U.S. Embassy Honors 2,977 September 11 Victims | News

The United States Embassy near Monrovia has honored the 2,977 people killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, marking the 25th anniversary of the tragedy with a solemn ceremony and a symbolic 2,977-step walk in their memory.

The commemoration, held Thursday morning, September 11, 2026, brought together embassy staff, guests and partners to remember the victims, honor first responders and reflect on an attack that fundamentally changed the United States and had far-reaching consequences around the world.

U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Joe Zadrozny led the ceremony, describing September 11, 2001 as a moment when “the world shifted in an instant.”

“What began as a bright September morning transformed into a day of unprecedented tragedy,” Zadrozny said.

He said the anniversary provided an opportunity to remember the 2,977 innocent civilians, first responders and service members who lost their lives at the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Virginia and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum records that the victims came from 90 countries. Of the 2,977 people killed, 2,753 died in New York, 184 at the Pentagon and 40 aboard United Airlines Flight 93.

The September 11 attacks began on the morning of September 11, 2001, when 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger aircraft traveling from the U.S. East Coast toward California.

Two of the aircraft were deliberately flown into the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers in Lower Manhattan. A third aircraft struck the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, just outside Washington, D.C. The fourth plane, United Flight 93, crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew attempted to regain control of the aircraft.

The attacks killed thousands of people and caused the collapse of both World Trade Center towers, destroying a major symbol of America’s financial and commercial power.

The fourth aircraft never reached its intended target.

According to historical accounts, passengers and crew aboard Flight 93 learned through telephone calls that other hijacked aircraft had struck targets and attempted to storm the cockpit. The plane ultimately crashed in Pennsylvania, killing everyone aboard but preventing the hijackers from reaching their intended destination.

The attacks became the deadliest terrorist assault in U.S. history and ushered in a period of profound changes in American foreign policy, national security, aviation security and international counterterrorism efforts.

The United States subsequently launched its campaign against al-Qaeda and the Taliban government in Afghanistan, beginning what became known as the broader War on Terror.

At the Monrovia ceremony, however, the focus was not solely on the geopolitical consequences of September 11.

Zadrozny placed particular emphasis on the human cost of the attacks, paying tribute to the firefighters, police officers, emergency medical personnel and other first responders who entered burning buildings and other dangerous areas in an effort to save lives.

Many emergency workers never returned home.

Thousands of people also survived the attacks but were exposed to hazardous conditions during rescue, recovery and cleanup operations at the World Trade Center site. The 9/11 Memorial continues to recognize the long-term sacrifices and illnesses associated with the rescue and recovery effort.

Zadrozny also remembered the families, friends and colleagues who lost loved ones and whose grief, he said, continues a quarter century later.

The National September 11 Memorial in New York now bears the names of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks, creating a permanent record of the individual lives behind the number.

While the ceremony focused on the victims, it also highlighted the solidarity Liberia demonstrated toward the United States in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.

Zadrozny recalled that the Liberian government organized an intercessory service and declared three days of national mourning for the victims of September 11.

He noted that at least one Liberian citizen was among those killed in the attacks.

“Our Liberian hosts and international partners stood together with the United States in our grief, reminding us that we do not stand alone,” Zadrozny said.

He described that solidarity as an enduring element of the relationship between the two countries, saying it “remains a cornerstone of our work together today.”

The gesture was particularly significant because September 11 was not only an American tragedy. The victims came from dozens of countries and represented different nationalities, professions, faiths and backgrounds. The international composition of those killed helped make the attacks a global tragedy as well as a defining moment in U.S. history.

As part of Thursday’s commemoration, the embassy organized a symbolic walk of approximately 2,977 steps—one step for every person killed in the attacks.

With the American flag flying at half-staff over the embassy compound, participants began the walk at 9:03 a.m., the time corresponding to the impact of American Airlines Flight 175 into the World Trade Center’s South Tower.

Participants departed from the embassy flagpole, exited through the main gate and continued around the compound along UN Drive and Benson Street before returning to the embassy.

The walk transformed the number 2,977 from a statistic into a physical act of remembrance.

Each step represented an individual life lost on a morning that began like any other but rapidly became one of the defining tragedies of the 21st century.

The commemoration concluded with participants gathering at the embassy for coffee and refreshments.

For Zadrozny, the 25th anniversary was not simply an occasion to look backward.

He called on participants to carry forward the values demonstrated in the aftermath of the attacks, particularly resilience, public service and unity.

The annual September 11 observances held by U.S. diplomatic missions and communities around the world reflect the continuing effort to ensure that the victims are remembered not merely as a number, but as individuals whose lives, families and contributions were permanently altered by the events of that day.

Twenty-five years later, the names of the 2,977 victims remain at the center of the remembrance.

And in Monrovia, the U.S. Embassy’s symbolic 2,977-step walk served as a reminder that behind the history of September 11 are thousands of individual lives—and a tragedy whose impact continues to shape the United States and its relationships with the wider world.