Rescue dogs and first responders mark 9/11's 25th anniversary

As the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaches, the trauma and legacy of the attacks remain visible in personal stories, photography, public remembrance and continuing national-security concerns. More than 300 specially trained rescue dogs searched the World Trade Center and Pentagon sites, finding 20 survivors before teams shifted to recovering human remains; cadaver teams later helped recover more than 21,000 remains. The NYPD is honoring officers killed at the World Trade Center while emphasizing that rescue and recovery work caused lasting health consequences, including deaths from related illnesses and disabilities among survivors. First responders, former Secret Service personnel, national-security experts, families and victims’ advocates—including former 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund administrator Ken Feinberg—describe the attacks’ effects on their careers, grief, healing and efforts to support victims’ families. Memorials and exhibits are also honoring search-and-rescue dogs and their handlers, documenting New York in the week after the attacks, and revisiting the attacks’ effects on fashion and American public life. Together, these accounts remember the devastation caused by Islamist extremists while rejecting collective blame against Muslims and highlighting the solidarity and sacrifice of rescuers, families, animals and communities.