United States Marks 25th Anniversary of September 11 Attacks

The United States is commemorating the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. On the anniversary, families will read the names of the 2,977 victims at Ground Zero in Manhattan, and two beams of light will be projected into the sky to symbolize the fallen Twin Towers. The events of that day involved 19 Al Qaeda members hijacking four airplanes: two struck the World Trade Center, one hit the Pentagon, and one crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Commemorative events include a gathering at Ground Zero featuring Vice President JD Vance and former presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George Bush. President Donald Trump will instead pay tribute at the Pentagon. The New York Times reported that Trump will not attend the Ground Zero event because he would not be permitted to give a speech, a rule intended to keep the commemoration nonpartisan; however, the president called that report fabricated.

Efforts are currently focused on preserving the memory of the attacks for younger generations. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum, which sees 2.4 million annual visitors, uses volunteers and first responders to educate the estimated 100 million Americans who were either unborn or too young to remember the events. While some visitors note that younger people are more inquisitive about the tragedy, others emphasize the need to pull youth away from social media to experience the history in person.