Americans across the country are remembering the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, 21 years ago.
In New York City, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum hosted an annual ceremony commemorating and honoring the nearly 3,000 lives lost on September 11, 2001. The Tribute in Light, NYC Fire Museum and Memorial Service, and Tunnel to Towers 9/11 Prayer Service are among the events that are taking place.
“It was a terrorist attack against our country that day,” Jay Saloman, who lost his brother in the attacks, said on Sunday. “And, theoretically, everyone should remember it, and, you know, take precautions and watch out.”
The 9/11 Memorial and Museum Commemoration Ceremony included six moments of silence, marking the exact time each of the towers was deliberately struck by hijacked airplanes, then fell to the ground, and when a third airplane hit the Pentagon, followed by the crash of United Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Family members of the victims were invited to participate in the reading of names of those who were killed in the attacks.
Vice President Kamala Harris attended the event with New York Democratic Mayor Eric Adams and former NYC Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg, though, by tradition, no political figures speak at the ground zero ceremony.
From dusk to dawn on the night of 9/11, the Tribute in Light will be visible from a 60-mile-radius from Lower Manhattan. The tribute consists of two 48-foot squares oriented as the Twin Towers beaming lights that reach four miles into the New York City night sky.
The New York Fire Museum Memorial honored the 343 FDNY members who lost their lives during a wreath-laying ceremony. In addition, it is showcasing a new exhibit called “One Day,” which includes personal artifacts, a portrait series, and interviews from families of first responders, which will be on display until October 2.
President Biden spoke at the Pentagon Sunday, saying, “We will never forget, we will never give up. Our commitment to preventing another attack on the United States is without end.”