{"id":343903,"date":"2026-09-11T12:38:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T12:38:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/343903\/"},"modified":"2026-09-11T12:38:57","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T12:38:57","slug":"us-marks-25-years-since-the-sept-11-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/343903\/","title":{"rendered":"US marks 25 years since the Sept. 11 attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"

By JENNIFER PELTZ<\/p>\n

NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Americans are commemorating the 25th anniversary of\u00a09\/11<\/a>, remembering the shock, the dead and the sweeping consequences of the al-Qaida attacks on symbols of U.S. might and prosperity.<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s milestone anniversary will bring memorial rituals \u2014 wreath-laying, flag-flying, moments of silence, vigils and readings of victims\u2019 names \u2014 and volunteer projects in tribute to a day that about half of U.S. adults remember as the most historic event of their lifetime,\u00a0according to a new poll<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For others it\u2019s an occasion for private reflection \u2014 or, in many schools,\u00a0education<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 about\u00a0the attack that unfolded in a single morning<\/a>\u00a0but left nearly 3,000 dead and a decadeslong trail of aftermath, from\u00a0personal grief<\/a>\u00a0to far-flung wars.<\/p>\n

Police Officer Casey Kloepfer plans to spend time Friday at the Brooklyn station house where his father, Officer Ronald Kloepfer, reported to work that day before being called to the World Trade Center. He didn\u2019t make it home.<\/p>\n

Casey Kloepfer was only 4, but he grew up hearing about his father\u2019s affinity for helping people and for a job that enabled him to do so. He became an officer this past June.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s big footsteps to fill, but it\u2019s definitely something that I take very seriously and want to continue to honor him and be the best police officer I can,\u201d he said by phone this week. The 29-year-old wears his father\u2019s badge number and even has joined the New York Police Department lacrosse team, which his dad founded.<\/p>\n

\"Members<\/p>\n

Members of the New York Fire Department and New York Police Department rehearse ahead of memorial observances on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, at the site of the World Trade Center on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026 in New York.\n<\/p>\n

\"Service<\/p>\n

Service members unfurl a flag on the 25th anniversary over the portion of the Pentagon\u2019s west side that was struck by an airliner hijacked by terrorist, on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in Arlington Va. (AP Photo\/John McDonnell\n<\/p>\n

\"Rosanne<\/p>\n

Rosanne Spirito, 49, and daughters Sabrina, 22, and Amanda, 20, who lost their sister Catherine Lisa LoGuidice, stand at a reflecting pool on the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Adam Gray, Pool)\n<\/p>\n

\"Phillip<\/p>\n

Phillip Flood, 48, watches as the Tribute in Light is tested over the skyline of lower Manhattan, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Jersey City, NJ. (AP Photo\/Adam Gray)\n<\/p>\n

\"Members<\/p>\n

Members of the FDNY march with flags during a memorial to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 9\/11 attacks, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in the Staten Island borough of New York. (AP Photo\/Pamela Smith)\n<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, center, speaks to FDNY commissioner Lillian Bonsignore, right, during a memorial to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 9\/11 attacks, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in the Staten Island borough of New York. (AP Photo\/Pamela Smith)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 6<\/p>\n

Members of the New York Fire Department and New York Police Department rehearse ahead of memorial observances on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, at the site of the World Trade Center on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026 in New York.\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a>
\nTrump to attend Pentagon observance<\/p>\n

On Sept. 11, 2001,\u00a0al-Qaida<\/a>\u00a0extremists hijacked four commercial jets and crashed them into New York\u2019s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

The impacts brought down the World Trade Center\u2019s twin towers \u2014 icons of U.S. economic power, and among the tallest buildings on Earth \u2014 and blew a hole in the Pentagon, the U.S. military\u2019s fortress-like headquarters near Washington. The fourth plane also was headed for the nation\u2019s capital, officials concluded, but the aircraft went down in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew members stormed the cockpit and fought the hijackers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the course of history, there are a few moments that divide time into, really, what came before\u201d and after, President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u00a0said at\u00a0a 9\/11 remembrance in Washington<\/a>\u00a0this week. The Republican, who was in his native New York on Sept. 11 and has often\u00a0recounted his memories<\/a>, plans to attend\u00a0the Pentagon\u2019s anniversary ceremony Friday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Vice President\u00a0JD Vance<\/a>\u00a0is expected at the observance at the National Sept. 11 Memorial in New York, while other administration officials are headed to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

