Commemoration

The 9/11 terrorist attacks killed 2,977 people and injured thousands at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Commemorative events are held at all three sites on the anniversary of the attacks. At the annual observance held at the 9/11 Memorial in lower Manhattan, family members of the victims read aloud the names of those killed in the 9/11 attacks and in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Each year on February 26, the names of the six people killed in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center are read aloud as part of a commemorative ceremony on the Memorial. Hundreds of people were also injured in the attack that prompted what was then the largest coordinated rescue effort in New York City history, involving local, state, and federal agencies.

A massive rescue, relief, and recovery effort began in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. Recovery operations lasted for nine months at Ground Zero, ending on May 30, 2002. In the years since, many people who worked on the rescue and recovery, survived the attacks, or were lower Manhattan residents are sick or have died from 9/11-related injuries and illnesses after being exposed to hazards and toxins. A ceremony held each year on May 30 at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum observes the anniversary of the formal end of the recovery operations at Ground Zero and honors the sacrifices of all those who are sick or have died.

The 9/11 Memorial Glade, which is located on the southwestern portion of the Memorial plaza, is a tribute to the tens of thousands of men and women of the rescue, relief, and recovery effort, as well as survivors and downtown residents. It recognizes everyone who has died or is suffering from 9/11-related illnesses.