United States marks 25 years since the Sept. 11 attacks

Americans marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on Friday with wreath-laying, flags, moments of silence, vigils, readings of victims’ names and volunteer projects. A new poll found that about half of U.S. adults consider the attacks the most historic event of their lifetime.

On Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida extremists hijacked four commercial aircraft and crashed them into New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon near Washington and a field near Shanksville, Pa., killing nearly 3,000 people. Officials concluded the fourth aircraft was headed for Washington before passengers and crew stormed the cockpit and fought the hijackers.

At the World Trade Center site, Elsie Caldwell carried a photograph of her son, Kenny Caldwell, to hear his name read aloud. She said his final call that morning 25 years ago was to tell her he loved her. His remains, like those of many victims, have never been recovered. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick became emotional while revisiting the site where 658 of his colleagues, including his brother Gary Lutnick, were killed at Cantor Fitzgerald.

President Donald Trump attended the Pentagon observance and said the attacks showed the terrible power of hate, while the ensuing 25 years showed Americans’ capacity to endure and prevail. Former president George W. Bush, who was in office on Sept. 11, and former presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden joined current Vice-President JD Vance at the National Sept. 11 Memorial in New York. Other administration officials visited the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania.

The ground-zero ceremony traditionally has no political speeches. Relatives read victims’ names and offered personal messages, thanking first responders and the military, invoking faith, appealing for national unity and referring to the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia. Most hijackers came from Saudi Arabia, which has denied involvement. Trisha Pakka remembered her mother, Deepa Pakkala, while Kiersten Haub, who was 16 months old when her firefighter father Michael Helmut Haub was killed, said she carries him through every milestone.

This year’s ceremony added a moment of silence for people exposed to toxic dust from the burning collapse of the twin towers who later died of cancer or other illnesses. Questions remain about how many people developed dust-related health conditions.

The attacks reshaped life in the United States and beyond. The U.S.-led global war on terrorism included invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, Washington’s longest war, as well as detentions and harsh interrogations of terror suspects in a network of secret CIA prisons. The United States killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011, but alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed still awaits trial 23 years after his capture.

Sept. 11 also changed air travel, led to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, expanded federal surveillance and intelligence-gathering powers and brought banking regulations. It fostered an individual-vigilance culture and encouraged some Americans to join the military, fire departments and police services. Casey Kloepfer, whose police officer father Ronald Kloepfer died at the trade centre, became an officer in June and wears his father’s badge number.

The post-attack period also saw mistrust, prejudice and hate crimes directed at Muslims. New York City’s first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani, faced criticism for attending the anniversary observance at ground zero from former governor George Pataki, some victims’ relatives and former mayor Rudy Giuliani. Mamdani called the attacks a horrific act of terror and said he wanted the anniversary to focus on victims’ families, first responders and New Yorkers who helped one another. He and Giuliani shook hands at the event.

Commemorations also included light beams from Mount Washington in New Hampshire, a stair climb at Mississippi State University’s football stadium and a ceremony at Honolulu’s 9/11 memorial. Congress designates Sept. 11, which is not a federal holiday, as both Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance. The group 9/11 Day arranged for dozens of Times Square billboards to pause advertising at 9:11 a.m. Friday and display only the time.