As the United States observes the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, a wave of remembrance is mingled with ongoing grief and political reflection. The commemorations, spanning New York City, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, highlight both the enduring legacy of that day and the unfinished business surrounding the legal and health consequences of the attacks.
At the World Trade Center site, a solemn ceremony featuring the reading of the nearly 3,000 names of the victims will include seven moments of silence. These pauses correspond to key timestamps of the morning: the impact of American Airlines Flight 11 at 8:46 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175 at 9:03 a.m., and American Airlines Flight 77 at 9:37 a.m., followed by the collapses of the South Tower at 9:59 a.m., the counterattack on Flight 93 at 10:03 a.m., the North Tower’s collapse at 10:38 a.m., and a newly added seventh silence honoring those who died from 9/11-related illnesses.
The addition of the final moment of silence underscores the persistent health toll of the disaster. Approximately 6,000 first responders, survivors, and volunteers have since died from diseases linked to the toxic dust and fumes. FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore recently added 36 firefighter names to the memorial wall, stating, “Thirty-six more reminders that the legacy of September 11th doesn’t end on one single day.” The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund has processed at least 112,000 claims, disbursing over $18 billion in awards.
Legal proceedings against the alleged plotters remain a source of deep contention. Gordon Felt, president of the Families of Flight 93, expressed “significant frustration” that the suspects still have not faced trial. A military judge at Guantánamo Bay has scheduled jury selection for four defendants, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, to begin on June 5, 2028, after rejecting an earlier 2027 start date. “We’ve yet to see justice or accountability,” Felt told CBS News, noting that the pre-trial phase has “dragged on endlessly.”
Former President George W. Bush, who was in office during the attacks, reflected on the nation’s trajectory at his presidential library in Dallas. He warned that Americans sometimes fall into isolationist periods where they “don’t pay attention to the lesson of 9/11,” arguing that events overseas directly impact domestic national security. Bush, who launched the war in Afghanistan in response, oversaw the longest conflict in U.S. history, which concluded with the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
High-profile attendees are expected at Friday’s ceremonies. In New York, Vice President JD Vance will be joined by former presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden, along with their spouses, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani. At the Pentagon, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony, alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Earlier in the week, President Trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to Welles Crowther, known as the “man in the red bandana.”
Security in Lower Manhattan is being described as “massive” by NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who anticipates layers of both visible and covert measures, including counter-drone teams. Mayor Mamdani has urged residents to avoid driving downtown, noting that the Ground Zero ceremony is restricted to invitees only.
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Funny how Bush blames isolationism while he started wars, and now Trump is there. Politics always overshadows the actual victims.
Twenty-five years and no trials yet? That timeline to 2028 feels like another delay tactic, not justice.
The new moment of silence for illness victims is a vital addition. We must never forget the slow, painful deaths still happening today.