Planned remembrances extend far beyond the attack sites, from beams of light projecting from New Hampshire\u2019s Mount Washington to a stair climb at Mississippi State University\u2019s football stadium to a ceremony at Honolulu\u2019s 9\/11 memorial.<\/p>\n

At ground zero, a new tribute to those who fell ill<\/p>\n

Traditionally,\u00a0there are no political speeches<\/a> at the New York commemoration, where relatives read all the victims\u2019 names, punctuated with moments of silence at key points in the attack timeline. For the first time, this year\u2019s ceremony will add a silent moment to honor people who were exposed to the clouds of toxic dust released by the twin towers\u2019 fiery collapse and have since died of cancer and other illnesses.\u00a0Questions remain<\/a>\u00a0about how many people developed health problems linked to the dust.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a reminder of how the attacks\u2019 long shadow has reached into many corners of life in the U.S. and beyond.<\/p>\n

The U.S.-led\u00a0global war on terrorism<\/a>\u00a0included invasions of\u00a0Iraq<\/a>\u00a0and Afghanistan \u2014 the latter Washington\u2019s\u00a0longest war<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 and\u00a0detentions and harsh interrogation of terror suspects<\/a>\u00a0in an international network of secret CIA prisons. The U.S. military found and killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011, but accused\u00a09\/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed<\/a>\u00a0still\u00a0awaits a trial<\/a>\u00a023 years after his capture.<\/p>\n

The attacks changed U.S.\u00a0air travel<\/a>, prompted new\u00a0federal surveillance<\/a>\u00a0and intelligence-gathering powers and\u00a0banking regulations<\/a>, and generated ongoing\u00a0debate over the balance between security and freedom<\/a>. The\u00a0Department of Homeland Security<\/a>, many\u00a0state anti-terrorism laws<\/a>\u00a0and billions of dollars in state and local\u00a0counterterrorism funding<\/a>\u00a0all are post-9\/11 creations.<\/p>\n

So, too, is the culture of individual vigilance summed up by the slogan \u201c\u00a0if you see something, say something<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unity, mistrust and scrutiny of New York\u2019s mayor<\/p>\n

Sept. 11 generated a wave of patriotism that propelled some Americans to join the military, fire departments, police forces or other public agencies. But amid the national unity that many remember, the attacks also fanned\u00a0mistrust, prejudice and hate crimes directed at Muslims<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the quarter-century since, Muslim Americans have played a\u00a0growing role in public life<\/a>\u00a0from statehouses to Congress to New York City Hall, where Zohran Mamdani is the city\u2019s first Muslim mayor. Yet he faced some criticism for attending the anniversary ceremony at ground zero, something his predecessors have done for years.<\/p>\n

Some complaints came from Republican ex-Gov. George Pataki and 9\/11 victims\u2019 relatives, who cited among other things past remarks that some of Mamdani\u2019s political associates have made about the attacks. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Republican, also inveighed against Mamdani attending, though the two shook hands Friday as they awaited the start of the observance.<\/p>\n

Mamdani, a Democrat, said earlier this week that he loves the city and country and wants the anniversary to focus on victims\u2019 families, first responders and New Yorkers who helped one another after the attacks, which he called a \u201chorrific act of terror.\u201d The 34-year-old mayor was an elementary school student in New York on 9\/11.<\/p>\n

Sept. 11 isn\u2019t a federal holiday, but Congress has designated it both Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne appropriate way to remember is by serving,\u201d says Jay Winuk, who lost his brother Glenn Winuk and then co-founded the volunteer organization 9\/11 Day with friend David Paine. The group helps people find meal-packing and other volunteer opportunities and this year arranged for dozens of Times Square billboards to pause their advertising at 9:11 a.m. Friday.<\/p>\n

Instead, they will simply display the time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By JENNIFER PELTZ NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Americans are commemorating the 25th anniversary of\u00a09\/11, remembering the shock, the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":343904,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5301,111557,75,84,83,9,24,63,54358,128489],"class_list":["post-343903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-manhattan","tag-9-11","tag-9-11-anniversary","tag-manhattan","tag-manhattan-headlines","tag-manhattan-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-sept-11","tag-sept-11-attacks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=343903"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343903\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/343904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=343903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=343903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=343903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}