9/11 remembrance ceremony in NYC marks 25 years since deadly terror attack
It has been 25 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, when al Qaeda hijackers crashed four jets into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Every year, the city and nation pause to remember the 2,983 people killed in the 2001 attacks and in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The solemn ceremony began just after 8:40 a.m. at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in Lower Manhattan with children, grandchildren, and other loved ones reading the names of the victims.
Watch the full ceremony
For the first time ever, a seventh moment of silence was held after the reading of the names to commemorate the thousands who died from 9/11 illnesses. The last moment of silence will become a permanent part of the annual ceremony.
"It honors the 10,000 people that with no thought of their own being came down to help," retired EMT Sonia Agron said. "And had we known better, we'd take better precautions. But knowing that, I would go back, because it wasn't about me ... it was about the people who needed the help."
The emotions were as raw today as they have ever been as families remembered loved ones lost and vowed once again to never forget. It is the mournful ritual as the city stops to share its grief, thank its heroes and hold loved ones close to their hearts.
"No one truly dies if we keep their memories alive. I speak of you always in the present tense," said one speaker. "You are my big brother, and you will always be my big brother Robert David Carozo."
It's also a moment to thank those who came to the rescue.
"You didn't hesitate. You didn't think about it. All of our first responders that stepped in, stepped up and took care of business when we needed you. We thank you," another speaker said.
Explore how Lower Manhattan has transformed after 9/11
Twenty-five years later, those who were not there during the attacks talked to loved ones who only exist in memories and stories passed down to a new generation.
"The uncle that I never got to play basketball with. The uncle that I never met, and the best brother my mom could have asked for," one speaker said.
"Twenty-five years of an empty chair, an empty plate, and a lifetime of wondering what he would think, what would he say, what kind of father he would have been," said another.
Moments of levity broke through the unavoidable grief as children thanked the loved ones they would never meet, never hug, but whose legacy lives on through them.
"My grandfather and my namesake, Andrew Ira Rosenblum," one boy said. "You blessed us with the Knicks. This year we got our first championship. Knicks in five. You also cursed us with the Jets. We're still waiting on that one."
One by one, families returned to Ground Zero carrying photographs, flowers and memories of loved ones killed. For some, this has been a ritual of remembrance for a quarter century.
"I have carried you with me throughout every accomplishment and every milestone," one woman said while talking about her father. "As I'm getting ready to get married soon, I wish you nothing but more to be here to walk me down the aisle. I will always be your little girl."
From those who suffered unimaginable loss, there were closing words of hope.
"May God bless America. May God bring peace to the world, and rest in peace my child," one speaker said.
The first moment of silence was at 8:46 a.m. to mark when hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower. The second moment of silence was at 9:03 a.m., marking when United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower.
The third moment of silence happened at 9:37 a.m., when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. The fourth moment happened at 9:59 a.m., when the South Tower collapsed.
At 10:03 a.m., a fifth moment of silence was observed for when the United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into an empty field near Shanksville. The sixth moment of silence was at 10:28 a.m. when the North Tower collapsed.
Many politicians and local leaders were in attendance, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Vice President JD Vance and former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Meanwhile, President Trump observed 9/11 at a commemoration ceremony at the Pentagon.
Mamdani could be seen shaking hands with Giuliani, who was in office at the time of the attacks.
Yo-Yo Ma and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus were among those who performed at the ceremony.
It started as a normal morning 25 years ago in Lower Manhattan. The skies were clear, and New Yorkers headed to the polls for the primaries.
At 8:46 a.m., the unfathomable happened, and everything changed. A CBS News special report came on the air, with WCBS in New York City being the only station bringing live pictures of the North Tower torn open.
"The scale of the devastation and loss caused by 9/11 terrorist attacks, it was just unfathomable, but so too was the level of valor and heroism that we saw in the first responder community, police officers, firefighters running into those burning buildings, saving countless lives while others were desperately trying to run away," said NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Twenty-five years is a quarter century, and long enough that an entire generation inherited 9/11 as history.
"There's definitely kids that, the only time they hear about it is during school," said Alexis Charney from Commack High School.
It has also been long enough that the skyline has healed, even if the wound underneath hasn't.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, an estimated 6,000 first responders, survivors and volunteers have died from related illnesses. The New York City Fire Department recently added the names of 36 firefighters who died from related diseases to its memorial wall.
"Thirty-six more reminders that the legacy of September 11th doesn't end on one single day," said FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore.
Today, as One World Trade rises where the Twin Towers stood, ceremonies filled Lower Manhattan, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville.
In Bryant Park, 2,753 chairs were placed on the lawn to remember the people killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11. Former President Bush also visited FDNY Ladder Company 3 Thursday, the firehouse whose apparatus was so badly damaged that it never returned to service.
Thousands gathered, and millions watched as we honored 25 years of grief.
At night, the Tribute in Light will return, where twin beams will reach up into the sky, echoing the shape and orientation of the Twin Towers. The lights will be visible from a 60-mile radius before fading away Saturday morning.
