25 Years Later: US Remembers the 2,977 Victims of the September 11 Attacks
World
The United States is marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which killed 2,977 people. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance will visit the attack sites in New York as the country commemorates the victims and those who responded to the tragedy.
On September 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaeda militants hijacked four passenger aircraft. Two planes crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York, one struck the Pentagon, and another crashed in Pennsylvania. The fourth aircraft, Flight 93, went down after passengers and crew members attempted to resist the hijackers. A total of 2,977 people were killed in the attacks.
Ahead of the anniversary, Trump took part in the Steel Across America event organized by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. As part of the project, a steel beam recovered from the wreckage of the South Tower was transported across the United States. The White House said the 16,000-pound beam had traveled more than 10,500 miles over several months as part of the memorial tour.
Trump also posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Welles Crowther, a 24-year-old equities trader remembered as the “Man in the Red Bandana.” Crowther helped people escape the burning South Tower on the day of the attacks. His mother Alison and sister Paige accepted the medal on his behalf.
New York also held the “2977 Lights Over New York Harbor” installation ahead of the anniversary. Some 2,977 lights illuminated the sky over Lower Manhattan, with each light representing one of the victims. At one point, the display recreated the Twin Towers at full architectural scale as they stood before the attacks.
In a proclamation marking the 25th anniversary, Trump designated September 11, 2026, as Patriot Day and called for U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of the 2,977 victims of the attacks.
Ahead of the anniversary, Trump took part in the Steel Across America event organized by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. As part of the project, a steel beam recovered from the wreckage of the South Tower was transported across the United States. The White House said the 16,000-pound beam had traveled more than 10,500 miles over several months as part of the memorial tour.
Trump also posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Welles Crowther, a 24-year-old equities trader remembered as the “Man in the Red Bandana.” Crowther helped people escape the burning South Tower on the day of the attacks. His mother Alison and sister Paige accepted the medal on his behalf.
New York also held the “2977 Lights Over New York Harbor” installation ahead of the anniversary. Some 2,977 lights illuminated the sky over Lower Manhattan, with each light representing one of the victims. At one point, the display recreated the Twin Towers at full architectural scale as they stood before the attacks.
In a proclamation marking the 25th anniversary, Trump designated September 11, 2026, as Patriot Day and called for U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of the 2,977 victims of the attacks.
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