US marks 25 years since 9/11 with remembrance, service and reflection

Americans are observing the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with ceremonies, vigils and service. The day also highlights the attacks' enduring toll on families, public life and national policy.

In Short

• Memorials nationwide feature wreaths, vigils, name readings and volunteer projects
• A new poll calls 9/11 the defining event for many adults
• Casey Kloepfer honours his fallen father by joining New York police

Americans are marking the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on Friday, remembering the shock of the day, the nearly 3,000 people killed and the lasting impact of the strikes on the US. Memorial events will include wreath-laying, flag-flying, moments of silence, vigils, readings of victims' names and volunteer projects.

For many, the anniversary is also a time for private reflection or for teaching younger generations about an attack that unfolded in a single morning but led to decades of grief and far-reaching consequences, from personal loss to wars overseas. A new poll says about half of US adults see 9/11 as the most historic event of their lifetime.

Among those remembering on Friday is Police Officer Casey Kloepfer, who plans to spend time at the Brooklyn station house where his father, Officer Ronald Kloepfer, reported for duty before being sent to the World Trade Centre. He did not return home. Casey Kloepfer was 4 at the time, and joined the New York Police Department in June. He said, "It's big footsteps to fill, but it's definitely something that I take very seriously and want to continue to honour him and be the best police officer I can." The 29-year-old wears his father's badge number and has also joined the department's lacrosse team, which his father founded.

On September 11, 2001, al-Qaida extremists hijacked four commercial aircraft and crashed them into New York's World Trade Centre, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The twin towers, symbols of US economic power and among the tallest buildings in the world at the time, collapsed after the strikes. The Pentagon was badly damaged. Officials said the fourth plane was also headed for Washington, but it went down in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew fought the hijackers.

President Donald Trump, who has often spoken about his memories of that day in his native New York, is due to attend the anniversary ceremony at the Pentagon on Friday. At a remembrance event in Washington this week, he said, "In the course of history, there are a few moments that divide time into, really, what came before" and after. Vice President JD Vance is expected at the observance at the National September 11 Memorial in New York, while other administration officials are heading to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania.

Commemorations are also planned far from the attack sites, including beams of light from Mount Washington in New Hampshire, a stair climb at Mississippi State University's football stadium and a ceremony at Honolulu's 9/11 memorial.

At ground zero in New York, the annual commemoration traditionally has no political speeches. Relatives read out the names of all the victims, with moments of silence marking key points in the timeline of the attacks. For the first time this year, organisers will add a silent moment to honour people exposed to the toxic dust released when the twin towers collapsed and who later died of cancer and other illnesses. Questions remain over how many people developed health problems linked to that dust.

The anniversary is also a reminder of the attacks' long shadow in the US and beyond. The US-led global war on terrorism included the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, with Afghanistan becoming Washington's longest war. It also involved detentions and harsh interrogations of terror suspects in a global network of secret CIA prisons. US forces killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011, but Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused of masterminding 9/11, is still awaiting trial 23 years after his capture.

The attacks reshaped US air travel and led to new federal powers for surveillance and intelligence gathering, as well as banking rules and continuing debate about the balance between security and freedom. The Department of Homeland Security, many state anti-terror laws and billions of dollars in state and local counterterrorism funding all came after 9/11. So did the culture of personal vigilance captured in the slogan, "if you see something, say something."

September 11 also prompted a wave of patriotism that led some Americans to join the military, fire services, police or other public bodies. At the same time, the attacks fuelled mistrust, prejudice and hate crimes against Muslims. Since then, Muslim Americans have taken a larger role in public life, from state legislatures to Congress and New York City Hall, where Zohran Mamdani is the city's first Muslim mayor.

Mamdani has faced criticism for planning to attend the anniversary ceremony at ground zero, as previous mayors have done. Some objections came from Republican former governor George Pataki and relatives of 9/11 victims, who referred among other things to past remarks by some of Mamdani's political associates about the attacks. Former mayor Rudy Giuliani also criticised his attendance. Mamdani, a Democrat, said this week that he loves the city and the country and wants the anniversary to focus on victims' families, first responders and New Yorkers who helped one another after what he called a "horrific act of terror." The 34-year-old mayor was an elementary school student in New York on 9/11.

September 11 is not a federal holiday, but Congress has designated it as both Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance. Jay Winuk, who lost his brother Glenn Winuk and later co-founded the volunteer group 9/11 Day with David Paine, said, "One appropriate way to remember is by serving." The group helps people find opportunities such as meal-packing, and this year arranged for dozens of billboards in Times Square to stop advertising at 9.11 am on Friday and simply display the time.

As the US marks 25 years since 9/11, the anniversary is bringing together public ceremonies, private remembrance and acts of service, while also reflecting on the losses of that day and the deep changes that followed in American life.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends