09/11/2026
25 years. Like most, I recall exactly where I was and what I was doing when news of the first plane was announced, then the terror that just kept coming. But this is not about me. This post is about remembering them.
On September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 people had their lives stolen by evil in Manhattan, at the Pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field. The victims ranged in age from two to 85 years.
In New York City, the average age of those who died was 40; in the buildings, the youngest victim was Richard Pearlman, an 18-year-old emergency medical technician, and the oldest was Albert Joseph, a 79-year-old maintenance worker from Morgan Stanley. Of the total fatalities there, roughly 75-80% of the victims were men. An estimated 200 people fell to their deaths, it is surmised that many made the decision to jump. Can you even fathom making that choice? Another estimated 200 individuals perished inside the elevators. What unimaginable horror every single person must have felt in those towers. All hope lost and waiting for their imminent doom. Miraculously, there were people rescued alive underneath the 1.4 million tons of World Trade Center debris; only 18 though. Such a meager number in comparison to the death toll, but 18 is a miracle. The rescue teams, which also included search and rescue dogs, recovered 19,435 body parts. Some 1,099 victims — 40% of those who died — remain unidentified today. A promise was made to all the families that they would work on identifying every lost soul no matter how long it took, and they are still working a quarter of a century later.
Firefighters worked relentlessly to extinguish the fire ignited by the attacks; it took a total of 100 days. From the first plane hitting to the second tower falling took a total of 102 minutes. 102 minutes? In the same amount of time it takes to watch a movie in the theater, thousands of lives were lost, and everything changed forever.
The majority of those who perished, due to this heinous terrorist attack, were civilians. But of the total number who met their untimely death that fateful day, there were heroes who lost their lives saving others including: (in the WTC and on the ground) 344 firefighters and 71 law enforcement officers (23 of them NYPD); 8 EMTs and paramedics from private hospital units; 37 officers at the port authority; and 1 bomb-sniffing rescue dog named Sirus. In Shanksville Pennsylvania, a law enforcement officer died when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed. At the Pentagon, 55 military personnel died (33 Navy sailors and 22 Army soldiers); 70 were civilians – 47 Army employees, six Army contractors, six Navy employees, three Navy contractors, seven Defense Intelligence Agency employees, and one Office of the Secretary of Defense contractor.
300 specialized canine search and rescue teams worked tirelessly at Ground Zero. They have hero status as much as any human. The last living person rescued from Ground Zero 27 hours after the collapse was found by one of these search and rescue (SAR) dogs. In addition to SAR dogs, therapy and other dogs were brought in to comfort the rescuers. They provided much needed mental massaging in the middle of this chaos and devastation. Bretagne, a Golden Retriever, was only 2 years old at the time of the attacks. She passed away June 6, 2016, the last of the surviving rescue dogs. A yellow lab named Sirius was the only known K-9 to die in the attacks. He was in the basement below the World Trade Center’s South Tower with his handler. They felt the building shake and his handler decided to check it out and assist where needed. He secured Sirus in his kennel and told his partner "I'll be back for you." In the wreckage of the South Tower in the winter of 2002, Sirus’s remains were recovered. He was ceremoniously removed from Ground Zero with a full honor guard.
The lives of those some 3,000 souls were stolen by evil and unfairly ended that day. Some died on impact; others had to make unthinkable decisions; many waited in panic and horror for death to come; and hundreds went into (and kept going in) the devastation, sacrificing their own well-being to save others. Since this horrific day, over 49,000 people have been diagnosed with cancers tied to toxic dust exposure. The overall death toll from all related 9-11 illnesses—including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases—is closing in on 10,000.
25 years ago, these lives ended, more continued to end through these 25 years because of that day. 25 years ago, our world was changed forever.
Remember them today and every day; never EVER forget.
8:46 A.M.American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston, bound for Los Angeles, crashed into the World Trade Center's North Tower, between the 93rd and 99th floors.
9:03 A.M.United Airlines Flight 175, also headed from Boston to L.A., crashed into the World Trade Center's South Tower, between the 77th and 85th floors.
9:37 A.M.American Airlines Flight 77, bound from the Washington area to L.A., crashed into the western side of the Pentagon.
9:59 A.M.The South Tower collapsed.
10:03 A.M.United Flight 93, headed to San Francisco from Newark, New Jersey, crashed into an empty field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
10:28 A.M.The North Tower collapsed.
Remember, today and always. Never forget the victims, the heroes, or what happened September 11, 2001. Honor them by living your life well. By being kind to your fellow humans. Stop the needless hate that runs rampant a quarter of a century later. We are all human, be better. Never forget those who didn't have these past 25 years.
