A Quarter Century of Grief, Justice, and Unfinished Business

The morning of September 11, 2001, began like any other Tuesday in Lower Manhattan, with the sun casting long shadows between the towers of the World Trade Center and office workers settling into their daily routines. But by mid-morning, the world had irrevocably changed, as nearly three thousand innocent lives were extinguished in a coordinated terrorist attack that would forever alter the course of American history. Twenty-five years later, the families of those lost still gather at Ground Zero, their grief undiminished by the passage of time, their demand for answers and accountability as fierce as it was in those raw, smoke-filled days following the attacks. The anniversary ceremonies have become a solemn ritual, a collective acknowledgment that while the physical wounds of that day have healed, the emotional scars remain deep and permanent for those who lost loved ones in the Twin Towers, at the Pentagon, and aboard the hijacked flights.

Among those who have transformed personal tragedy into a relentless pursuit of justice is Terry Strada, whose husband Tom was working on the 104th floor of the North Tower when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the building. In the days leading up to the attack, the Strada family had been experiencing one of life’s most joyful moments—they had just brought their third child home from the hospital, a time that should have been filled with sleepless nights and newborn cuddles. Instead, Tom’s phone call from the burning tower, telling his wife he was heading toward the stairwell, would be their final conversation. In that moment, Terry Strada’s life split into before and after, and she would spend the next twenty-five years channeling her grief into a powerful advocacy that has made her a leading voice among 9/11 families demanding transparency and accountability from those who enabled the attacks.

At this year’s commemoration ceremony, marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the tragedy, Strada delivered remarks that cut through the diplomatic niceties typically associated with such solemn occasions. Her words were pointed, accusatory, and deeply personal, directed not only at the perpetrators of the attacks but at the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which she and many other victims’ families believe played a significant role in supporting the hijackers. With Vice President JD Vance seated among the dignitaries attending the ceremony in Lower Manhattan, Strada used her platform to deliver a direct message about what she perceives as decades of official obstruction and protection of Saudi interests at the expense of American victims and their families. Her speech was not merely an expression of grief but a pointed political critique that resonated with many in the audience who have long sought answers about the full extent of foreign involvement in the September 11 attacks.

The allegations against Saudi Arabia are rooted in investigations that have revealed connections between Saudi government employees and some of the hijackers in the months leading up to the attacks. According to evidence presented in ongoing litigation, two Saudi nationals employed by the kingdom’s government reportedly provided support and assistance to future al Qaeda hijackers when they first arrived in the United States in early 2000 to take flight lessons. Federal Judge George B. Daniels ruled in August of last year that there was “reasonable evidence” to support these claims, allowing a lawsuit filed by thousands of 9/11 family members and survivors to proceed against Saudi Arabia. This legal victory for the families came after years of frustration, during which they were barred from pursuing claims against a foreign sovereign nation under long-established principles of sovereign immunity that protected governments from civil litigation in American courts.

The legal landscape shifted dramatically in September 2016, when Congress enacted the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, commonly known as JASTA, which created an exception to sovereign immunity for foreign governments accused of providing material support to terrorist attacks on American soil. The legislation represented a monumental victory for the 9/11 families, who had lobbied relentlessly for years to overcome legal barriers that seemed insurmountable. However, President Barack Obama vetoed the bill, arguing that it threatened to undermine international legal norms and could expose the United States to similar lawsuits from foreign claimants. His veto was a devastating setback for the families, who saw it as yet another instance of the government prioritizing diplomatic relationships over the pursuit of justice for American victims. Congress ultimately overrode Obama’s veto by overwhelming margins in both chambers, a rare and significant rebuke of a sitting president’s position on matters of national security and foreign policy.

With the legal path cleared by JASTA, the families filed their lawsuit against Saudi Arabia in March 2017, and the case continues to wind its way through the federal court system. Saudi Arabia has consistently and categorically denied any involvement in the September 11 attacks, insisting that officials of the kingdom had no knowledge of or participation in the hijackers’ plans. The Saudi government has maintained this position for twenty-five years, despite the mounting evidence and the family members’ persistent demands for acknowledgment and accountability. For Terry Strada and other family members, the kingdom’s refusal to engage meaningfully with their allegations amounts to an ongoing betrayal, a refusal to accept responsibility for creating an environment in which anti-American extremism could flourish and in which the operatives who carried out the attacks found support and sanctuary.

