For the 21st time, hundreds gathered at the 9/11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan on Sunday to honor those who were killed, and those made the ultimate sacrifice trying to save lives, during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The annual tribute began with bagpipes playing as firefighters displayed the American flag recovered from Ground Zero during the rescue operation following the collapse of the Twin Towers 21 years ago today. Bells tolled at the memorial, and across the city, at 8:46 a.m., marking the time when hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 struck the World Trade Center’s North Tower.
Vice President Kamala Harris along with her husband, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, participated in the ceremony along with Mayor Eric Adams, Governor Kathy Hochul and other city dignitaries.
Following a moment of silence, the annual reading of the victims’ names began — as family members recited all 2,983 names of those who perished in the coordinated attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93, as well as the six individuals in the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993.
Others paid their own silent tribute walking through the memorial and placing flowers or American flags on the names etched into the “Reflecting Absence” waterfall memorials situated at the footprints of the former Twin Towers.
Additional reports from the 9/11 memorial will be provided later today at amNY.com. To view the ceremony, visit the 9/11 Memorial website.
