Twenty years after 9/11, America honors the fallen

Heroes and victims from the 9/11 terrorist attacks were honored on the 20th anniversary of the attacks in New York and across America.

Transcript of Audio

Katelyn: In 2001, [Al-Qaeda] terrorists [attacked] the World Trade Center in New York in an aircraft hijacking, consisting of [three separate] attacks around America. [Tragically], two planes were deliberately flown into the Twin Towers in New York, causing them to collapse and kill numerous Americans. As a way to memorialize this event [survivors, the nation’s leaders], and newspapers used social media platforms to commemorate a day that forever changed America. This year is the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attack. Recent presidents like Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and current President Joe Biden attended the 20th Anniversary commemoration. They visited downtown Manhattan, the field in Shanksville where United Flight 93 crashed, and the Pentagon.

Julianne: According to multiple trusted news sites such as The New York Times, over 3,000 lives were lost [in the Al-Qaeda terrorist attack], including killings at the Pentagon and United Flight 93, where the heroics of Todd Beamer, Tom Burnett, and Jeremy Glick crashed the plane into an empty field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania instead of its potential target: the White House.

Katelyn: How can Americans honor the fallen from 9/11?

Julianne: Every September 11th, Americans can pause for a moment of silence for the families and friends who have suffered a loss from this tragic event. At the memorials across the nation, family members of the victims read the names of their loved ones who were killed during the attacks.

Katelyn: Today a 9/11 memorial site pays tribute to the lost lives of the terrorist attack.

Julianne: Where is the Memorial site located?

Katelyn: The memorial site is located in New York City at the former World Trade Center. Thousands of people visit the memorial every year to honor the fallen.