From NPR · · 2m
25 years on, America stops to remember 9/11
From a flag down the side of the Pentagon to firefighters climbing 1,386 feet, here is how the country marked a quarter century since 9/11.
In brief
From a flag down the side of the Pentagon to firefighters climbing 1,386 feet, here is how the country marked a quarter century since 9/11. A generation born after 2001 is now carrying the remembrance, and the ritual has moved from grief into something people teach their kids. Originally reported by NPR.
Twenty-five years later
On September 11, 2026, ceremonies ran across the country for the thousands killed when hijacked planes hit the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania.
Six cities, one morning
Commemorations stretched from New York and Arlington to Austin, Chicago, St. Louis, and Shanksville. No single site holds this day anymore.
A flag down the Pentagon wall
Service members and first responders stood watching as an American flag was unfurled along the side of the building that was struck, the same gesture repeated since 2001.
Presidents in the same row
Joe Biden, George W. Bush, Michael Bloomberg, and JD Vance sat together at the National September 11 Memorial. Donald Trump and Melania Trump marked the morning at the Pentagon.
7,600 flags on a hill
The "Flags of Valor" installation at Art Hill in St. Louis planted a flag for every service member, first responder, and civilian killed on 9/11 and in the wars that followed.
Climbing 1,386 feet
Austin firefighters climbed the Pleasant Valley Tower until they had matched the height of the World Trade Center, one flight at a time, for the firefighters who never came down.
Kids with posters
Seven children, ages 4 to 12, held up signs for the climbing crews. None of them were alive in 2001.
Children at the Pentagon
Eight-year-old Hillel Schultz watched the ceremony in the Pentagon courtyard. The day is being handed to people who only know it as history.
What people carried
A man wore a tie printed with the Twin Towers. Survivor George Mironis brought a photo of a firefighter who died, and a note. Grief here is personal and specific.
The takeaway
A generation born after 2001 is now carrying the remembrance, and the ritual has moved from grief into something people teach their kids.
