9/11 Memorial & Museum Commemorates 18th Anniversary of the 9/11 Attacks

Yellow roses, sunflowers and two, small American flags are seen on a bronze parapet at the 9/11 Memorial.
Flowers and flags left as tributes during the ceremony of the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Photo by Jin S. Lee, 9/11 Memorial.

Family members, survivors, first responders and elected officials gathered at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum on Wednesday to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

As in years past, the names of 2,983 the men, women and children who were killed in the attacks at the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pa., and as a result of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing were read aloud by family members who often concluded their readings with a fond remembrance of a parent, sibling or child who was taken too soon.    

The litany of names and the impromptu remembrances of family members were punctuated by six moments of silence – marking the times at which the twin towers were struck, when they fell, and the moment of impact at the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93.

The 9/11 Memorial reopened to the public at 3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. The plaza will be open until midnight for the annual viewing of Tribute in Light, which will illuminate the sky just south of the World Trade Center. The 9/11 Memorial Museum is open only to families on Sept. 11, and will reopen to the public on Thursday, Sept. 12.

Please share your remembrances with the hashtag #Honor911 and follow the social media conversation here. Watch a recording of the commemoration ceremony on our Facebook page. Read about how to talk to children about 9/11 and terrorism, or view our annual Anniversary in the Schools webinar, which introduces the events of the day through first-person accounts.

Search our Memorials Registry to find a local 9/11 memorial near you, and use these suggested resources for planning a commemoration ceremony in your community.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff
Photos by Jin S. Lee 

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