# The voices of Sept. 11, in their own words

> Fresh Air marks 25 years since the attacks with an hour of people who were there, telling it themselves.
- Title: The voices of Sept. 11, in their own words · NPR | Shortify
- Summary: Fresh Air marks 25 years since the attacks with an hour of people who were there, telling it themselves. Twenty-five years on, the record of Sept. 11 that…
- Keywords: september 11, oral history, npr, fresh air, anniversary, news, voices, Sept, own, words
- Source: NPR — https://npr.org/2026/09/11/nx-s1-5965794/the-voices-of-sept-11-my-first-thought-was-i-cant-believe-that-i-survived
- Published: 2026-09-11T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: september 11, oral history, npr, fresh air, anniversary, news
## I can't believe that I survived
The episode takes its name from a survivor describing the thought that arrived first, ahead of grief or fear. Being alive was the thing that felt impossible.

> My first thought was ... I can't believe that I survived
## Terry Gross opens the archive
Fresh Air built the hour around voices from Sept. 11 rather than a host walking you through the day. The people who were there carry it.
## Twenty-five years later
The segment aired the morning of September 11, 2026, a quarter century to the day. The distance is now long enough that many listeners have no memory of it.
## Forty-five minutes, uncut
The piece runs 45:39. That length is the point: testimony needs room, and the short clip version of this day has been played for decades.
## Listen or read it
NPR posted the audio with a full transcript and an embeddable player, so the accounts can be quoted, searched, and passed on.
## Key takeaway

Twenty-five years on, the record of Sept. 11 that still lands hardest is the sound of the people who lived it.