On Thursday, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani participated in a poignant ceremony marking the 24th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in Lower Manhattan.
Giuliani joined notable figures, including former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governor Kathy Hochul of New York, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, and FBI director Kash Patel, who attended in a heavy body brace following a car accident.
Meanwhile, JD Vance had to cancel his appearance to fly to Utah after the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Former FDNY Commissioner Tom von Essen also took part in a reflective morning at Ground Zero, where many New Yorkers paused to remember the deadliest attack on U.S. soil.
“Every year, it’s surprising how the sadness resurfaces. It really comes to the forefront every September,” von Essen remarked.
“September 11 was catastrophic. We lost 343 firefighters, heroes who ventured out to help strangers,” he continued.
On that tragic day, around 3,000 people were killed when al-Qaeda hijackers crashed planes into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Hundreds gathered in New York City that morning, participating in six moments of silence to honor critical times during the attacks, such as when both Twin Towers were struck, collapsed, and the attack on the Pentagon, along with the crash of Flight 93.
Families took turns reading aloud the names of their loved ones who perished.
In the years following the tragedy, the FDNY has seen over 400 members succumb to illnesses related to 9/11, mostly due to toxic exposure at Ground Zero, a number that exceeds those lost during rescue operations.
Currently, 48,579 first responders and others have been diagnosed with cancer linked to 9/11, according to the latest statistics from the World Trade Center Health Program.
