https://www.wbaltv.com/article/9-11-25- ... e/73683893
9/11: 25 years later, America torn apart and galvanized by the reach of terror
Unthinkable.
Unfathomable.
And still, 25 years later, unreal.
The home of the brave staggered and saddened — both torn apart and galvanized by the reach of terror.
A memorial that stretches to the heavens will never allow the thousands of lives lost to be forgotten.
In a special presentation at 7:30 p.m. Friday, WBAL-TV 11 News shows the resilience, recovery and remembrance.
The ceremonies
It never gets easier — the tolling of the bells, the reciting of the names — but it's necessary.
With each syllable said and each note performed, our daily hustle through life stops for those who lost theirs.
Hard to believe, 25 years have passed since the World Trade Center towers fell in New York, the Pentagon burned in Arlington and the prairie smoldered in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Yet the memories and remembrances remain vivid — and the reality remains just as hard.
The victims
For thousands of families, 9/11 marked a loss without a goodbye. But there's a group working to identify the remains and make their families whole.
Despite the decades that have passed, more than 1,000 people's remains from the towers have not been identified. As technology advances, so do the chances of giving more families closure.
And, this year, a seventh moment of silence will honor the people who died in the years after the attacks from 9/11-related illnesses.
The first-responders
Twenty-five years later, Sept. 11 still weighs heavy on those who answered the call. Among them includes firefighter Mike Walker from Maryland, who responded to the Pentagon, Ground Zero and Guantanamo Bay.
The Washington, D.C., fire captain and Coast Guard veteran shared his memories with WBAL-TV 11 News so that a new generation "never forgets."
Construction is beginning at the Pentagon on a center to educate visitors about the 9/11 attacks. Expected to open in 2029, the center will both honor the victims and preserve the day's lessons, heroism and sacrifices for future generations.
A survival story
A survival story — a woman's will to live and the mystery man who stayed with her as she laid trapped beneath rubble of the Twin Towers.
The stories of survival from the attacks take you back to those hours and days as crews searched the rubble in hopes of finding people alive.
Genelle Guzman was the last person rescued from the rubble of the towers, and now, her is sharing her story. She spoke with WBAL-TV 11 News about the hours she waited for help and what she says kept her going.
Educating younger generations
While the attacks are a memory so fresh for some, it's non-existent for others yet to be born. One third of the current U.S. population wasn't even born on 9/11 — videos and news accounts are their only connection.
For their perspective on this moment in story, WBAL-TV 11 News spoke with current college students in their 20s who say, despite not being there, it feels like a core memory of their own.
Educators and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum are using personal stories, classroom resources, and careful historical context to connect younger generations with an event they did not experience.
Acts of service, including packing meals and donating blood, also help young people honor the victims and learn lessons intended to prevent history from repeating itself.