The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, took place 24 years ago, a lifetime for many New Yorkers. To our younger generation, it may be history, but to those of us who were there, those memories are as sharp as glass, as expansive as that blue September sky.
We remember the terrible reality of the fallen towers and thousands of lives lost, but also the powerful patriotism that united millions of New Yorkers in the day, weeks, and months afterward. From the first responders risking their lives to the thousands who walked home through the dust and smoke, New Yorkers were bonded by tragedy, and the world was with us. We helped each other, held each other, saved each other. Even as the rubble smoldered, a spark of hope was burning brighter.
Mayor Eric Adams speaks during State of the City address at the Apollo Theater on January 9, 2025, in New York City.
Mayor Eric Adams speaks during State of the City address at the Apollo Theater on January 9, 2025, in New York City.
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As mayor, and a life-long New Yorker, that is what I think about when I remember September 11, not the fear and the terror that sought to divide us, but the strength and solidarity that brought us together as a nation. The greatest thing about New York City and America was how we responded to September 11 the very next day. We got up, and we got on; teachers taught, builders built, retailers sold their goods. And because we got up, America got up. We showed the world that we would not bend or break, but we would come back stronger than ever.
No one who was in New York City that day will ever forget where they were when they heard the news or saw the towers smoldering in the distance. I was working as a police officer at the time, a lieutenant at the 88th Precinct in Brooklyn.
As an officer, I knew I had to mobilize immediately and get to my precinct. I first tried to take the train, but the service was closed off and we just started to walk downtown. When I started to cross the bridge, I saw people covered in all sorts of dust and particles. The realization that the World Trade Center towers collapsed had not yet settled in. I just thought it was the smoke and the soot coming from the airplanes hitting the buildings.
Flowers and American flags are seen on the names of victims of the 9/11 terror attack on the North Tower Memorial Pool during the annual 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony at the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum…
Flowers and American flags are seen on the names of victims of the 9/11 terror attack on the North Tower Memorial Pool during the annual 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony at the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum on September 11, 2022, in New York City.
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Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Like so many New Yorkers, I lost people close to me on that day. Hundreds of our fellow colleagues in the Police Department, the Fire Department, and other services were never coming back. The funerals came one after another, a black cascade of grief. But every time the national anthem was sung, we would stand up and we’d salute. We would not sit down. We loved our country, and we were willing to defend it.
That sense of purpose and patriotism was a powerful and healing force, one that I miss today. Our nation, once so united in sorrow, is now more divided than we ever thought possible as we mark 24 years since the September 11 attacks. Being an American does not mean we have to believe and agree on everything, but it does mean that we should believe and agree that this is the greatest country on the globe. It is why so many seek to come here, and why those of us who are here should never take it for granted. We have a responsibility to fight for this country and fight for each other, to build a society that works, and protects our communities, our families, and our way of life from all enemies—both foreign and domestic.
That is what I did as a police officer, and what I strive to do every day as mayor of New York City. Evil people are still lurking in the shadows of our country and this globe, looking to hurt us, looking to threaten our safety and our values. But over the years, we have built a stronger, safer city, and we have continued to honor all those who have lost their lives in service during that time and in the years that followed.
Twenty-four years later, New York City is more than just a great city—it’s a powerful testament to American ideals and the human spirit. Ground Zero is now a peaceful park, a sanctuary, a memorial to all those we lost on that day and in the months and years that followed. It is not far from City Hall, and people still leave flowers and say prayers. My prayer for our nation is that we not only never forget what happened on September 11, but that we can renew the unity of September 12.
Eric Adams is mayor of New York City.
The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.