Americans and others around the world honored the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks in New York City and Washington D.C. today, on the 25th anniversary of the tragic event. One-third of Americans were not yet born on the day of the attack.
The national day of mourning included ceremonies at Ground Zero in New York City as well as at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and a field in Shanksville, Pa, where one of the hijacked jets crashed after passengers fought to take back the plane from terrorists.
In New York City, all living former presidents — George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden — and former first ladies attended the ceremony at Ground Zero. Vice President JD Vance and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, joined them at Ground Zero.
As it has been during every 9/11 ceremony, the victims’ names were read.
This year’s ceremony also included a moment of silence for those who have died of illnesses in the aftermath of the attacks.
Americans Pause to Remember Those Who Died Sept. 11, 2001 (photos)
President Donald Trump attended a ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., spoke about the human sacrifices on Sept. 11 and tried to draw a connection with his illegal war with Iran.
Trump refused to attend the New York City ceremony because he was not allowed to give a speech, according to media reports.
During a midterm GOP convention earlier in the week, Trump gave a fanciful account of being at the scene of the tragedy and being rescued by fire fighters. The story was widely derided as an insult to the real survivors.
The attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon was part of a broad attack perpetrated by more than a dozen terrorists organized by Osama Bin Laden, who was killed by U.S. Navy Seals in May 2011 at his redoubt in Pakistan.
During the terror attack, two hijacked planes zeroed in on the Twin Towers in New York City, long a hated symbol of Islamic extremists. Each tower was hit causing a huge explosion and fire. The buildings collapsed killing more then 2,700 people.
It was the largest single attack and loss of life on American soil since World War II, second only to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
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The ceremonies were solemn. They were held at memorial plaza and a corner nearby in New York; The two ceremonies reflect a divide over how to observe the anniversary in a time of social distancing.
Relatives of 9/11 victims read the names of those who died on a stage at Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan.
The nation has since vanquished Islamic extremists and has suffered no major terror attacks since then.
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The Full New York City Ceremony
Keith Girard has four decades of experience as an award-winning reporter, editor-in-chief, and senior media executive. Keith’s career began in Washington, D.C., where he was a reporter for The Washington Post and a contributing editor for Regardie’s and Washingtonian magazines. He also worked as a writer/producer in CNN’s Washington Bureau and has written non-fiction books on the U.S. Marines in the Gulf War and Donald Trump and two novels, “The Heidelberg Conundrum” and “The Curse of Northam Bay.”