Daijiworld Media Network - New York
New York, Sep 12: The United States paused on Thursday to remember the devastating attacks of September 11, 2001—24 years after al-Qaeda terrorists, led by Osama bin Laden, struck at the heart of the nation. With solemn ceremonies across the country, Americans honored the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, while confronting the weight of new domestic threats that cast a shadow over the day of remembrance.
At a commemorative event held inside the Pentagon, President Donald Trump addressed a nation still grappling with the legacy of 9/11. “We will build taller, grow stronger, fight harder, and soar higher,” he declared. “Together, we will go forward as one people with one heart, one fate, one flag, and one glorious destiny under one Almighty God.” Trump paid tribute to both the victims and the heroic first responders—many of whom continue to suffer from health complications caused by exposure to toxic debris at Ground Zero.
This year’s remembrance was marked not only by reflection but by irony and tension. The memory of foreign terrorism collided with the reality of domestic unrest, following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk—an ally of Trump—just a day before. The president’s own ceremony had to be moved indoors due to security concerns, underscoring the persistent vulnerabilities even within the nation's defense headquarters.
Speaking at the Pentagon, Trump remembered the collective resolve of Americans in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. “On that fateful day, savage monsters attacked the very symbols of our civilization. Yet, here in Virginia, in New York, and in the skies over Pennsylvania, Americans did not hesitate,” he said, contrasting the unity of 2001 with today’s increasingly fractured political climate. “Today, as one nation, we renew our sacred vow that we will never forget September 11, 2001.”
Ceremonies took place at all three locations targeted by the hijackers—New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon in Virginia, and the field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where passengers aboard United Flight 93 took down the terrorists before they could reach Washington. Bells tolled to mark the precise times of the attacks, and the names of the 2,977 victims were read aloud in moving tributes.
Among the dead were approximately 250 people of Indian origin, including 32 born in India, a poignant reminder of the international impact of the attacks. The Indian-American community joined the nation in mourning, many attending services at memorials that now stand where the towers once rose.
On that day in 2001, 19 al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four commercial planes. Two were flown into the Twin Towers, a third crashed into the Pentagon, and the fourth was brought down by brave passengers in rural Pennsylvania. The mastermind, Osama bin Laden, was later discovered to have been living in Pakistan—ironically near a military base—before being killed in a covert U.S. operation nearly a decade later.
At Ground Zero, among the many dignitaries present was FBI Director Kash Patel, who paid tribute before traveling to Utah to lead the investigation into the political killing of Kirk, reminding the nation that the battle against extremism—foreign or domestic—is far from over.