NYC marks 21st anniversary of 9/11 attacks

NEW YORK - On Sunday, New York City is marking the 21st anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Even now, two decades after that horrible day in American history, visitors still come to Ground Zero to pay their respects and leave flowers and messages to loved ones they will not forget. 

And as families gather to remember those we lost, members of the New York City Fire Department say they want to remind people that many first responders who survived the terror attacks got sick in the years that followed. 

"The effects of 9/11 are still going on to our membership. They never seem to end," said Andrew Ansbro, President of the Uniformed Firefighters Association. 

Ansbro said that they have to fight every year for funding to make sure medical bills are covered for the heroes of 9/11, money he says will run out once again in 2025.

As is tradition, bells will ring Sunday morning at the exact moment the hijacked planes hit the North and South towers. Relatives of those killed will again read the names of their loved ones aloud, and once again the Tribute in Light will shine up into the sky from the place the Twin Towers once stood.