Americans marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks Friday, remembering nearly 3,000 lives lost and the sweeping consequences of al-Qaida's assault on the symbols of U.S. power and prosperity.
Friday's milestone anniversary will bring memorial rituals – wreath-laying, flag-flying, moments of silence, vigils and readings of victims' names – and volunteer projects in tribute to a day that about half of U.S. adults remember as the most historic event of their lifetime, according to a new poll .
For others it's an occasion for private reflection – or, in many schools, education – about the attack that unfolded in a single morning but left nearly 3,000 dead and a decadeslong trail of aftermath, from personal grief to far-flung wars.
Police Officer Casey Kloepfer plans to spend time Friday at the Brooklyn station house where his father, Officer Ronald Kloepfer, reported to work that day before being called to the World Trade Center. He didn't make it home.
Casey Kloepfer was only 4, but he grew up hearing about his father's affinity for helping people and for a job that enabled him to do so. He became an officer this past June.
