those who never came home.

For many families, it was not simply a ceremony.

It was a yearly promise: their loved ones would not be forgotten.

THE MORNING AMERICA NEVER FORGOT

The remembrance began at Ground Zero with a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., marking the moment American Airlines Flight 11 struck the World Trade Center’s North Tower.

Family members then read the names of the victims aloud, including the 2,977 people who died in the September 11 attacks and the six people killed in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

The ceremony lasted for hours as relatives held photographs, flowers and personal memories of those they lost.

For some, the passage of time has brought children and grandchildren who never had the chance to meet the person being remembered.

For others, September 11 remains the day their family story changed forever.

REMEMBERING FLIGHT 93

The nation also gathered in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United Airlines Flight 93 came down after passengers attempted to regain control of the hijacked aircraft.

The passengers and crew have long been remembered for their extraordinary courage as they confronted the hijackers, preventing the plane from reaching its intended target.

A separate ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial honored those who were aboard the aircraft.

A NEW MOMENT OF REMEMBRANCE

This year’s anniversary carried another layer of remembrance.

For the first time, the New York ceremony included a seventh moment of silence honoring people who later died from illnesses connected to exposure to toxic dust and debris following the attacks.

The addition recognized that the human cost of 9/11 did not end on September 11, 2001.

First responders, recovery workers and others exposed to the aftermath have continued to face serious health consequences decades later.

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum notes that the attacks themselves killed 2,977 people and injured thousands more.

25 YEARS, BUT THE MEMORIES REMAIN

For a generation born after 2001, September 11 is history.

For those who lived through it, however, it remains something deeply personal.

A parent who never came home.

A friend whose phone call was never answered.

A firefighter who entered a building and never returned.

A passenger aboard Flight 93 who made a final decision to fight back.

And thousands of families who have spent 25 years carrying memories of people they loved.

The anniversary has therefore become more than a remembrance of one terrible morning.

It is also a reminder of the people behind the numbers.

“WE WILL NEVER FORGET”

Across New York, Washington and Pennsylvania — and in communities throughout the United States — Americans marked the anniversary with ceremonies, moments of silence, memorials and personal tributes.

The attacks changed American life, national security and foreign policy. But after 25 years, one part of the story remains unchanged.

The names are still read.

The photographs are still carried.

The stories are still told.

And the families still remember.

Twenty-five years later, America has not forgotten.

And for those who lost someone on September 11, 2001, there may never be a day when they stop remembering.