9/11 Remembrance Day

9/11 Remembrance Day

Reported By RET C.Brock September 11, 2021

Image credit: SGT. Rodney Roldan, 99th Readiness Division

Today the free world marks 9/11 Remembrance Day, commemorating the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Known in the United States as Patriot Day, it is a national day of mourning, patriotism, and service.

Twenty years ago, 2,983 people died in the attacks, with thousands more injured, widowed, and orphaned.

The footage of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 flying into the World Trade Center towers shocked and grieved Americans everywhere. The further news of American Airlines Flight 77 and United Airlines Flight 93 hitting the Pentagon and crashing in Shanksville, Pennsylvania deepened the horror of that morning.

But out of that horror came a desire to unite as a nation, and to serve.

Towns, cities, community organizations, businesses, and others did what they could to help. From helping to search the rubble of World Trade Center for survivors, to raising funds for victims, Americans worked together for the common good.

In the aftermath of the attacks, intelligence agencies worldwide quickly implicated al Qaeda as the group responsible. Realizing that war was inevitable, thousands of men and women volunteered for military service.

The nation also began to rebuild. Repairs to the Pentagon were completed within a year. In the years to follow, the World Trade Center underwent a renaissance, with a new tower now standing in lower Manhattan.

The event impacted the psyche of millions, setting the tone for a generation. Although two decades have passed, for many, it is impossible to forget.

Countless thousands of communities and organizations hold ceremonies annually, observing a moment of silence at 0846, the time of the first attack against the World Trade Center towers. Flags are flown at half-mast at Federal buildings and elsewhere.

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum will broadcast a livestream of its 20th anniversary 9/11 Commemoration ceremony beginning at 0840. Visit https://www.911memorial.org/live to view the stream.