Nation marks 25 years since September 11 attacks

Americans are marking 25 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks with solemn ceremonies honoring the victims and the sacrifices of first responders.

(NBC)- Americans are marking 25 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks with solemn ceremonies honoring the victims and the sacrifices of first responders.

The attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, killed 2,977 people in New York City, at the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Overnight, drones illuminated the New York City skyline with an outline of the Twin Towers.

For the families of those killed, the anniversary marks a quarter century of loss.

“I didn’t lose just my wife that day, I lost friends and coworkers,” retired NYPD officer James Smith, whose wife Moira Smith was killed on 9/11, said. “I just want people to remember their sacrifice.”

As part of the annual remembrance, the names of those killed are being read aloud, with moments of silence marking when the hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.

This year’s observance also includes an additional moment of silence honoring the thousands of people who have died from illnesses linked to health hazards at Ground Zero.

Edward Kelly, general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, was among those who worked at the site after the attacks.

“There was a duty to be there, a duty to try to recover our brothers and sisters,” Kelly said.

Former President George W. Bush, who was in office during the attacks, also reflected on the importance of teaching younger generations about the events and the people who responded.

“The danger, of course, the farther it gets away from September 11, 2001, the more likely it is people will not remember,” Bush said.

Ceremonies across the country are honoring the lives lost, the first responders who rushed toward danger and those who continue to suffer from illnesses connected to the aftermath of the attacks.