“Daddy, wow, 25 years,” Daniella said from a pulpit at Ground Zero in New York City on Friday morning. “Sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago and others just yesterday.”
In the last 25 years, Daniella and her younger sister Alexandra have experienced several milestones, including graduating high school and college, getting married and starting their families.
Their father, Victor Wald, was there for none of it. Wald died in the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.
“Yes, we’re leading meaningful lives, but not a day goes by that mom, Alex and I don’t think of you, love you and miss you dearly,” Daniella said, addressing her deceased father in a memorial televised on many outlets.
Victor Wald’s name now lies on Panel 63 of the North Pool memorial in New York City. Next to him sits the name “Harry Ramos,” a stranger who Daniella said helped Wald down almost 50 flights of stairs on the day of attacks, despite the men having never met before.
Ramos and Wald are two of 2,983 names on the 9/11 memorial wall representing victims of the attacks. Each name was read Friday morning, accompanied by soft music in honor of the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
On the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, politicians, faith leaders and the families of victims are reflecting on what the attacks meant then and what can be learned from them today.
George W. Bush reflects on hearing the news for the first time
Former President George W. Bush, who was the president when the attacks occurred, described the September day at a recent program hosted by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.
“I was in a classroom listening to a little child read, and Andy Card whispered in my ear, ‘second plane has hit,’” Bush described.
Bush referred to that moment as “a moment of clarity” when he realized that America was under attack and what his priorities needed to be.
“I didn’t have much time to process that,” he continued, “but it was pretty clear to me that if we were under attack, then my job was to defend the child that was reading to me and her family and her country.”
Card recalled the same moment in an interview on the “Today” show, inviting Americans to “keep the promise that we made when we said we would never forget.”
Card said the 9/11 tragedy was “a magnet for all of us to come together as Americans, and we did, and it was so refreshing to see that.”
“We do not celebrate 9/11,” Card said. “We acknowledge 9/11, we rally because of 9/11. America came together, and America can come together again. And we want everyone around the world to know how strong America is.”
President Donald Trump said 9/11 heroes will be honored for decades to come
President Donald Trump said the actions taken on 9/11 show that America can be “a nation whose heroes are not fanatics for an abstract cause ... but the kind who race into buildings and give their lives on a Tuesday morning for strangers they’ve never met.”
“Today our country is stronger than it has ever been before,” Trump said while speaking at the Pentagon Friday morning. “It has never been as strong as it is right now. Because of that spirit, when future generations come here in 25, 100 or 250 years from now, they will stand in a nation that is free and unyielding in the face of evil. And they will still honor the heroes of 9/11/2001.”
Former U.S. presidents reflect on lessons learned from 9/11
Former President Barack Obama said that for those too young to remember the attacks, “it can be hard to imagine what 9/11 felt like. The shock of that beautiful, cloudless morning. The heartbreak of the families whose loved ones were taken with such swiftness and cruelty. The realization that the forces of malevolence and violence were closer, and the future less certain, than we knew.”
However, Obama said that “in the days that followed, we felt something else, too. Pride in the rescue workers who had rushed to the scene, and the passengers who had stormed the cockpit. Admiration for the men and women who left behind lives of comfort to serve their country. A deep resolve that nothing would break the will of a truly United States of America.”
Obama said he and his wife Michelle “hope Americans everywhere remember the true lesson of 9/11: that we can survive even our darkest days as long as we move forward as one nation and one people.”
Former President Bill Clinton also released a statement concerning the anniversary.
“Today we remember all those who lost their lives in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001; honor the courage of the first responders who risked and gave their lives to save others; and renew our commitment to all the people who have borne the pain of the attacks over the last 25 years — including the many who continue to fall ill due to their exposure to toxic materials,” Clinton said.
“We can’t erase the nightmare that so many have lived through and are still living with today, but we can support the people who have given and lost so much by treating one another with respect, in person and online, and recognizing that what we have in common is far more important than what divides us.”
“As 9/11 moves further from lived experience into history, may we always take this solemn anniversary to come together and keep alive the memories of all who were lost. We owe that to them, to their loved ones, to each other, and to future generations.”
Mayor Rudy Giuliani encourages Americans to ‘hold the line’ and ‘remember the names’
Rudy Giuliani was mayor of New York City when the attacks occurred. For the 25 year anniversary of the attacks, Giuliani released a statement expressing gratitude for those who, on that day, “transcended being human and became the only lifeline for so many.”
“Firefighters ran up the stairs while others ran down. Police officers stood their ground. Port Authority officers held the line in a complex they knew better than anyone. I have always revered these departments and the men and women who served them,” Giuliani said in a video statement. “To the NYPD, the Port Authority, the FDNY, the Coast Guard, the boat captains, the men and women of the Pentagon, the heroes of Flight 93, and every civilian who carried a stranger. Thank you. You’re not a footnote.”
To those living today, Giuliani urged them to uphold the values of freedom and liberty.
“Hold the line. Remember the names. Honor the dead by living like people who still believe this city and this country are worth defending and worth sharing the greatest nation on earth,” Giuliani said. “God bless the families to my dying day. I will hold you in my heart. God bless you and God bless the United States of America.”
Religious leaders in New York encourage ‘hope’ and ‘memory’ for 9/11 reflection
Archbishop Ronald Hicks, the Archbishop of New York, delivered a homily Thursday evening, emphasizing that “healing takes time.”
“It takes time to grieve. It takes time to say goodbye. It takes time to rebuild. It takes time to pray. It takes time to remember. And for twenty-five years, that is exactly what we have been doing,” he said.
“Healing takes time. But hope is eternal. And through these twenty-five years, we never lost hope. We never lost hope in ourselves. And we never lost hope in God.”
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the former Archbishop of New York, said 9/11 is “a day of memory” and encouraged Americans to “remember” the historic day.
“You know for people of faith, memory is a noble virtue. Memory is a duty we don’t forget,” Cardinal Dolan said. “We will never, ever forget the names, the people, what happened, and also, that we recuperated and came back stronger than ever.”
United Nations calls for renewed commitment for ‘a future free from terrorism’
The United Nations also released a statement commemorating the attacks.
“Twenty-five years ago, the heinous terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, an assault on humanity itself, claimed thousands of lives and left an enduring mark on our world,” said a spokesperson for the secretary-general.
“We pay tribute to the survivors and honour the first responders who showed extraordinary courage and humanity in the face of tragedy, many making the ultimate sacrifice,” the spokesperson said. “As we pay tribute to the victims, let us renew our shared commitment to build a future free from terrorism.”
