A quiet Tuesday morning, 25 years ago, changed in a heartbeat as the United States came under attack. Nearly 3,000 people were killed that day, and thousands of others have died as a result of the attacks over the quarter-century since Sept. 11, 2001.
Ceremonies are being held nationwide, including at the sites of the attacks: Ground Zero in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the passengers and crew on Flight 93 were the first to fight back against al-Qaida extremist hijackers, preventing the United Airlines plane from reaching its presumed intended target, the U.S. Capitol.
The Associated Press said this year, as in past years, will bring “memorial rituals — wreath-laying, flag-flying, moments of silence, vigils and readings of victims’ names — and volunteer projects in tribute to a day that about half of U.S. adults remember as the most historic event of their lifetime.”
President Donald Trump noted earlier this week, “In the course of history, there are a few moments that divide time into, really, what came before.”
Trump is scheduled to attend the ceremony at the Pentagon, while Vice President JD Vance will attend the National Sept. 11 Memorial in New York. Other administration officials will attend the ceremony in Shanksville at the Flight 93 National Memorial.
Pentagon flag
Update 6:49 a.m. ET, Sept. 11: A large flag was unfurled at the Pentagon this morning starting at 6:46 a.m. NBC News said the moment Friday morning continued the tradition that started on Sept. 12, 2001, as search, rescue, and recovery efforts continued the day after the attack.
That day, several firefighters, atop the seat of our military, put up a garrison flag on the side of the building. According to the White House Historical Association, “The flag was displayed to encourage and inspire rescue workers as they searched the debris for survivors.” American Airlines Flight 77 had slammed into the west side of the Pentagon on 9/11, killing 184 people.
Melania Trump
Update 8 a.m. ET, Sept. 11: First lady Melania Trump wrote on social media, “To those who lost loved ones, dreams, and hope on September 11, I know today marks only one day in an immeasurable void,” CNN reported.
To those who lost loved ones, dreams, and hope on September 11, I know today marks only one day in an immeasurable void.
— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) September 11, 2026
September 11 froze time and left profound grief. Yet the depth of your loss speaks to the depth of the love that came before it.
May you find light in the…
Drones depict Twin Towers
Update 8:03 a.m., Sept. 11: The Twin Towers rose into the night sky over New York City on Wednesday night, just as the real towers did, hours before hijackers crashed two planes into the massive buildings.
Instead of concrete, glass and steel, this time the Towers were made up of drones, 2,997 of them, one for each person killed on Sept. 11, 2001, CNN reported.
Check back throughout the day for live updates from the ceremonies being held in New York City, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
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