U.S. reflects, remembers 9/11 victims 23 years after

Wednesday marked 23 years since the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks that forever changed the United States. Nearly 3,000 people were killed when al Qaeda hijackers crashed four planes into the twin towers in New York City, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.

A citywide moment of silence was held at 8:46a.m. to mark the moment hijacked Flight 11 struck the North Tower. A second moment of silence was held at 9:03a.m. to mark when hijacked Flight 175 struck the South Tower.

Another moment of silence followed at 9:37 a.m., marking when hijacked Flight 77 struck the Pentagon. A moment of silence was held at 9:59 a.m. to mark when the South Tower fell, then at 10:03 a.m. to mark when hijacked Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and then at 10:28 a.m. to mark when the North Tower fell.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were on hand for the ceremony in Lower Manhattan, along with former President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance. Trump and Harris both traveled to New York City following their first presidential debate showdown, to put politics aside and commemorate the 23rd anniversary of 9/11 attacks, which became America’s most deadly terrorist attack.

Over 400 first responders gave their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, including 23 New York City police officers, 37 Port Authority workers and 343 New York City firefighters.

The 40 passengers and crew members of Flight 93, all of whom lost their lives, are believed to have prevented a larger attack by fighting back against the terrorists who hijacked the plane. The field in Shanksville where the plane crashed is just a 20-minute flight from the U.S. Capitol.

The Biden-Harris administration on August 31, 2021, withdrew all U.S. military assets from Afghanistan, after having a presence for nearly 20 years after the 9/11 attacks.