9/11 25th anniversary live updates: Families to gather for ceremonies at World Trade Center, Pentagon, Shanksville

When American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the Pentagon, FBI Special Agent Jeffrey Miller rushed to the scene, spending weeks on site recovering evidence from the burned wreckage.

Now, two and a half decades later, he is one of the many FBI agents that are suffering from the long-lasting effects of that day.

So far more than 30 FBI personnel have died from cancer or other illnesses the FBI says are related to exposure to toxic material at the 9/11 sites. Miller says he personally knows at least a dozen of them.

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Chef Don Pintabona spent years cooking up the finest dishes for celebrities, Wall Street brokers and other VIPs at the Tribeca Grill in downtown Manhattan, but nothing could have prepared him and the rest of the city's restaurant community for their biggest job.

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Meet the chefs who kept Ground Zero workers fueled after the 9/11 attacksIn the weeks after the World Trade Center was destroyed, city chefs and thousands of New Yorkers banded together to help feed Ground Zero workers around the clock.

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In the hours after the World Trade Center was attacked and destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001, Pintabona said he and many other chefs, caters, food service workers and others all yearned to help the city in some capacity with their skills, but didn't immediately know how.

But through quick thinking, organizing and the generosity of thousands of New Yorkers, Pintabona and the other restaurant members put together a massive operation that fed Ground Zero workers around the clock for two months after the attacks.

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Jack Moran Jr. spoke with ABC News Live about the legacy of his friend Welles Crowther, a 9/11 hero who has been dubbed the "man in the red bandana.”

“He saved the lives of 18 people -- he’s a hero,” Moran said. “And it’s very important to know his story.”

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Friends and family honor the legacy of 9/11 hero Welles CrowtherWelles Crowther, dubbed the "man in the red bandana," is remembered by his friend Jack Moran Jr. for his courageous acts on September 11.

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A one-hour ABC News special called "9/11 Tribute in Light: Live from Lower Manhattan" will premiere at 8 p.m. on Friday, led by "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir, "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts and anchor Diane Sawyer.

The special, produced in collaboration with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, honors the victims, victims’ families, survivors and first responders.

You can watch the special on ABC, Disney+, Hulu, National Geographic, ABC Owned Television Stations livestreams and ABC News Live.