The Children of 9/11

For nearly two decades, PEOPLE has documented the journey of children whose fathers died on 9/11, before they were born, from newborns in their mother's arms through their teen years. (At right, a 2002 PEOPLE cover featuring 31 moms and babies left behind.)

Now as they come of age, four of these young adults share their next chapter in a new documentary, Rebuilding Hope: The Children of 9/11. Produced by Talos Films in association with PEOPLE and directed by Ellen Goosenberg Kent, the film will stream on discovery+ beginning Sept 7.



Born into history, the teens in the documentary — Jamie Gartenberg Pila, Gabi Jacobs-Dick, Alexa Smagala and Ronald Milam Jr. — have a knowingness about the fragility of life.

Twenty years after he narrowly escaped the World Trade Center's South Tower, Timothy Frolich is going back to ground zero for the first time to mark the anniversary of the deadliest attack on U.S. soil.

Frolich's visit to the site isn't just about commemorating the day that transformed his life and the lives many other Americans. He hopes it will also be about what's next: the likely release of new details about Saudi Arabia's alleged role in the attacks – information the U.S. government has fought for years to keep secret.

Under pressure from 9/11 victims and their families, President Joe Biden on Sept. 3 directed the Justice Department and other federal agencies to declassify some documents from the FBI's investigation into the terrorist attacks.

Terry Strada, whose husband was killed in the North Tower on Sept. 11, hailed Biden's order as a potential "turning point" in the victims' efforts to shed light on whether and how Saudi government officials may have supported the hijackers.

"The 9/11 families certainly should know the truth about who is responsible for the murder of our loved ones, but the American people deserve to know ... just as much as we do," said Strada, who is among hundreds of 9/11 families suing the Saudi government for compensation.

"We've had roadblocks for the last 20 years whenever the kingdom was involved. It’s time we expose the truth," she said.

The Saudi government has long denied any involvement in the attacks and recently said it welcomes Biden's declassification decision.

"Any allegation that Saudi Arabia is complicit in the September 11 attacks is categorically false," the embassy said in a Sept. 8 statement. "Saudi Arabia knows all too well the evil that al-Qaeda through its ideology and actions represents ... Alongside the U.S., the kingdom has spared no effort in tackling the men, money, and mindset of terrorism and extremism in all its forms."