On Friday, the United States observed the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, as citizens gathered to honor the nearly 3,000 individuals who lost their lives when hijacked aircraft struck the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a rural field in Pennsylvania.
The primary ceremony took place in New York City at Ground Zero, where the Twin Towers once stood before collapsing following the impacts. Relatives of the victims read aloud the names of the dead, a tradition maintained annually, within the shadow of the two reflecting pools that now outline the footprints of the destroyed skyscrapers.
At the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, mourners converged to remember the 184 people killed when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building. President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivered addresses at the site. “In those harrowing days after the attacks, we saw the authentic spirit of our nation. We were all New Yorkers that day, every one of us,” Trump stated. He added that the intervening quarter-century has demonstrated “the even greater power of the American spirit to endure and prevail and to win.”
In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, families convened to pay respects to the 40 passengers and crew members aboard United Airlines Flight 93. Although the hijackers intended to crash the plane into Washington, DC, survivors fought back, forcing the aircraft down in a field. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro directed flags across the state to fly at half-staff, praising the “bravery of the men and women who stood up to evil and ran towards danger while others were running away.”
These events occurred 25 years after the attacks fundamentally altered the United States, initiating the “global war on terror” and leading to prolonged military engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The catastrophe also left severe long-term health consequences for those exposed to the debris. Earlier this week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani disclosed government documents revealing that city officials were aware of the dangers posed by toxic dust following the collapse of the Twin Towers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 400,000 people encountered carcinogens and other hazardous chemicals during the aftermath. It is estimated that thousands have since died from related illnesses such as cancer.
I was just a kid in 2001, but I remember the fear vividly. Hard to believe a quarter-century has passed already.
It is shocking that officials knew about the toxic dust dangers back then. We owe it to the responders to hold them accountable.
Such a somber milestone. My heart goes out to the families still waiting for answers about the toxic dust exposure.