Today, September 11, 2026, marks 25 years since the terrorist attacks that killed 2,977 people in New York, at the Pentagon, and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It is the quarter century mark of a day that reshaped American life, and ceremonies are being held across the country to honor those who died and those who responded.
At the National September 11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan, the central ceremony began at 8:30 a.m., with family members reading aloud the names of the 2,983 people memorialized at the site, including victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The reading is paused for moments of silence marking key events of that morning. For the first time this year, a seventh moment of silence was added, honoring people who have died in the years since from illnesses and injuries connected to the rescue and recovery effort at Ground Zero.
President Trump issued a proclamation designating September 11, 2026 as Patriot Day, calling on Americans to observe the day with flags at half staff and a national day of service, a tradition established by Congress in 2001. Earlier in the week, the White House hosted New York City police officers and representatives of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, where a 21 foot steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center's South Tower was displayed. Former President George W. Bush and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also took part in public reflections on the anniversary this week.
Beyond New York, observances are taking place at the Pentagon in Washington and at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, marking the 25th annual ceremony there. In the Bronx, the New York Yankees are holding tribute ceremonies before their games this weekend, and firehouses and memorials across New York City are open to the public for remembrance visits throughout the day.
Public access to the Memorial plaza in Lower Manhattan is expected to resume this afternoon once the morning ceremony and its security restrictions conclude.
Why is a seventh moment of silence being added this year?
Organizers added it to honor the many rescue, recovery, and survivor community members who have died from illnesses and injuries connected to their work and presence at Ground Zero in the years since 2001.