DRACUT, MASS. (WHDH) - Ceremonies throughout New England will honor the memory of September 11, 2001 as the nation marks 25 years since that world-altering day.
In Dracut, residents will pay tribute to the pilot of one of the hijacked planes.
Dracut native John Ogonowski was in the cockpit of American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to strike the World Trade Center. Today, the fire department will hold a ceremony at the town’s 9/11 memorial, which stands on the land he grew up on.
In Boston, the State House is lit in red, white, and blue ahead of Friday morning ceremonies. Governor Maura Healey will preside over the annual moment of silence and the reading of the names of those who died.
Family members will also participate.
The moment of silence will take place at 8:46 a.m., the time the first plane was flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
Following that ceremony, the House Chamber will present the Amy Sweeney Award for civilian bravery. Sweeney, an Acton native and flight attendant on Flight 11, provided critical information to Logan Airport about the hijackers before losing her life.
This afternoon, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu will preside over the annual wreath-laying in the Boston Public Garden at 1 p.m.
The St. Francis church, where John Ogonowski was a parishioner, is also collecting Blessing Bags of food in his honor.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)