History of 9/11, Twenty-four Years Ago: Patriot Day
Heroes USA 2001 stamp. Image: Smithsonian National Postal Museum
HISTORY OF PATRIOT DAY: 9/11 Twenty-four Years Ago
Podcast
On 9/11 September 11, 2001, twenty-four years ago, more Americans were killed on American soil in one day than in any attack since Pearl Harbor in 1941. A series of terrorist airplane hijacking attacks occurred in New York City, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon… and the world changed. As the events of December 7, 1941, led to war, so too did the events of September 11, 2001.
Flight paths on September 11, 2001. Image: Britannica
The memories of this one day in history were captured in the hearts of millions of Americans and people worldwide.
Some of these memories are preserved in the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York City, which opened over a decade ago on the 10th anniversary of the attacks.
Americans were united against a common external enemy over two decades ago. Everyone identified with the citizens of New York, and FDNY caps and t-shirts became popular, and people said, “We’re all New Yorkers.” For one brief shining moment, we were unified as a community.
Creation of Patriot Day
With the following words, President George W. Bush designated September 11 to be regarded as Patriot Day or America Remembers:
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation:
On this first observance of Patriot Day, we remember and honor those who perished in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. We will not forget the events of that terrible morning nor will we forget how Americans responded in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in the skies over Pennsylvania — with heroism and selflessness; with compassion and courage; and with prayer and hope.
We will always remember our collective obligation to ensure that justice is done, that freedom prevails, and that the principles upon which our Nation was founded endure.
The President inaugurated this observance on September 4, 2002, and repeated it the following year, following a joint resolution approved on December 18, 2001, along with the U.S. Congress, intending that it be firmly planted into the consciousness of the American people and each year recalled to our memory:
“that more than 3,000 innocent people lost their lives when a calm September morning was shattered by terrorists driven by hatred and destruction.”
New York Times, the day after. New York Times
9/11 Tribute in Light
Each year on September 11, New York City honors the lives lost with the powerful Tribute in Light – using two beams of light rising from Lower Manhattan. It is visible up to 60 miles away.
9/11 Tribute in Light, New York City
Consisting of eighty-eight 7,000-watt xenon vertical searchlights arranged in two columns of light to represent the original Twin Towers, this tradition began in 2002, only months after the attacks, and has become an enduring symbol of remembrance, resilience, and hope. The lights shine from sunset to sunrise, reminding the world of the strength and unity that followed one of the darkest days in American history.
Remembering 9/11
Will we remember 9/11? A recent Pew Research poll indicates that less than half of those 25 years old or younger have a memory of the events of 9/11. Perhaps that’s to be expected; this happened 24 years ago. But at least 90% of those 32 and older remember exactly where they were when the news broke. It is incumbent on the older generations to pass this history down.
Remembering 9/11
Recollections of 9/11
As the anniversary of what most people call September 11th, or simply 9/11, I recall the rather emotional article I published in its wake: a journal of my impressions from that week. And the subsequent one, which I wrote a year later, recounts what we learned in the year after the attacks, and more importantly, what some had not learned.
Why should we remember these kinds of events so that we can pass on this history to future generations? The words of Oxford professor C.S. Lewis are particularly relevant:
Most of all, perhaps, we need intimate knowledge of the past. Not that the past has any magic about it, but because we cannot study the future, and yet need something to set against the present, to remind us that the basic assumptions have been quite different in different periods and that much which seems certain to the uneducated is merely temporary fashion.
A man who has lived in many places is not likely to be deceived by the local errors of his native village; the scholar who has lived in many times is therefore in some degree immune from the great cataract of nonsense that pours from the press and the microphone of his own age.
– “Learning in War-Time,” The Weight of Glory
What do you remember about 9/11?
Lest we forget.
Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
billpetro.com
Podcast version:
