Each year, as relatives of 9/11 victims gather at Ground Zero to remember their lost loved ones, a poignant phrase echoes through the air: “I never got to meet you.” This phrase encapsulates the generational shift at the heart of the memorial ceremony. While the event has always been a powerful testament to the human cost of the terror attacks, it has taken on a new dimension as children and young adults born after 9/11 now participate in reading the names of those who perished.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed when al-Qaida hijackers crashed four jetliners into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a field in southwest Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. This year’s ceremony will once again include young readers, many of whom are the children of victims whose partners were pregnant at the time of the attacks or are nieces, nephews, and grandchildren who have inherited the stories, photos, and solemn responsibility of carrying on the memory of their lost family members.
For these young people, the significance of 9/11 is not a historical event but a deeply personal and enduring narrative. Thirteen-year-old Allan Aldycki, who has been reading the names of his grandfather and others for the past two years, eloquently expresses this sentiment: “It’s like you’re passing the torch on.” Allan, who keeps mementoes of his firefighter grandfather in his room, feels a sense of connection to his grandfather through the act of remembrance. He hopes that he will have children of his own who will continue this tradition, ensuring that the memory of 9/11 lives on.
This practice of reciting the names of the dead is not unique to the Ground Zero ceremony. War memorials honor fallen military members by speaking their names aloud, and organizations across the globe commemorate significant tragedies through similar practices. The Oklahoma City National Memorial, for example, holds an annual reading of the names of those killed in the 1995 bombing of a federal building.
The 9/11 Memorial Ceremony is a powerful reminder that the impact of the attacks extends far beyond the date on which they occurred. The ceremony serves as a testament to the enduring power of memory and the importance of honoring the lives lost. For younger generations, it is an opportunity to learn about a pivotal moment in history and to understand the profound impact it continues to have on the world. The phrase “I never got to meet you,” spoken by those who never had the chance to know their lost loved ones, is a poignant reminder of the enduring legacy of 9/11 and the importance of keeping the memory alive for generations to come.
