25 years on, America seeks to keep 9/11 memories alive

NEW YORK - A quarter century after the era-defining attacks of September 11, the United States is eager to keep alive the memory of a 2001 trauma that is fading as the proportion of Americans who did not experience it firsthand grows. President Donald Trump will pay his respects at the Pentagon rather than in New York, where the attacks by hijacked passenger planes on the World Trade Center towers claimed the largest number of the 2,977 total victims recorded on that day. But Vice President JD Vance and Trump's four living predecessors -- Democrats Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as Republican George Bush, who was president at the time of the attacks -- are all expected at the "Ground Zero" site in lower Manhattan next Friday. The anniversary commemorates a watershed moment for the US and the world. "Many in my generation remember exactly where we were on that horrific day" in 2001, said Beth Hillman, 59, president of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and a US Air Force veteran. Yet today, "100 million Americans were not even born or are too young to remember" the tragic events. - 'More inquisitive' young people - After placing major emphasis on the duty to remember, her institution is now focusing on outreach, education and engaging younger generations. Trained volunteers, including first responders, connect with audiences who have learned of the disaster solely through their parents or school. "Even if you were alive but not here or have a connection, it's a lot easier to understand the magnitude of what took place," Logan Miller, a 32-year-old who lost an uncle and a grandfather as a result of the attacks, told AFP. Making sense of 9/11 is "a little tougher for that next generation," he added.