BY MARYANA AVERYANOVA
It is Sept 11, 2025, 7:50 a.m. The sky over Lower Manhattan is clear blue and cloudless, the sunlight brings warmth and peace, as it was 24 years ago. Commuters hurry to their work. It is a peaceful time but the weight of remembrance remains. On this day in 2001, that same bright morning was shattered into pieces by the tragedy which everyone remembers as 9/11.
Families, survivors, and first responders gathered in silence for the ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial Plaza which began at 8:30 a.m. where the names of all 2,977 victims were read aloud by victims’ family members. There were moments of silence throughout the ceremony to mark when both World Trade Center towers were struck and fell.
Access to the memorial was restricted to families, many carrying flowers and photographs, while security and volunteers turned away the general public. Those who could not get closer to the memorial gathered at Church Ave and Fulton St. Many of them were watching the live streaming of the ceremony on their phones or were looking towards memorial pools in complete silence.
For survivors of this tragedy, the return is both painful and necessary. Raul Melecio, who escaped and endured multiple surgeries after attacks, said this day is a reminder of both loss and resilience. “I am here because I survived physically and psychologically. It means we survived, we rebuilt,” he said . Melecio has been calling for a commemorative parade to honor victims and highlight the city’s strength. “ We cannot focus only on the sadness, we have to continue going,” added Melicio.
Former firefighters also continue to carry the weight of that day. Mathew Russo, 69, recalled how quickly he and others returned to the site. “Next morning we were down here. You pile and you dig and you dig, doing whatever you can do,” he said. Passing years didn’t ease memories of the pain. Russo added, “Sometimes you just look back on your life. It doesn’t seem like 24 years ago, it seems like three years ago.”
Bobby Amos, who worked as a doorman on 24th street in 2001, said he came to honor his cousin Tommy McCann, who was a firefighter. “I lost a lot of good friends. I was a doorman on 24 th street that day and I saw it all happen,” Amos said. “I usually come every year, I’m trying to make it for Tommy. He was a great person and he was off that day. When Tommy got a call, he went right into action. Then… we lost him, like others.”
The tragedy that day reached the whole world. Citizens from 102 nations lost their lives.
Among those standing outside barricades were Magali Lopes, 41 and Sebastian Roven, 39, visiting from France. “It is important for us to be here.” Roven said. “We were 17 and 15 when we arrived home from school and we saw it happening on TV. It was like a movie, not real. We could not believe it” Lopes added, “We went to the museum and felt emotional. I can’t explain the feelings. ”
After a short silence Roven added, “It feels like it was yesterday. We will never forget this.”
