For twenty-four years, the annual commemoration at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in Lower Manhattan has paused for six moments of silence. Each one marks a defining instant of that morning: the two planes striking the North and South Towers, the attack on the Pentagon, the crash of Flight 93 in Shanksville, and the collapse of each tower. This year, on the 25th anniversary, the ceremony adds a seventh.
The new moment of silence honors the tens of thousands of first responders, recovery and cleanup workers, volunteers, and Lower Manhattan residents who have become ill — and the thousands who have died — from illnesses tied to the toxic dust and debris at Ground Zero in the years since September 11, 2001. Observed at the conclusion of the reading of the names, it will become a permanent part of the ceremony every year going forward.
Why This Change Matters
The scale of the loss it recognizes is staggering. More than 9,000 people have now died from 9/11-related illnesses — nearly three times the number killed on the day of the attacks themselves. Cancer diagnoses connected to exposure at the site have climbed sharply over the past decade, and that number continues to grow as more responders and survivors reach the ages when these illnesses surface.
“The 9/11 attacks caused devastation that extended far beyond that single day,” said former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Chairman of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, in announcing the change. In the years since, thousands of the people who rushed toward the disaster, cleared the wreckage, and returned to their homes and workplaces downtown have paid a price that is only now being fully counted.
For the families living through it, the special recognition carries real weight. As one daughter of a firefighter who died of a 9/11-related cancer put it, the new moment of silence is a chance to remind the country that people are still getting sick and still dying, and that September 11th did not end on September 11, 2001.
The 2026 Ceremony Schedule
The commemoration begins at 8:30 a.m., with the moments of silence observed at:
- 8:46 a.m. — Flight 11 strikes the North Tower
- 9:03 a.m. — Flight 175 strikes the South Tower
- 9:37 a.m. — Flight 77 strikes the Pentagon
- 9:59 a.m. — The South Tower falls
- 10:03 a.m. — Flight 93 crashes near Shanksville, Pennsylvania
- 10:28 a.m. — The North Tower falls
- After the reading of the names — The new seventh moment of silence, for those lost to 9/11-related illnesses
The Fight Isn’t Over
At Pitta & Baione LLP, the seventh moment of silence commemorates something we see every day in our work: the attacks of September 11th are continuing to claim lives and make people sick. Fire and police first responders, building trades and related construction workers, related cleanup and sanitation workers, court, correction, and numerous other public and private sector employees, including but not limited to hotel, restaurant, and other hospitality and service industry employees, building engineering and service employees, transit workers, teachers, principals and other school administrators, students, residents and visitors to the area who were exposed to the toxins at Ground Zero, are still being diagnosed with cancers, respiratory conditions, and other serious illnesses, sometimes decades after 9/11.
No one who answered the call that day, or who was simply living or working nearby, or casually visiting the area, should have to face a 9/11-related illness alone. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a condition linked to 9/11 exposure, you may be entitled to compensation and health benefits through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) and the World Trade Center Health Program.
We’ve helped recover millions of compensation dollars for survivors, first responders, and the families of those we have lost, guiding our fellow New Yorkers and other victims through the VCF claims process, no matter how long it takes or what obstacles stand in the way. We have a 9/11 attorney on call 24/7, and we don’t get paid unless we successfully prosecute your claim and obtain a recovery for you.
This September 11th, as the ceremony pauses for a seventh time, we pause to remember and honor every life lost — on that day and since the terrorist attacks on our nation and city 25 years ago. Today, we remain at the ready to fight for you and all those still living with the consequences of that fateful day.
If you believe you have been affected by a 9/11-related illness, contact Pitta & Baione LLP for a free consultation.
