Every year, family members speak aloud the names of the victims who perished that day.

Even though it’s been 18 years, nearly anyone who remembers that day will tell you how vividly they remember the events that unfolded. In Lower Manhattan, security is tight as they prepare for friends and family who will arrive to remember their loved ones who died that fateful day.

The names of those aboard who perished on Flight 93, The World Trade Centers and The Pentagon will be read aloud, one by one. The total casualties amount to nearly 3,000 men, women and children. The names of those killed in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing will also be heard.

The solemn ceremony is set to pause six times: twice for when each plane hit the Twin Towers, twice for when each tower fell, and twice for the attacks on The Pentagon and on Flight 93.

The first moment of silence is at 8:46 AM, when the first plane struck the World Trade Center’s North Tower. During this time, houses of worship will toll their bells. Also present will be an honor guard, made up of members of the FDNY, NYPD and Port Authority Police Department.

Even though it’s been nearly two decades since the attacks happened, remains of those who perished are still being identified to this day. Officials say two-thirds of all World Trade Center responders have at least one certified 9/11-related health condition.

After a battle on Capitol Hill, the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund passed through 2092 this summer. 53-year-old Luis Alvarez, a retired NYPD bomb squad detective who died earlier this year, was a major proponent of this bill.

“We were at 204 just in the FDNY alone and the NYPD is at 241, so I mean the number of first responders that have died post 9/11 is greater,” said Bobby Eustace of the Uniformed Firefighters Association.

The Tribute in Light will return this evening. The illuminated spirit of the Twin Towers remind us of everyone who was lost that day. This includes people who were going to work just as they had any other day, the first responders who ran inside as others were running away from the danger, the final calls made to loved ones.

Though the area is now redeveloped and booming once again, the reflecting pools are a reminder of what once stood at Ground Zero.

Never forget.