AT A GLANCE
- Nearly 3,000 lives lost in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks were honored Thursday.
- Ceremonies took place in New York, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
- Volunteers nationwide marked the day with service projects and charity events.
- President Trump, Vice President Vance, and other officials attended memorials amid heightened security.
Nation Remembers 9/11 Victims 24 Years Later
Americans paused Thursday to mark the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, honoring the nearly 3,000 victims with ceremonies, moments of silence, and acts of service. Commemorations were held at ground zero in New York City, at the Pentagon in Virginia, and in a Pennsylvania field where Flight 93 crashed.
For many, the day remains deeply personal. James Lynch, who lost his father, Robert Lynch, at the World Trade Center, said grief has never left his family. “It’s one of those things where any kind of grief, I don’t think it ever goes away,” Lynch reflected while volunteering at a 9/11 charity event in Manhattan.
Ground Zero Ceremony with Vice President Vance
At the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum in lower Manhattan, Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance joined victims’ families as the names of those killed were read aloud. Moments of silence marked the times hijacked planes struck the towers and when the buildings collapsed.
Authorities increased security at the site after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at a Utah college event a day earlier. Officials warned of heightened precautions around memorial events nationwide.
Pentagon and Shanksville Tributes
At the Pentagon, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump honored the 184 people killed when hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the building. Later, Trump was scheduled to attend a Yankees–Tigers game in the Bronx.
In Shanksville, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins joined families to lay wreaths and read the names of the 40 passengers and crew members aboard United Flight 93, who fought back against the hijackers before the plane crashed.
Service Projects Across the Country
Beyond official ceremonies, Americans marked the anniversary with volunteer efforts as part of a national day of service. Food and clothing drives, park cleanups, and blood donations reflected an emphasis on community resilience.
Legacy and Ongoing Impact of 9/11
The 9/11 attacks, carried out by al-Qaida militants, killed 2,977 people and reshaped U.S. foreign and domestic policy. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, launched in the aftermath, resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths.
Two decades later, the U.S. is still grappling with the unfinished legal case against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the attacks. Arrested in 2003 and held at Guantánamo Bay, he has yet to stand trial.
Meanwhile, more than 140,000 people remain in federal health monitoring programs for exposure to the toxic dust and debris that blanketed Manhattan after the towers fell. Billions in aid and compensation have been distributed to survivors, first responders, and families.
Future of the Memorial Site
The New York ceremony took place at the 9/11 Memorial Plaza, where twin reflecting pools mark the footprints of the towers. The site is currently managed by a nonprofit chaired by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, but the Trump administration has discussed federalizing the plaza and designating it a national monument.
