For families across Maryland, Thursday marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks — a day of public remembrance elsewhere, and a private reckoning for those who continue to carry the loss of loved ones.
Personal memorials in public places
At the Garden of Hope in Centennial Park South, descendants and relatives of victims paused at plaques and benches that bear names and short remembrances. One of those remembered is Navy Lt. Darin Pontell, who was killed at age 26 when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon. His name is inscribed on a plaque attached to a bench in the garden.
Relatives described rituals small enough to be private — visits to a bench, placing flowers, or pausing for a moment of silence — but large in their meaning. Those routines, family members said, serve as anchors amid the passage of time and the steady accumulation of other life events.
Grief and the slow work of healing
While public ceremonies and national broadcasts mark the anniversary, the work of grief in Maryland has largely taken place in neighborhoods, houses of worship and small memorial sites. People who lost family members that day have described grief as something that resurfaces on anniversaries, at family gatherings and when children mark new milestones without a parent or grandparent.
For many families, the rituals that keep loved ones present range from preserving keepsakes to annual visits to local memorials. Those customs, whether observed by a handful of relatives or by extended community members, create continuity between past and present.
Local memorial sites and their roles
Maryland's landscape of remembrance includes public spaces that allow families and neighbors to gather, reflect and leave tokens of memory. These spots also serve as focal points for community understanding of the broader national tragedy.
| Site | Description |
|---|---|
| Garden of Hope, Centennial Park South | Contains plaques and benches honoring victims; a place for private reflection and small gatherings. |
How families keep memories alive
The ways families remember vary, but common themes emerge: continuity of story, preservation of physical reminders and shared meals or prayers on the anniversary. These practices are not only about honoring those who died, but also about maintaining family identity and passing memories to younger generations who may have been born after 2001.
- Visiting local memorials and grave sites.
- Keeping mementos or plaques in places of honor at home.
- Observing quiet rituals — a moment of silence, a prayer, or sharing stories about the person lost.
Relatives say such actions offer a measure of comfort even as the pain of absence remains. The rituals are both practical and symbolic: they structure the day, create opportunities for storytelling, and help younger family members understand who is being remembered.
Anniversary amid broader reflection
National attention around the 25th anniversary prompted large-scale ceremonies and media coverage, but in Maryland the emphasis for many families was quieter. They used the day to reflect on the arc of their lives since 2001 and on how daily routines have been reshaped by loss.
For those who lost relatives at the Pentagon, the presence of a named plaque or bench at a local memorial is an enduring public marker of a private loss. Even as communities mark the historical significance of Sept. 11, the individual stories of grief and resilience remain central to how Marylanders observe the day.
As years pass, the rituals that survivors carry forward — small, persistent acts of remembrance — continue to bind family members to those they lost and to one another. For many, that continuity is the defining response to a day that changed countless lives.
