09/11/2026
Today marks 25 years since September 11, 2001.
We must share with those who were too young to remember—or who were not yet born—what happened that morning, what we witnessed, what our nation felt, and why September 11 will forever remain a defining moment in American history.
25 years ago today, 2,977 innocent people were murdered in the attacks:
2,753 at the World Trade Center in New York City
184 at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia
40 aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania
Four commercial airplanes were hijacked that morning. Two were flown into the World Trade
Center, one struck the Pentagon, and Flight 93 was brought down in Pennsylvania after its
passengers and crew fought back against the hijackers.
Among those who lost their lives were 441 first responders—the greatest loss of emergency responders in a single day in American history.
343 firefighters.
71 law enforcement officers.
8 EMS providers.
They ran toward the danger while everyone else was being told to run away. They climbed the stairs of buildings that were on fire because people were still trapped above them. They responded to the Pentagon knowing nothing about what they were about to encounter.
Many of them never came home. We must remember the firefighters, police officers, EMS providers, military personnel, airline
crews, passengers, and civilians who made the ultimate sacrifice.
And we must remember the families who were forever changed that day. They deserve to understand the courage and sacrifice of the men and women who answered the call that morning.
We remember the families who never got to say goodbye.
And we remember a nation that, for a brief moment, stood together as one.
May we never forget September 11, 2001.
May we never forget the lives that were taken and still being taken after 25 years.