Strada’s remarks at the ceremony also served as a pointed critique of successive American administrations, Republican and Democratic alike, which she accused of prioritizing diplomatic and economic relationships with Saudi Arabia over the demands of 9/11 families for truth and justice. The “administration after administration” that she criticized includes those that fought against JASTA, those that discouraged the release of classified documents related to the attacks, and those that have continued to maintain close strategic alliances with the kingdom despite allegations of Saudi complicity. Her direct appeal to Vice President Vance, urging him to carry a message back to President Trump to stand with the families and pressure the Saudis to cease their denials, underscored the frustration that many families feel about being caught between geopolitical considerations and their pursuit of accountability.

President Trump, who spoke at the Pentagon ceremony for the eleventh anniversary of the attacks, was conspicuously absent from the Ground Zero event, having delegated representation to Vice President Vance. Each president has faced choices about where to commemorate the anniversary, and Trump’s decision to speak at the Pentagon while Vance attended the New York City ceremony was notable, particularly given Strada’s direct challenge to him from the podium. Her statement that “President Trump can still change that” suggested that she views this administration as having an opportunity to distinguish itself from its predecessors by taking a harder line with Saudi Arabia and releasing any remaining classified information related to the attacks. Whether the administration will respond to this challenge remains to be seen, but Strada’s words represented a continuation of her long campaign to ensure that the memory of those lost is honored not merely with ceremonies but with concrete actions to prevent future attacks and to hold accountable all those who bore responsibility for September 11.

The broader context of the twenty-fifth anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on how the nation has processed the trauma of September 11 and the evolution of the families’ movement from personal grief to political advocacy. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, the families were largely focused on recovery and the nearly unimaginable task of identifying remains from the enormous debris field. Advances in DNA technology have allowed forensic scientists to continue identifying victims’ remains even a quarter century later, with a recent breakthrough bringing closure to a family that had waited twenty-five years for confirmation of their loved one’s fate. These technological achievements stand in stark contrast to the ongoing legal and political battles, which remain unresolved and continue to cause pain for families who feel that the full truth about the attacks has never been revealed to them.

The Commission investigating the September 11 attacks released its final report in 2004, but the families have long argued that key portions of the report were redacted and that classified intelligence documents could provide answers to remaining questions about foreign involvement. The release of thousands of pages of additional documents in recent years has provided some transparency but has fallen short of satisfying the families’ demands for complete disclosure. Strada and her allies have consistently maintained that the American people deserve to know everything that their government knows about the attacks, including any evidence of official cooperation or obstruction that may have allowed the plot to succeed. The reluctance of successive administrations to release all relevant documents has fueled speculation and suspicion that continues to undermine public confidence in the official narrative.

As the twenty-fifth anniversary has come and gone, the families of September 11 find themselves in an unusual position, simultaneously commemorating a defining event in American history while still fighting what they see as unfinished battles for justice. The grieving process for a victim of terrorism is never straightforward, and for those who lost loved ones on September 11, the legal and political battles have become intertwined with their personal grief. Each anniversary brings a renewed focus on their cause, but also a recognition that time is passing and that the generation directly affected by the attacks is aging. Twenty-five years ago, many of those who lost family members were young parents with careers and futures ahead of them; today, some are grandparents, and many have spent the majority of their adult lives engaged in the struggle for justice.

The challenge that Strada placed before the vice president and the president extends beyond the specifics of the Saudi Arabia lawsuit to encompass broader questions about how the nation remembers September 11 and what the survivors and families of victims are owed by their government. Her insistence on accountability is rooted in love for her husband and the other nearly three thousand souls who perished that day, and in a determination to ensure that their deaths were not in vain. The peaceful retail banking and investment firm executive who was a devoted husband and father has become an unlikely activist, but her transformation reflects the deep sense of responsibility that many 9/11 family members feel to continue the work of those who were taken too soon. Their persistence has changed laws, influenced public opinion, and forced uncomfortable conversations about the nature of America’s alliances in the Middle East.

Twenty-five years after that September morning when the world watched in horror as the towers fell, the physical reconstruction of the World Trade Center site stands as a testament to resilience and renewal, with the soaring skyscrapers and memorial pools drawing millions of visitors each year. The museum at Ground Zero preserves the stories of those lost, ensuring that future generations will have the opportunity to understand what happened and why it changed the course of American life. But beneath the polished surfaces and somber exhibits lies an unresolved wound, a persistent sense among many families that the full story has not been told and that justice has not been fully served. The legal case against Saudi Arabia continues, and the families remain vigilant, monitoring any new developments and pressing for any additional information that might come to light. Terry Strada’s remarks at the twenty-fifth anniversary ceremony were not merely an expression of anger but a declaration that the families’ work is not complete, and that they will not be silenced or placated until they receive the truth they have sought for a quarter of a century.