Families of 9/11 victims gather at Ground Zero

The families of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks once again gathered in lower Manhattan on Sunday to remember the lives lost on that fateful day 21 years ago.

Mourners were seen Sunday morning placing flags with red and blue stripes in the engraved names of the heroes who died that day 21 years ago at the memorial that now stands at the site of the former World Trade Center.

Some also carried pictures of their loved ones, with flowers in hand as they kept their remaining relatives close.

The annual ceremony was scheduled to begin at 8.30am on Sunday, with family members and friends reading off the names of the victims of the terrorist attack, which will conclude at around 12.30pm.

Six moments of silence will be observed throughout the program, commemorating when each of the World Trade Center towers was struck and collapsed, as well as the times corresponding to the subsequent attack on the Pentagon and the crash of United Airlines Flight 93.

Then on Sunday night, the annual Tribute in Light will shine over Lower Manhattan, casting an aura where the Twin Towers once stood.

Relatives of the victims looked at the 9/11 Memorial in New York City on the 21st anniversary of the terrorist attacks

A woman is seen holding a photo of a loved one killed in the terrorist attack with some flowers in her other hand

Firefighters and police officers opened the ceremony on Sunday morning

Other ceremonies are also planned throughout the country with candlelight vigils, interfaith services and other commemorations. 

Some Americans are joining in volunteer projects on a day that is federally recognized as both Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

President Joe Biden, meanwhile, plans to speak and lay a wreath at the Pentagon, while First Lady Jill Biden is scheduled to speak in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where one of the hijacked planes went down after passengers and crew members tried to storm the cockpit as the hijackers headed for Washington.

Vice President Kamala Harris and husband Doug Emhoff are also due at the National September 11 Memorial in New York, but, by tradition, no political figures speak at the Ground Zero ceremony, which centers on the victim’s families.

The annual Tribute in Light shined over Lower Manhattan on Saturday night

People sit looking over the East River to see the Tribute in Light installation marking the location of the former World Trade Center

Among those expected to be in attendance at this year’s Ground Zero ceremony is Ken Haskell, a firefighter from Long Island who was off-duty that Tuesday morning, but rushed to the scene as soon as a Boeing 747 struck the North Tower.

‘As soon as the plane hit, I knew it was a terrorist attack,’ he told FOX News.

At the same time, his brothers, Timmy and Tommy, were also rushing tot he Twin Towers from different part of the city.

The trio had wanted to follow in their father’s footsteps, as a Marine and a New York City firefighter, Haskell said.

‘We all just had an inclination to help other people,’ he explained. ‘I think that’s really what drove us to that job.’

Haskell was still driving by the time a second plane struck the South Tower at around 9am, causing the massive structure to collapse just one hour later.

By the time the North Tower fell just before 10.30am, Haskell was driving over the Manhattan Bridge and told one of his colleagues: ‘We all know someone who just died.’

But at that point, he did not know about the fate of his brothers — both of whom died as heroes trying to save lives before the towers collapsed.

Timmy’s body was discovered four days later, FOX News reports, but Tommy’s remains were never identified. 

Haskell said he now takes solace in the fact that they died doing what they loved.

‘If those planes hit again tomorrow, they would be the first guys running back in there,’ he claimed. ‘There’s no doubt in my mind.’ 

Ken Haskell, left, was off-duty on September 11 but rushed onto the scene as soon as the first plane hit the North Tower, as did his brother Tommy. They are pictured with their mother

Their other brother, Timmy (pictured) also died in the attacks as he tried to rescue those stuck inside the Twin Towers

Haskell found out later that Timmy was also off-duty on Tuesday, but rushed from his downtown Manhattan home.

He and a fellow Squad 18 firefighter immediately sped up a stairway in the North Tower to help those trapped inside.

‘They were able to get to the 30th floor and came across somebody in medical distress,’ Haskell recounted. ‘They stopped and provided first aid.’

The pair then determined they need to help the man down the stairs, so Timmy’s colleague went to check for a safe way out — but when he returned Timmy was gone.

At that point, a Port Authority police officer who arrived while he was gone informed the firefighter that Timmy went farther up the tower to help someone else.

‘He made a decision and nothing surprised me about the decision he made,’ Haskell said. ‘Someone needed help, and he was gonna do it.’

Timmy’s colleague and the officer then helped the man out of the building, which collapsed as soon as they entered the lobby — creating a force that propelled them out of the tower.

At the same time, Timmy made it up pretty high in the building.

‘That left him pretty high  in the rubble pile,’ Haskell said. ‘We found him four days later.’

First responders observed the playing of the United States national anthem as an American flag was unfurled around dawn in Arlington, Virginia on September 11, 2022

The first responders stood in the heavy rain for the annual memorial on Sunday

Haskell was actually at the scene of Ground Zero when Timmy’s body was recovered, he said.

‘I saw one of the guys from the company there, and he just had this look on his face,’ Haskell recounted. ‘I knew. I just said “Which one?”

After finding out that it was Timmy, he drove to his family’s Long Island home, where he had to deliver the bad news.

‘That was a difficult moment, having to tell [my mother],’ he told FOX, adding that she then asked for news about Tommy.

‘I said “Well, we’re still looking for him.”

He later found out that Tommy’s company Ladder 132, never made it out of the South Tower. 

They were right behind members of Ladder 113, who were able to get out, but were not as fortunate.

‘All the guys from 113 survived, and all the guys from 132, few more seconds, they possibly could have survived, but they were all lost,’ Haskell said.

He noted that as a captain, Tommy always made it a priority to be ‘mindful of everyone else’s well-being around him.

‘I knew that day he would be the last guy out, regardless of whatever the circumstance was.

In the aftermath, Tommy’s three children filled his casket with mementos — because his remains were never identified. 

‘I’m grateful to know what they did, and I’m proud of what they did,’ Haskell said of his brothers. ‘People made decisions, put themselves at risk and that’s something o be heralded.’

He added that he still misses his brothers ‘terribly,’ noting: ‘We did everything together. We did the same careers together. I cherish those memories.

‘I want to live the best life I can through their example,’ he said, adding: ‘I know I’m going to see them again. That’s what gets me through.’

A candlelight vigil in Manhattan on Friday highlighted the Ukrainians’ support and friendship to the United States on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks

Participants at the candlelight vigil held Ukrainian and American flags

Italian Senator and Federal Secretary of Lega Nord party Matteo Salvini attended an event to mark the anniversary of the September 11 attacks in Milan