NEW YORK — Today marks 23 years since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, changed New York City and the rest of the country forever.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed when Al Qaeda hijackers crashed four jets into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and a field in southwestern Pennsylvania.

On this day every morning for the past 23 years, families who lost loved ones during the worst terrorist attack on American soil, make the solemn procession to observe the six moments of silence, hear the reading of the names and fulfill a sacred promise never to be forgotten.

As the years pass, more and more names are read by children and young adults born after the attacks – as an older generation passes on the heavy responsibility to remember this day to a new generation.

“Twenty-three years is about 23 seconds. On September 11th, my brother disappeared, but this place has become my shrine,” a man on stage said. “This ceremony is essential because that day he disappeared, but when I come here and I say his name out loud, and you hear his name, he will never, ever go away.”

“I have sunflowers every year, not only because they remind me of my Uncle Richie, but also because in times of deep darkness they are always looking for light,” said one woman.

Watch the solemn commemoration at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum live on CBS News New York in the video player above.

9/11 moments of silence

Wednesday’s ceremony commemorates the 2,983 victims who died in the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, Flight 93 in 2001 and the WTC bombing in 1993.

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum opened to family members at 8:00 a.m., before the commemoration began at 8:46 a.m.

A moment of silence was held throughout the city. 08:46 am to mark the moment hijacked Flight 11 hit the North Tower. A second moment of silence was held at 09:03 am to indicate that hijacked Flight 175 hit the South Tower.

There was another moment of silence 09:37 amthe event that occurred when hijacked Flight 77 hit the Pentagon.

A moment of silence was held 09:59 am to indicate when the south tower fell, when 10:03 am to mark when hijacked Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and subsequently at 10:28 am to indicate when the North Tower collapsed.

The ceremony concluded around 12:45 p.m.

US leaders vow to ‘never forget’

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were present at the ceremony in Lower Manhattan, along with former President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance.

New York leaders including Sen. Chuck Schumer, Gov. Kathy Hochul and former mayors Bill de Blasio, Michael Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani were also seen in the crowd, as was New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

Both Biden and Harris released statements ahead of the event, reiterating their call to “never forget.”

“Never forget each of the 2,977 precious lives taken when terrorists attacked our country,” Biden wrote. “Never forget their families who still bear the grief of that blazing September morning. Never forget the heroic civilians and survivors who rushed to help their fellow Americans. And never forget that when faced with evil — and an enemy that sought to tear us apart — we persevered.”

“Today is a day of solemn remembrance as we mourn the souls lost in a horrific terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. We stand in solidarity with their families and loved ones. We also honor the extraordinary heroism shown on that fateful day by ordinary Americans who stood by their fellow Americans. We will never forget it,” Harris said in her statement.

The White House said the president and vice president… also visit the 9/11 sites in Shanksville, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.

Remembering 9/11 in the Tri-State Area

Memorial services were held throughout New York and New Jersey to commemorate the somber morning.

On Long Island, a ceremony was held at Point Lookout to honor the nearly 500 residents who died on September 11 and the first responders who later died of cancer from the days of recovery and months of cleanup. Leaders noted that the crowd for the event never dwindles.

“We’ve had this ceremony on this beach and it’s gotten bigger and bigger every year. People love to come here to reflect, to be together and to remember,” said Donald Clavin, Hempstead Town Supervisor.

“I lost my husband, Ronny, on 9/11. It’s tough,” said resident Carol Gies. “He was a member of Squad 288 in Maspeth, Queens. His firehouse lost the most men in the entire department.”

In Jersey City, a ceremony at the 9/11 memorial along the Hudson River also honored the 39 residents who died in the attacks. The city’s waterfront became a triage center for those fleeing Manhattan on ferries that day, including current Mayor Steven Fulop, who later joined the Marine Corps and was deployed to Iraq.

“The crowd that comes is getting smaller every year and further away from people’s minds… Younger people don’t have that same proximity, because many of the younger people, even some who work for the city, weren’t alive yet,” Fulop said Wednesday, adding: “It’s something we’re going to try to increase.”

In all, more than 700 New Jerseyans were killed on September 11. Dozens of loved ones gathered Wednesday to honor the dead, many throwing flowers into the river as the names were read.

“It was surreal, just a surreal experience then, and 23 years later it still feels surreal,” said Barbara Smith, whose best friend was killed in the North Tower. “I worked on Water Street, and when the first plane hit, none of us really understood what was happening. One woman who had been in the ’93 attack knew right away it was a terrorist attack, but most of us didn’t really believe it until the second plane hit.”

Street closures for 9/11 ceremony

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum is located in the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan.

Motorists should take into account the following street closures in the area:

• Areas bounded by Barclay Street to the north; Rector Street to the south; Broadway to the east; West Street to the west (All Inclusive)
• Liberty Street between West Street and South End Avenue
• Albany Street between West Street and South End Avenue
• West Thames Street between West Street and South End Avenue
• South End Avenue between Liberty Street and West Thames Street
• Battery Place between West Thames Street and 3rd Place
• 3rd place between Battery Place and Little West Street
• Little West Street between 3rd Place and Battery Place

This is happening at the same time as the United Nations General Assembly, which which also leads to road closures and delays on the east side of Manhattan.