Devastating 9/11 footage is being 'witnessed for first time' by generation unable to comprehend the attacks

New York vowed to 'never forget' the horrors of 9/11 - and campaigners say it is just as important to ensure that younger generations can truly comprehend the magnitude of the terrorist attack.

Those who were born after September 2001 will struggle to fathom just how much of an impact the event had on the world, despite the trove of footage documenting the disaster.

Amid the circulation of various videos showing the two planes striking the Twin Towers, it's believed that youngsters without a personal recollection of it must struggle to grasp how pivotal this moment in time was.

The landscape of the world changed forever in wake of the devastating attacks on the World Trade Center, but those who didn't live through it will struggle to understand the difference.

They were born when the US had already launched the global war on terror, in an era where the fear of terrorist attacks had already become a part of everyday life.

On the other hand, the generation who lived through 9/11 remember that this wasn't always the case.

A host of previously unseen footage of the incident has been circulating as the 25th anniversary of the tragedy nears, and for some, its the first time they are witnessing exactly what transpired.

One particular horrifying clip that was shot by reporter John Del Giorno, who had a bird's-eye view of the September 11 attacks while in a helicopter, has been circulating on social media.

He was up in the air after the first plane hit the North Tower and watched on in horror as the second headed straight for the South Tower

Describing the moment, Del Giorno told Eyewitness News in 2022: "I turned the camera, pointed it in that direction, reached down to press play and record on the old deck, looked at my monitor - and the fireball was there.

"It started to process immediately...we knew at that point that a second airplane had hit the World Trade Center. I was in shock for a second."

The moment is scorched into his memory, and the same goes for the thousands of people who witnessed it firsthand on that fateful day - but a host of people are only just seeing this angle for the first time.

In a post on X, one person said it 'sent chills down their spine', while another added: "I have never saw this video. How horrific."

A third said: "Omg. I have never seen this footage before."

This is why Peter Rosengard, who launched the educational charity SINCE 9/11 in wake of the attacks, is on a mission to ensure those who didn't see it firsthand truly understand the significance of what happened.

"Whilst we all remember exactly where we were on 9/11, no child at school today was even born," he told Jewish News.

"Many of their teachers were children themselves. It is vital we educate them about what happened.

"Some hoped 9/11 was so horrific it would wake up the world to the pointlessness and pain of terrorism. But international terrorism has increased.

"There is a greater need than ever to build understanding amongst young people that violence and terror never solve the world’s problems."

SINCE 9/11 hosts workshops to discuss extremism, conspiracy theories and racism with youngsters, while providing schools with free resources to inform pupils about 9/11.

Paul Renfro, a history professor at Florida State University, explained that although kids can understand the aftermath of 9/11, it's difficult for them to grasp the gravity of the attacks that they didn't witness themselves.

"They do comprehend what the global war on terror has done; that’s something that has impacted their lives," he said. "As a single day, 9/11 is not something they’re going to be entirely familiar with."

Dr Billy Wooten of the Middle Georgia State University shares a similar opinion, and suggested the onus is on older generations to ensure the world never forgets 9/11.

"I think those of us who experienced 9/11 in real-time have a sacred obligation to educate younger generations on how the events created effects they still live with today," he said during a 2024 Q&A.

"We have a certain epistemic privilege because we are able to provide unique firsthand perspectives that offer more comprehensive and critical insights into the social conditions that exist today because of 9/11.

"Does a teenager know why they have to take their shoes off at the TSA checkpoint, or why they cannot carry liquids or knives on a plane? The war on terror impacted the national debt, which affects that teenager.

"As the memories of 9/11 become more distant, younger generations will not know the emotions we felt as we watched the planes hit in real time. They will not know what it was like seeing on live TV the body of the first known casualty of the rescue efforts, Father Judge, being carried from the debris. We must keep these memories alive and truly never forget."