2 Events In Melrose Mark 25th Anniversary Of 9/11 Terror Attacks

MELROSE, MA — Communities across Massachusetts will pause Friday to mark 25 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, with ceremonies honoring the nearly 3,000 people who were killed and the first responders who risked, and, in many cases, later lost their lives.

On Sept. 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaida terrorists hijacked four airplanes, flying two into New York City's World Trade Center and one into the Pentagon. Passengers fought back on the fourth, United Flight 93, which crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The deadliest U.S. terror attack killed 2,977 victims.

While larger observances will be held at the three sites in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, attacked 25 years ago, Massachusetts events include the following:

Melrose will hold two events marking the anniversary, beginning with a community remembrance ceremony at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10, in the courtyard between Fred Green Field and Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School on 350 Lynn Fells Parkway.

The ceremony will particularly honor Raymond "Ray" Rocha, a Melrose High School Class of 1990 graduate and former member of the school's football team who was killed in the attacks. The remembrance will take place ahead of the Melrose High School football team's home opener, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. The event is open to the public.

A second event will take place on Friday, Sept. 11, when the Melrose Veterans Services Department hosts a Veterans and Families Luncheon honoring those who served following the attacks. The luncheon is scheduled to take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the GAR Room at Memorial Hall on 590 Main St.

The toll has continued to grow. Thousands of survivors, first responders, and people who lived, worked, or attended school near the attack sites have developed cancers and other illnesses linked to toxic exposure during the rescue, recovery, and cleanup.

Rocha, 29, was working as a bond trader for Cantor Fitzgerald in the North Tower of the World Trade Center when the building was attacked. Born in Melrose, he graduated from Brown University in 1995 and worked for Dean Witter in Boston before joining Cantor Fitzgerald.

Rocha was the youngest of five children and the son of Melrose residents Ann and Manuel Rocha. A memorial Mass was held at the Church of the Incarnation in Melrose following his death. His name is inscribed on the National September 11 Memorial in New York City.

Former Presidents At Ground Zero

As is traditional, the names of the 2,977 people killed in the 9/11 attacks and six others who died in the 1993 World Trade Center attack will be read at a ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in Manhattan.

Four former presidents — Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — are expected to attend the 25th-anniversary ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial in New York City.

President Donald Trump is not expected at Ground Zero. Vice President JD Vance will represent the administration in New York.

The ceremony will be livestreamed. That evening, the annual Tribute in Light will send twin beams into the sky, accompanied this year by a one-hour national broadcast beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC, Disney+, Hulu, National Geographic and ABC News Live.

President Trump At Pentagon Observance

President Trump will attend the 9/11 observance at the Pentagon, where 184 people were killed when American Airlines Flight 77 was hijacked and flown into the structure

Defense and military leaders traditionally gather for a ceremony centered on the memorial’s 184 illuminated benches, one for each victim. Details about public access to the Pentagon ceremony and a possible livestream had not yet been posted on the Pentagon Memorial’s official webpage on Tuesday.

Pennsylvania Memorial Details

The Flight 93 National Memorial, near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, begins with an 8:30 a.m. ceremony that includes the reading of the 40 passengers’ and crew members’ names, the Bells of Remembrance, and wreath-layings timed to the four attacks.

A second ceremony begins at 1 p.m., and both will be livestreamed. A luminaria ceremony is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12.

Stephen M. Clark, the superintendent of the Flight 93 National Memorial, will lead the morning remembrance events. Confirmed speakers at the afternoon ceremony include Gordie Felt, the brother of Flight 93 passenger Edward P. Felt, and Capt. Morrie Wiener (Ret.), the pilot who flew Flight 93 prior to September 2001.

Trump administration officials are expected to attend and lay wreaths on behalf of the federal government, though top executive leaders are split across other national sites.

‘Steel Across America’

President Trump hosted first responders and FDNY officials at the White House on Tuesday ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The event featured a 16,900-pound steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center’s South Tower and carried across the country by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a nonprofit created in memory of FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller, who was killed responding to the attacks.

The foundation provides mortgage-free and specially adapted homes to families of fallen or severely injured first responders and military members, assists homeless veterans and supports 9/11 education and remembrance programs. Its 10,500-mile “Steel Across America” tour has taken the beam to more than 35 cities in at least 21 states and will conclude Friday at Ground Zero.

See Also:

Melrose Gas Station Sells $2 Million Winning Lottery Ticket

Construction Set To Begin At Melrose Playground

Melrose Cultural Council Grant Application Cycle Begins For 2027

Tree Work Underway Ahead Of Melrose Park And Playground Renovation

Melrose Water Main Projects Expected To Affect Two Neighborhoods