25 years after 9/11, America remembers as death toll from aftermath keeps rising

NEW YORK – A quarter-century after the Sept 11, 2001, terror attacks, families returned to the World Trade Center site to read aloud the names of the dead, marking a milestone anniversary of a tragedy that reshaped America.

Mourners and survivors gathered around the twin waterfall pools that mark the footprints of the two towers in Lower Manhattan for the sombre ceremony.

Joining for the day of remembrance were US Vice-President J.D. Vance, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former mayors Rudy Giuliani and Mike Bloomberg.

All of the living US presidents, aside from President Donald Trump, were also in attendance: Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

As has been the tradition, family members read out the names of the 2,983 people killed on 9/11, as well as the Feb 26, 1993, World Trade Center bombing.

Beginning at 8.46am, six moments of silence were observed at the times when each of the towers was struck, when each fell, when the Pentagon was attacked and when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed.

The 17-minute period between the north and south towers being hit defined an era and a nation, and 25 years later, an estimated 100 million Americans – nearly 30 per cent of the population – are too young to remember that day.

Trump attended a ceremony in the morning on Sept 11 at the Pentagon, honouring the 184 people who died there on 9/11 when a hijacked plane crashed into the Arlington, Virginia, building.

Trump vowed the US would never forget the attacks and would continue to “fight”.

“Today we renew the sacred oath that we first swore in their names a quarter of a century ago. We will never, ever forget. That’s why we fight today,” he said.

“We don’t have a choice. There can only be victory,” added Trump. “We fight hard. We fight to win.”

For the first time, the Lower Manhattan ceremony included an acknowledgement of how the toll of the attacks is still growing.

After the reading of the names, a seventh moment of silence was observed, honouring those who died years later from illnesses and injuries linked to the aftermath of the attacks. It is a recognition that, even as the morning the twin towers collapsed passes from living memory for more Americans, its consequences are still unfolding.

Lives still being lost

Nowhere is that more deeply felt than in the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), which lost 343 members when the towers fell.

In the 25 years since, 453 members have died from cancers, lung diseases and other illnesses linked to the toxic dust and debris that blanketed Lower Manhattan.

Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore, 32 years old on 9/11, was an emergency medical services (EMS) academy instructor in Queens who got the call and went to work. She now leads a department where only about 700 of its 17,000 members were there that day.

“What we have found so far is the fire department continues to live that day,” Bonsignore said in an interview.

Firefighters who were children when the towers fell now work alongside the dwindling number who responded that morning.

New recruits inherit the stories of people they never knew and a skyline they never saw. And the number lost to the attacks’ long aftereffects continues to rise.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Trade Center Health Program now cares for more than 145,000 survivors and first responders, with enrolment swelling by roughly 10,000 people in each of the past two years.

More than 57,000 members have had a certified cancer diagnosis.

“We expect to continue seeing cancer and other serious conditions that have longer latency periods,” CDC director Erica Schwartz said at a Sept 3 event commemorating the work of the World Trade Center Health Program. “That is one reason this 25th anniversary carries such meaning.”

Never forget

Speaker of the New York City Council Julie Menin credits her experience in organising to rebuild Lower Manhattan as the reason she is in public service.

At the time, she was a lawyer and owner of Vine, a restaurant and catering company, living not far from the site of the attacks with her family and parents. They remained downtown, with Menin founding a non-profit dedicated to helping small businesses and becoming a founding trustee of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

Menin helped secure US$1 million (S$1.3 million) in funding in 2026 for the institution to expand education and outreach for New York City students.

She wants them to learn about the tragic events, as well as “the acts of heroism of the first responders, and the unity that really brought the city together, and simple acts of kindness that happened in those days and weeks after 9/11”.

First responders continue to adopt lessons learnt from the attacks. The FDNY and EMS have made changes to their communications systems and technologies used to locate members in emergencies. And they continue to work to keep memories of that day alive.

“You own it, and that’s how we have been able to keep this alive,” said Bonsignore. “And I feel confident that they will own that day, like I own it, having been there first-hand.” BLOOMBERG