25 Years Later – America Marking 9/11

Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, marks exactly 25 years since the United States was rattled to its core when four coordinated terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania. For those who remember that day – we will never forget. But for those who were alive when the attacks occurred but don’t have firsthand knowledge or memories of them, what is America doing to inform them and the one-third of Americans who were not yet born about the events and lessons of 9/11?

Never Forget 9/11 – America Remembers

Many educators have wondered how best to teach a new generation about the attacks. During the summer, teachers gathered for three days at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania to discuss options. According to the AP, at least 40 states expected, or expressed a need to, address the actions of that day to ensure younger people know and understand the facts.

Meanwhile, across the nation, events are scheduled to honor victims and their families, as well as survivors, first responders, and all the volunteers who helped in the aftermath. On Tuesday, Sept. 8, President Donald Trump gathered with 9/11 first responders and officials at the White House. As part of the Steel Across America tour, a 21-foot steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center’s South Tower was on display.

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"Never forgetting the sacrifice and bravery of our nation’s heroes, as well as our lost loved ones, is a generational promise that every American can help keep," Tunnel to Towers Foundation Chairman and CEO Frank Siller previously told Fox News Digital. Every year, the foundation honors New York City firefighters who died on 9/11 by donating "343 mortgage-free homes to Gold Star families, fallen first responder families, catastrophically injured veterans, and first responders nationwide."

The Ground Zero ceremony in New York on Sept. 11 is a non-political event. The only speakers will be family members of the victims. A rare gathering of current and former national leaders is expected at Ground Zero. Former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden are all expected to attend, along with Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Jill Biden. Vice President JD Vance will represent the Trump administration in New York, while President Donald Trump will attend the remembrance ceremony at the Pentagon.

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum published a detailed schedule for the day’s events, the first of which is the Anniversary Commemoration beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Memorial Plaza. Family access begins at 7 a.m., and the ceremony is not open to the general public.

As in previous years, family members will read aloud the names of those killed in the Sept. 11 attacks and the February 1993 World Trade Center bombing, when terrorists detonated a bomb in a van parked in the underground garage, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000 others. Seven moments of silence will mark each tower strike and collapse, the attacks on the Pentagon, the Flight 93 crash, and those who subsequently died from related injuries and illnesses. The first silence will be at 8:46 a.m., when Flight 11 struck the North Tower.

Events Across the Nation

The Big Apple is holding several days of commemoration, including a candlelight vigil hosted by the Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance on Sept. 10 at 6 p.m.

The New York Philharmonic will perform with the Soldiers’ Chorus of the US Army Field Band at the Perelman Performing Arts Center at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 11. There will also be the Firefighters Memorial Ceremony on Riverside Drive, the Staten Island Postcards Memorial ceremony, and a dawn-to-dusk remembrance at Engine 10/Ladder 10 directly across from the World Trade Center site.

For sports fans, the Yankees and Mets will hold a 25th-anniversary ceremony at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 11, starting at 6:30 p.m., followed by the game at 7:05 p.m.

In Pennsylvania, the Flight 93 National Memorial will host a remembrance, and the National Park Service has major events scheduled on Sept. 11. The first is a morning observance that begins at 8:30 a.m. near the Wall of Names, which includes wreath-laying to mark the attacks in New York, Arlington, and Shanksville; a reading of the names of Flight 93’s 40 passengers and crew; and the ringing of the Bells of Remembrance. The second ceremony starts at 1 p.m. and includes speakers, a youth musical performance, and another wreath-laying.

Several other states will hold various commemorations, including a free outdoor program at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA, and honor guards at North Richmond Hills, TX. Tomball, TX, will host an evening of remembrance at 7:30 p.m., with a unique visual tribute of two powerful spotlights to represent the Twin Towers.

The nonprofit 9/11 Day is having a national day of service with meal-packing events across the country. More than 50,000 volunteers plan to pack 20 million meals in 50 cities across all 50 states.

Twenty-five years later, “never forget” has taken on a new meaning. It is no longer only about remembering those who were lost and the heroes who ran toward danger. It is also about ensuring their experiences, the events of that day, and how Americans united afterward are carried forward to those generations who did not live through it.