Seabees from Naval Construction Group 1 and Ventura County first responders commemorate Patriot Day in 2009. (Photo: Chief Mass Communication Specialist Lowell Whitman, U.S. Navy)
Patriot Day honors all those lost during and in response to the terror attacks that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001.
September 11, 2001
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, four commercial airliners were hijacked by terrorists acting under the direction of Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Of the four, three struck their intended targets, with two planes striking the World Trade Center in New York City and an additional plane impacting against the west side of the Pentagon.
In total, 2,997 Americans were killed, including 343 first responders.
The Global War on Terrorism
U.S. Forces were deployed in Afghanistan for nearly two decades. (Photo: Spc. Micah E. Claire, U.S. Army)
September 11 marked the first time that a major attack against the United States had occurred on American soil since the Attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Within days, President George W. Bush declared a “Global War on Terror” to be waged against groups like Al-Qaida and the nation states that support them.
Afghanistan became the first battleground of the War on Terror. The United States invaded the country in Oct. 2001 with the intention of toppling the Taliban, which had allowed terror groups like Al-Qaida to train on Afghani soil.
Since 2001, U.S. and Allied Forces have deployed to the Philippines, North and East Africa, the Middle East, and dozens more. The War on Terror remains ongoing despite the end of the second Iraq War and the final withdrawal from Afghanistan. Since its inception, the conflict has claimed the lives of thousands of U.S. servicemembers while wounding magnitudes more.
Patriot Day’s Legacy
The first Patriot Day was commemorated on Sept 11, 2002.
At 8:46 a.m. EST, a moment of silence is observed. However, Patriot Day is not recognized as a Federal Holiday.
In 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom issued a proclamation officially recognizing Patriot Day in California.
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.
