At Chavis Park in Raleigh, Gov. Josh Stein reflected on the unity many Americans felt in the days following the attacks.
"We cannot forget our feelings that day. We cannot forget the feelings the days after when we came together as a country," Stein said.
Dozens gathered at the park to remember the victims and first responders who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. Among them was Raleigh Fire Department Lt. James Jones, who said he was serving with a volunteer fire department when the attacks occurred.
"I was actually at a volunteer fire department when 9/11 happened," Jones said.
Jones said witnessing the tragedy inspired him to pursue a career as a full-time firefighter.
"Really touching. Being in the volunteer setting, it put me in the mindset of, 'I have to do something for my country,'" he said.
Now, 25 years later, Jones said he continues to find purpose in serving others.
"I look back 25 years later, I'm doing it, touching lives on a daily basis. It's heartfelt," he said.
At Duke University, the chapel bell rang four times across West Campus to honor the victims and mark key moments in the attacks.
"Every undergraduate student almost probably that we have here wasn't born," said Lyn Pace of Duke University. "We're trying to keep that collective memory alive, and we're doing that with the tolling of the bell today."
Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks, including six Duke alumni and hundreds of first responders.
"They were people who had families waiting for them. They were people who had served together for years," Apex Fire Chief Tim Herman said. "They were not numbers.
Members of companies. Brothers and sisters. Mothers and fathers. Sons and daughters."
Stair Climb at Kenan Stadium
Hundreds of people gathered at Kenan Stadium on Friday morning to honor the first responders who died during the Sept. 11 attacks by climbing the equivalent of 110 floors, the height of the World Trade Center towers.
The annual stair climb marked 25 years since the attacks. Organizers said the event gives younger generations a chance to better understand the sacrifice made by first responders by physically retracing the climb many firefighters undertook that day.
Participants began the climb at 6 a.m., ascending the equivalent of 110 stories at the stadium. Local firefighters joined the event in full turnout gear to honor those who were lost.
"And you know that that memory never leaves, never fades, even though it's been 25 years," one participant said.
The climb commemorates the first responders who entered the World Trade Center towers in an effort to save lives and ultimately lost their own.
Local firefighters said wearing full gear during the climb was a way to mirror the conditions faced by firefighters on Sept. 11.
"That's how the firefighters went up the towers so we thought we'd train the same. And pay respects," a Chapel Hill firefighter said.
For many younger participants, the events of Sept. 11 are known only through stories passed down by family members and public commemorations.
Volunteers mark 9/11 with Day of Service
Thousands of volunteers in Raleigh gathered Thursday for a day of service marking 25 years since the September 11th attacks, packing meals for families in need.
The event, held at NC State, was part of 9/11 Day's inaugural meal-packing effort in Raleigh. Roughly 1,000 volunteers gathered to pack an estimated 226,000 meals.
For volunteer Denis Kelly, the effort was a way to honor those affected by the attacks through service.
"Honoring them in this process is critically important. It's the least we can do to contribute, to participate in an event like this," Kelly said.
Kelly, a longtime Raleigh security executive, said the day was also about remembering the meaning of September 11th while looking toward the future.
"You often hear the saying don't forget. And it's critically important that we never forget what this day represents, but also to remember what it represents going forward for all of us. To protect everything that we have, and work so hard," Kelly said.
The meals packed at the event will be distributed by the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.
9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum
As the nation marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the Fayetteville/Fort Bragg military community gathered Friday morning to reflect on the tragedy's lasting impact and honor the lives lost.
Local leaders, soldiers, first responders and community members gathered at the U.S. Army Airborne & Special Operations Museum for a solemn remembrance ceremony, featuring moments of silence, the national anthem, an All-American band, and a wreath-laying to pay tribute to 2,977 people killed on 9/11.
"America really came together during a time when so many people lost so much," said Krystal Huff, who attended the event.
Lieutenant General Gregory Anderson, commanding general of the XVIII Airborne Corps, addressed the crowd, recalling how the attacks transformed the meaning of military service for a generation.
"For those of us in uniform, September 11th was a defining moment. A moment when the oath we swore to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, took on an urgent meaning," Anderson said.
For Chief William Lehmann, now chief of emergency medical services at Fort Bragg and a survivor of the attacks, the memories remain vivid.
Lehmann, then a paramedic with the New York City Fire Department, still mourns the loss of friends and colleagues.
"It's still like yesterday. Um, I call out the names of the friends who I knew directly. Um, I have a lot of memories of the days leading up to and hanging out with friends who didn't survive that day," Lehmann said.
He emphasized the importance of remembering the heroism and sacrifice witnessed that day. "It's living history. And we need to take advantage of some of these absolutely incredible heroes that were there that day and did incredible things so that the newest generations have somebody to look up to and emulate."
The museum also unveiled the " Remembering 9/11: From Ground Zero to Abbey Gate" exhibit, featuring artifacts such as a steel truss from the World Trade Center, a limestone fragment from the Pentagon, and history panels tracing the journey from the attacks to the U.S. military's withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
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