Communities across East Tennessee and the nation gathered this morning for solemn ceremonies commemorating the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Locally, a gathering in Rockwood joined similar regional events, including a traditional bell-ringing ceremony at the Andrew J. Benson 9/11 Memorial beside the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant public boat ramp. Attendees paused to honor the nearly 3,000 victims and the first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Nationwide, commemorations spanned key memorial sites. At Ground Zero in New York, family members read the names of the victims alongside moments of silence marking the plane impacts, tower collapses, and the crash of Flight 93, including a dedicated moment of silence for first responders and survivors lost to post-9/11 illnesses. At the Pentagon, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump joined military officials and families to honor the 184 lives lost there, while crowds in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, gathered at the Flight 93 National Memorial to read the names of the 40 passengers and crew members.

Twenty-five years after the tragedy, services nationwide continue to reflect on the lives lost and the enduring courage of first responders, passengers, and ordinary Americans.