从纽约世贸中心到五角大楼、宾州尚克斯维尔，全美悼念近3000名遇难者

2026年9月11日，美国迎来“9·11”恐怖袭击25周年。四分之一个世纪过去，纽约曼哈顿下城早已重建，但对于遇难者家属、幸存者以及当年参与救援的消防员、警察和医护人员而言，2001年9月11日留下的伤痛与记忆从未真正远去。

当天，纽约世贸中心遗址、弗吉尼亚州五角大楼以及宾夕法尼亚州尚克斯维尔的联合航空93号航班国家纪念园分别举行纪念活动。遇难者家属、急救人员及各界民众再次以默哀、钟声和姓名宣读的方式，纪念25年前失去的生命。

上午8时46分，当年美国航空11号航班撞上纽约世贸中心北塔的时刻，纽约“9·11”国家纪念广场进入默哀。随后，遇难者家属逐一念出死者姓名。

2001年9月11日，恐怖分子劫持4架民航客机，其中两架分别撞向纽约世贸中心南、北双塔，一架撞击五角大楼，另一架联合航空93号航班在乘客和机组人员反抗劫机者后，最终坠毁于宾夕法尼亚州尚克斯维尔附近。

袭击共造成2,977名受害者死亡，成为美国本土历史上最严重的恐怖袭击事件之一，也深刻改变了此后美国的国家安全、外交政策、航空安检以及社会生活。

今年适逢25周年，纽约纪念仪式也特别关注另一群长期被“9·11”影响的人——在灾难发生后进入世贸中心废墟搜救、清理，并因接触有毒粉尘和污染物而罹患疾病的第一响应人员及幸存者。

双子塔倒塌后，大批消防员、警察、医护人员、建筑工人及志愿者赶往现场。25年来，不少人陆续罹患癌症、呼吸系统疾病及其他与“9·11”相关的疾病。对他们而言，这场灾难并没有在2001年9月11日结束，而是延续了数十年。

在五角大楼，当天也举行纪念仪式，悼念美国航空77号航班撞击五角大楼造成的184名遇难者。

与此同时，在宾夕法尼亚州尚克斯维尔，人们纪念联合航空93号航班上的乘客与机组人员。当时，在得知其他被劫持航班已经撞向建筑物后，机上人员决定奋起反抗劫机者。飞机最终坠毁于宾州，没有抵达袭击者原定目标。他们最后时刻的选择，也成为“9·11” 历史中有关勇气与牺牲的重要篇章。

25年也是一个特殊的时间节点。

今天，美国越来越多年轻人出生于2001年之后，对 “9·11” 没有亲身记忆。对他们而言，那一天已经从父母一代的亲身经历，逐渐成为课本、纪录片和纪念馆中的历史。

因此，今年的纪念也提出一个越来越重要的问题：当亲历 “9·11” 的一代逐渐老去，美国应该如何将个人记忆传递给下一代？

“9·11” 国家纪念馆与博物馆近年来持续通过幸存者、遇难者家属以及第一响应人员的第一手故事，让年轻世代理解恐怖袭击带来的巨大伤痛，同时记住灾难中展现出来的勇气、服务与社区互助精神。

“9·11” 也永久改变了美国。袭击发生后，美国大幅强化机场安检及国土安全体系，并发动阿富汗战争，进入持续多年的全球“反恐战争”。与此同时，恐怖袭击后的社会恐惧，也对美国穆斯林、阿拉伯裔、南亚裔及部分移民社区造成长期影响，仇恨犯罪、身份误认与社会偏见成为这段历史不可忽视的另一面。

对于包括华裔在内的移民社区，“9·11” 同样是一段共同的美国记忆。当天失去生命的人来自不同国家、族裔、宗教和社会背景，他们原本只是去上班、搭乘飞机、出差、旅行，或者开始一个普通的星期二早晨。

9月11日晚，纽约曼哈顿下城将再次亮起象征世贸中心双子塔的两道“Tribute in Light”纪念光柱，直射纽约夜空。

25年前，两座摩天大楼在那里倒下；25年后，一个又一个名字仍然在纪念仪式上被重新念出。

“Never Forget——永不忘记”，并不是为了延续仇恨，而是为了记住那些逝去的生命，记住危难中奔向现场的人，也提醒下一代珍惜和平、反对仇恨，并从历史中汲取教训。

四分之一个世纪过去，纽约的天际线已经改变，一代人也正在老去，但每年9月11日，当钟声再次响起，美国仍以同样的方式告诉世界：

我们依然记得。

“Never Forget” — America Marks the 25th Anniversary of the September 11 Attacks

From the World Trade Center in New York to the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Americans honor the nearly 3,000 lives lost

On September 11, 2026, the United States marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. A quarter-century has passed, and Lower Manhattan has long since been rebuilt. Yet for the families of those who died, survivors, and the firefighters, police officers and emergency workers who responded that day, the pain and memories of September 11, 2001, have never truly faded.

Commemorative ceremonies were held Friday at the World Trade Center site in New York City, the Pentagon in Virginia, and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Families of victims, first responders and members of the public once again gathered to honor those lost through moments of silence, the tolling of bells and the reading of victims’ names.

At 8:46 a.m., the moment when American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center 25 years ago, those gathered at the National September 11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan observed a moment of silence. Family members then began the solemn tradition of reading aloud the names of those who died.

On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners. Two were flown into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, while a third struck the Pentagon. A fourth aircraft, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed into a field near Shanksville after passengers and crew members fought back against the hijackers.

The attacks killed 2,977 victims and became the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil, profoundly reshaping American national security, foreign policy, aviation security and everyday life.

This year’s 25th anniversary also brought renewed attention to another group whose lives continue to be affected by 9/11: first responders, recovery workers and survivors who developed illnesses after being exposed to toxic dust, smoke and debris at Ground Zero.

In the hours and days after the Twin Towers collapsed, thousands of firefighters, police officers, medical personnel, construction workers and volunteers rushed to the site to search for survivors and begin the enormous recovery effort. Over the past 25 years, many have developed cancers, respiratory illnesses and other conditions linked to their exposure.

For them and their families, the consequences of September 11 did not end in 2001. They have continued for decades.

At the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, another ceremony honored the 184 people killed when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building.

Meanwhile, at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania, Americans remembered the passengers and crew members aboard United Airlines Flight 93. After learning that other hijacked planes had already been used to attack buildings, passengers and crew members decided to confront the hijackers.

The plane ultimately crashed in rural Pennsylvania before reaching its intended target. Their actions in the final moments of the flight have become one of the most enduring stories of courage and sacrifice associated with September 11.

Twenty-five years also represents an important generational turning point.

A growing number of Americans today were born after 2001 and have no personal memory of 9/11. For them, September 11 is no longer a lived experience but history learned through classrooms, documentaries, museums and the stories of parents and grandparents.

That raises an increasingly important question on this anniversary: As the generation that personally witnessed September 11 grows older, how should those memories be passed on to the next generation?

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum has increasingly focused on preserving the firsthand accounts of survivors, victims’ families and first responders so younger generations can understand not only the devastation caused by the attacks, but also the extraordinary courage, service and sense of community that emerged in their aftermath.

September 11 also permanently changed the United States.

In the years following the attacks, the country dramatically strengthened airport security and created a new homeland security system. The United States launched the war in Afghanistan and entered a prolonged era of global counterterrorism operations.

At the same time, the fear that followed the attacks had lasting consequences for Muslim Americans, Arab Americans, South Asian Americans and other immigrant communities. Hate crimes, racial and religious profiling, mistaken identity and discrimination also became part of the broader legacy of the post-9/11 era.

For immigrant communities, including Chinese Americans, September 11 is also part of a shared American memory. Those who died that day came from different countries, ethnicities, religions and walks of life. They were ordinary people going to work, boarding a flight, traveling on business, taking a vacation or simply beginning what should have been an ordinary Tuesday morning.

On the evening of September 11, two beams of light symbolizing the fallen Twin Towers will once again rise into the New York City sky as part of the annual “Tribute in Light.”

Twenty-five years ago, two skyscrapers stood there. Today, the names of those who were lost are still read aloud, one by one.

“Never Forget” does not mean preserving hatred. It means remembering the lives that were lost, honoring those who ran toward danger to save others, and reminding future generations of the importance of peace, compassion and learning from history.

A quarter-century has passed. New York’s skyline has changed, and an entire generation has grown older. Yet every September 11, when the bells toll once again, America continues to send the same message:

We still remember.