New york: Twenty-five years after the deadliest attack on US soil, Americans paused on Friday to commemorate the nearly 3,000 people killed when hijacked planes slammed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. The nation continues to grapple with the consequences of September 11 that still resonate today.

According to France24.com, in New York, family members of the victims joined Vice President JD Vance and four former US presidents at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan. The ceremony began, as always, at 8:46 am with a moment of silence to remember the shocking moment when American Airlines Flight 11 struck the World Trade Center’s North Tower.

Shortly after, victims’ family members began reading aloud the names of all 2,977 people who died on September 11, as well as the six people killed in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. This somber recitation continued for hours, with moments of silence marking when the other three airplanes crashed and the two towers collapsed. For the first time, an additional silence was observed to honor those who have died since 2001 from illnesses linked to the toxic dust that poisoned the air for months afterward.

In Arlington, Virginia, senior military leaders gathered amid heavy rain to watch the unfurling of an American flag at the west side of the Pentagon where American Airlines Flight 77 hit, killing 184 people. President Donald Trump spoke at a ceremony there, emphasizing the enduring commitment to remember and fight in the name of those lost.

Mourners also held a ceremony in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at the crash site where passengers brought down one of the hijacked jetliners, United Airlines Flight 93, that had been headed for Washington. The attacks have shaped generations of Americans, influencing US foreign policy, domestic politics, and public attitudes toward security.

For many directly affected by the attacks-victims’ families, first responders, and rescue workers-the anniversary is a tribute to the lives lost on that clear blue day and the heartbreak that followed. Caroline Ogonowski, whose father was the captain of Flight 11, reflected on the loss and the duty to educate future generations about the attacks.

A generation of Americans has grown up since 2001 who are too young to remember the attacks but whose lives were fundamentally altered by them. The attacks initiated the “War on Terror,” resulting in the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. The impact of these events is still felt today, shaping public opinion and political discourse.

Casualties were not limited to those who perished on September 11. Many rescue workers and nearby residents were sickened by toxins in the air and have since died from related illnesses. Patrick Whalen’s father, a New York City firefighter, responded to the attacks and continued working at Ground Zero, later succumbing to a cancer linked to toxic exposure.

The New York City Fire Department continues to feel the impact, with over 600 firefighters having died from 9/11-related illnesses since the attacks, including 26 this year alone.