NEW YORK (AP) — Americans observed the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks with renewed solemnity on Thursday, gathering at Ground Zero, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, buoyed by volunteer efforts and public remembrances that underscored grief, resilience, and community.
At the 9/11 Memorial Plaza in Lower Manhattan, family members of the nearly 3,000 victims will read names aloud. Six moments of silence will mark the key moments of the tragedy: when each World Trade Center tower was struck and later collapsed, when Flight 77 hit the Pentagon, and when Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville.
The ceremonies begin at 8:30 a.m., with families given access to the Memorial Plaza from 7:30 a.m. The Museum entrance opens at 8 a.m., with the last admittance scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Voices of Loss, Memory, and Education
Among those attending are Denise Matuza, Jennifer Nilsen, and Michelle Pizzo. Each wears a T-shirt bearing the name and face of her husband, lost in the World Trade Center attack. Nilsen, whose husband Troy worked at Cantor Fitzgerald, said, “Even 24 years later, it’s heart-wrenching … It feels the same way every year.”
James Lynch, who lost his father Robert in the attacks, plans a quieter observance near his New Jersey hometown before seeking solace at the beach. Lynch, his partner, and his mother are also among thousands of volunteers preparing meals in Manhattan ahead of the anniversary. He reflected that “grief … doesn’t ever go away,” but that finding “joy in that grief” has helped him heal.
For Ronald Bucca, son of FDNY fire marshal Ronald Paul Bucca, the commemoration is also about teaching the younger generation resilience and how to cope with loss. Pizzo added a hope: for people to pause for even a minute to reflect on what was lost—and what continues to matter.
National Day of Service
The anniversary is being observed not just with ceremonies, but with a widespread national day of service. Across the country, volunteers are taking part in food drives, blood donation campaigns, clean-ups, and other charitable events. In New York, efforts aboard the USS Intrepid yielded over two million meals assembled for food banks. The event is part of a push to engage some 30 million Americans in service today.
Political Undertones and Security
This year’s remembrances occur amid heightened political tensions. The fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah just a day before Sept. 11 has led to increased scrutiny and augmented security at public events, especially at Ground Zero. Vice President J.D. Vance, planned to attend the ceremony in New York, is instead set to meet Kirk’s family in Salt Lake City. President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are attending the service at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia and will later head to a baseball game in the Bronx with the New York Yankees.
Enduring Legacy and Ongoing Issues
Decades after the attacks, the United States continues to grapple with the long-term consequences. The death toll of nearly 3,000, including first responders, reshaped U.S. policy—both foreign and domestic—with the Global War on Terrorism, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and related global conflicts.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the man accused of masterminding the 9/11 plot, has yet to be tried—despite his capture and transfer to Guantánamo in 2003. Meanwhile, more than 140,000 people remain enrolled in health monitoring and compensation programs for exposure to toxic dust resulting from the collapse of the towers.
What’s New This Year
Arlington Ceremony at the Pentagon
In Arlington, Virginia, the Pentagon memorial drew military families, survivors, and dignitaries. Wreaths were laid in memory of the 184 service members and civilians killed when hijackers steered Flight 77 into the U.S. military headquarters. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attended the ceremony before heading to New York later in the day. Veterans and service personnel stood shoulder to shoulder with relatives, underscoring the enduring cost borne by the armed forces.
Ground Zero and Shanksville
At the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan, the names of the nearly 3,000 victims were read aloud, punctuated by six moments of silence marking the attacks and the collapse of the towers. In Pennsylvania, the families of those aboard Flight 93 gathered on the windswept Shanksville field where passengers fought back against hijackers, preventing further destruction in Washington.
Volunteers assembled over two million meals in New York aboard the USS Intrepid as part of service-efforts.
Connecticut held a memorial ceremony for its 161 local victims, with rose-laying processions and speeches emphasising healing and advocacy, including from families who lost loved ones.
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum’s schedule: access details, closure times, and a reminder that museum tickets are free for family members.
Voices of the Bereaved
Denise Matuza, Jennifer Nilsen, and Michelle Pizzo travelled from Staten Island, each wearing a T-shirt with the face of her husband, lost at Cantor Fitzgerald. “Even 24 years later, it’s heart-wrenching,” Nilsen said. “It feels the same way every year.”
James Lynch, whose father Robert was killed at the World Trade Center, joined thousands of volunteers preparing meals for the needy in Manhattan on the eve of the anniversary. “Any kind of grief, I don’t think it ever goes away,” he reflected. “Finding the joy in that grief has been a huge part of my growth.”
Global Ripples
Though most commemorations were U.S.-based, the anniversary resonated internationally. U.S. embassies overseas held moments of silence, while expatriate groups and schools observed vigils. Governments around the world issued messages of solidarity, echoing past years when European capitals and NATO partners hosted public tributes.
International media also reflected on the attacks’ long shadow: the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the reshaping of airport security, and the ways 9/11 changed global counter-terrorism policy. In Connecticut, where 161 residents were lost, ceremonies emphasized healing and advocacy — reminding the world that the tragedy was not confined to New York or Washington, but spread across states and nations.
This anniversary, like those before it, is a mosaic of sorrow and service—of public ceremony and private remembrance. It’s about the names that must still be read, the moments frozen in memory, and the call to live with compassion and awareness so as not to forget what was lost, and what has yet to heal.
