What to know about the memorial ceremonies on 9/11

Twenty-five years ago, on a crisp fall morning, four hijacked airplanes brought the United States into one of the darkest days in its history.The attacks unfolded across New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, killing nearly 3,000 people and permanently changing American life. A quarter-century later, those three locations are preparing to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks with ceremonies honoring the victims, survivors, and first responders.On Friday, Sept. 11, the annual reading of the names of the 2,983 victims of the 2001 attacks and 1993 World Trade Center bombing will begin at 8:30 a.m. on the Memorial Plaza in New York City. Nearly 2,753 people were killed in New York, including 343 firefighters and 23 New York City police officers.The first attack came at 8:46 a.m., when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. Seventeen minutes later, at 9:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175 slammed into the south tower. The ceremony will include seven moments of silence. Six will correspond with the moments the planes struck and the towers fell, as well as the Pentagon and Flight 93 attacks. A seventh moment will honor those who died from illnesses and other health consequences related to 9/11.The morning ceremony is restricted to victims’ family members, but the memorial plaza will reopen to the public later in the day.The footprints of the twin towers are home to the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum, which opened on the 10th anniversary of the attacks.The memorial’s two reflecting pools sit directly inside the original footprints of the towers. Designed around architect Michael Arad’s “Reflecting Absence” concept, the pools feature waterfalls cascading into seemingly bottomless voids, with the names of those killed engraved around their edges.That evening, Lower Manhattan will be illuminated by the “Tribute in Light,” the annual art installation that projects two beams of light into the night sky in the approximate shape of the twin towers.Twin beams of light commemorating the fallen twin towers of the World Trade Center are tested Wednesday night, Sept. 7, 2022, in New York City in advance of the 21st annual memorial of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. (J. David Ake/AP Photo) For the 25th anniversary, Disney will partner with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum to broadcast “9/11 Tribute in Light: Live from Lower Manhattan,” beginning at 8 p.m., featuring musical performances by Lainey Wilson and John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting when the light tribute is set to be illuminated.The anniversary will also bring each living former president to Ground Zero. Former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden are expected to attend, with Biden accompanied by former first lady Jill Biden.Vice President JD Vance is expected to represent the Trump administration at the New York ceremony.New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is also expected to attend despite opposition from some 9/11 victims’ families. A petition started by 9/11 widower Giovanni Galante argues that Mamdani’s presence would be inappropriate because of the mayor’s “perceived reluctance to clearly and unequivocally condemn phrases such as ‘globalize the intifada,'” among other complaints. Nearly 100,000 people have signed the petition.President Donald Trump, however, will commemorate the anniversary at the Pentagon, Vance confirmed Thursday. The Pentagon The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, located just outside the building, will serve as the site of this year’s commemoration.At 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. military, in Arlington, Virginia. The plane had been hijacked after departing Washington Dulles International Airport and was carrying 64 passengers and crew members. Another 125 people inside the Pentagon were killed when the plane struck the building’s western side.A moment of silence will be held at 9:37 a.m., exactly 25 years after Flight 77 struck the Pentagon. The Pentagon traditionally displays a massive American flag from the building’s roof near the impact zone.Trump is expected to attend the ceremony and deliver remarks. Trump had reportedly initially planned to attend the New York ceremony but changed plans after organizers would not allow him to speak during the Ground Zero program, according to the New York Times.The White House has denied that account, with communications director Steven Cheung calling the report “FAKE NEWS.”Trump will also mark the anniversary ahead of 9/11. On Sept. 8, he is expected to host first responders and officials from the FDNY, D.C. Fire, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, and his administration at the White House.The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is also bringing a 21-foot, 16,900-pound steel beam recovered from the south tower to the White House Ellipse as part of its “Steel Across America” tour.The beam has traveled more than 10,500 miles through 35 cities in 21 states and will ultimately reach New York on the anniversary.Arlington, Virginia The Pentagon attack also left a lasting mark on the surrounding Arlington community.Many Arlington firefighters and emergency personnel responded to the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, working through the wreckage as the building burned and helping evacuate and treat the wounded.On Friday, Arlington County will hold its own 25th-anniversary remembrance at Fire Station 5 beginning at 11 a.m. More than 200 first responders are expected to attend, many of whom responded to the Pentagon that morning.The ceremony will include remarks from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), and local officials, along with wreath- and rose-laying ceremonies at a World Trade Center steel beam displayed outside the station.Shanksville, Pennsylvania The final attack unfolded in rural Pennsylvania. United Airlines Flight 93 had departed Newark International Airport bound for San Francisco when hijackers took control of the aircraft. Passengers had learned through phone calls that planes had struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and realized the aircraft they were on was part of the coordinated attack. The passengers and crew attempted to retake the cockpit. The plane crashed into a field near Shanksville before it could reach its intended target in Washington, killing all 40 passengers and crew members. The crash site is now home to the Flight 93 National Memorial, which will host its 25th annual 9/11 observance on Friday.The morning ceremony begins at 8:30 a.m. with the tolling of the Bells of Remembrance and a reading of the names of the 40 passengers and crew.The bells will toll throughout the morning to mark the key moments of the attacks: Flight 11’s impact on the north tower at 8:47 a.m., Flight 175’s impact on the south tower at 9:03 a.m., Flight 77’s impact on the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m., the collapse of the south tower at 9:59 a.m., the crash of Flight 93 at 10:07 a.m., and the collapse of the north tower at 10:28 a.m.The memorial will remain open afterward for visitors to walk the grounds and reflect.FORMER PRESIDENT-TURNED-AMATEUR ARTIST GEORGE W. BUSH DEBUTING NEW PAINTINGS FOR 9/11 REMEMBRANCEThe Pennsylvania House of Representatives is also working with the National Park Service on an exhibit featuring artifacts from the Flight 93 site, including pieces of plane wreckage, silverware, investigators’ name badges, and tributes left by families and visitors.“It has been 25 years since that horrific day in 2001,” Jesse Teitelbaum, director of the Pennsylvania House Archives, said. “As time continues to move on, we truly cannot forget the lives cut short.”