25 years on, America seeks to keep 9/11 memories alive

A quarter century after the September 11 attacks, the United States is trying to preserve the memory of a trauma that defined an era, even as more Americans have no firsthand experience of it.

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Many in my generation remember exactly where we were on that horrific day

President Donald Trump will pay his respects at the Pentagon rather than in New York. Vice President JD Vance and Trump's four living predecessors, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George Bush, are expected at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan next Friday. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon killed 2,977 people.

For Beth Hillman, president of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and a US Air Force veteran, the generational shift is stark. "Many in my generation remember exactly where we were on that horrific day," she said. But, she added, "100 million Americans were not even born or are too young to remember" what happened.

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100 million Americans were not even born or are too young to remember

The museum now places greater emphasis on outreach and education. Trained volunteers, including first responders, speak with visitors who know the disaster mainly through parents or school. Logan Miller, 32, lost an uncle and grandfather in the attacks and shares his experience at the museum and in videos. He said younger people are "more inquisitive" and ask more questions than older visitors, who may hesitate to challenge him.

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more inquisitive

The museum receives 2.4 million unique visitors a year. Among them is 22-year-old Chilean visitor Ignacio Gaete, who said the event can transcend generations even without the visceral memories his father has. Holly Kafka, 61, visiting from Chicago, said preservation and education require stopping young people from their constant social-media routine and telling them, "Come here and experience it."

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Come here and experience it