Patriot Day

We Will Never Forget

By Gaurav Roy

September 11, 2001, or 9/11, as it is known across the world, is a day that will go down as the deadliest day that no American will ever forget. On this day, a series of suicide attacks and airline hijackings were conducted by 19 militants associated with al-Qaeda, an Islamic extremist group. It is the deadliest terror attack ever to happen on American soil. The attack caused thousands of deaths and compelled the U.S. to tackle the menace of terrorism.

September 11, 2019 - The Day No American Will Forget

On the terrifying day of September 11, 2001, four planes were hijacked. Three of these hijacked planes flew into iconic buildings of the United States, including the Pentagon in Washington DC and the New York-based Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

The militants on the fourth hijacked plane were unable to attack any building as plane passengers fought against the hijackers. Unfortunately, the plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. There is no intel on where or what building the fourth plane intended to hit. However, some people believe that it was headed for the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the Maryland-based Camp David presidential retreat, or one of the nuclear power plants in the eastern seaboard region.

Devastating Impact

The attack of 9/11 brought a devastating impact as around 3,000 Americans lost their lives. This total number of victims takes into account the plane passengers, those who were stuck in the building, and the brave frontline workers who put on their lives at stake to save the people. 9/11 was the most significant terror attack ever to happen in the United States. It led to many countries tightening airline security to prevent nine-eleven like attacks in the future.

The majority of the 3000 deaths were of the people that worked in the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Especially the people on the floors above the collision point who were trapped at the top of the burning skyscraper. Four hundred eleven men and women frontline workers also lost their lives while fighting fires and trying to rescue the affected people stuck in the buildings.

The Proclamation

George W. Bush, the President of the United States at the time, proclaimed on September 14, 2001, to establish September 11 as a national day to remember the victims of terror attacks on September 11, 2001, and make prayer for them. A bill to establish 9/11 as a national day for mourning was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Vito Fossella along with 22 co-sponsors. Among them, there were 11 Democrats and 11 Republicans.

The bill, joint resolution 71, introduced by Rep. Vito Fossella and 22 cosponsors passed the House and the Senate on November 30, 2001, unanimously. Under the resolution, the President of the United States is required to issue a proclamation every year requesting all U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff. The resolution was then signed by President George Bush and made into law on December 18, 2001.

The next year, on September 11, 2002, President Bush proclaimed the day as the first official Patriot Day.

What Happens on Patriot Day?

The U.S. flags are lowered half-staff on Patriot Day. There is a country-wide moment of silence at 8:46 AM EST on September 11 - when the first hijacked plane crashed into one of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Media outlets around the globe cover the news about Patriot Day every year to honor the lives lost in the September 11 attacks of the year 2001.