U.S. observes 25th anniversary of 9/11 with somber ceremonies

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Nowhere is that more deeply felt than in the New York City Fire Department, which lost 343 members when the towers fell. In the 25 years since, 453 members have died from cancers, lung diseases and other illnesses linked to the toxic dust and debris that blanketed Lower Manhattan.

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Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore, 32 years old on 9/11, was an EMS Academy instructor in Queens who got the call and went to work. She now leads a department where only about 700 of its 17,000 members were there that day.

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“What we have found so far is the fire department continues to live that day,” Bonsignore said in an interview.

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Hundreds of people gathered on Friday at the Firemen’s Memorial on the Upper West Side, many standing on the unpaved roadbed, as the name of every member of the Fire Department killed in the Sept. 11 attacks was read aloud, each followed by the toll of a bell.

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Families of the fallen stood alongside firefighters who had traveled from as far away as France. The United States Marine Band performed The Star-Spangled Banner, and the crowd fell silent to mark the moment the south tower collapsed.

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Firefighters who were children when the towers fell now work alongside the dwindling number who responded that morning. New recruits inherit the stories of people they never knew and a skyline they never saw. And the number lost to the attacks’ long aftereffects continues to rise.

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According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Trade Center Health Program now cares for more than 145,000 survivors and first responders, with enrollment swelling by roughly 10,000 people in each of the past two years. More than 57,000 members have had a certified cancer diagnosis.

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“We expect to continue seeing cancer and other serious conditions that have longer latency periods,” CDC Director Erica Schwartz said at a Sept. 3 event commemorating the work of the World Trade Center Health Program. “That is one reason this 25th anniversary carries such meaning.”

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Also in attendance at the 25th anniversary in New York were former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York Attorney General Letitia James and New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

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Speaker of the New York City Council Julie Menin credits her experience organizing to rebuild Lower Manhattan as the reason she is in public service.

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At the time, she was a lawyer and owner of Vine, a restaurant and catering company, living not far from the site of the attacks with her family and parents. They remained downtown, with Menin founding a nonprofit dedicated to helping small businesses and becoming a founding trustee of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

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Menin, who attended the memorial, helped secure $1 million in funding this year for the institution to expand education and outreach for New York City students. She wants them to learn about the tragic events as well as “the acts of heroism of the first responders, and the unity that really brought the city together, and simple acts of kindness that happened in those days and weeks after 9/11.”

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First responders continue to adopt lessons learned from the attacks. The FDNY and EMS have made changes to their communications systems and technologies used to locate members in emergencies. And they continue to work to keep memories of that day alive.

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“You own it, and that’s how we have been able to keep this alive,” said Bonsignore. “And I feel confident that they will own that day, like I own it, having been there firsthand.”

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