Patriot Day

On September 11th, 2001 the world was rocked when two planes slammed into the World Trade Center in New York. Another plane came crashing down on the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., while another crashed in rural Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives that day.

As we honor and remember those who fell, here are some interesting facts about Patriot Day, known to most Americans simply as 9-11.

• When Congress created it, the day’s original name was ‘Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Terrorists Attacks on September 11, 2001.
• There was a unanimous vote in the U.S. House of Representatives to create this Day of Remembrance.
• The official name is no longer just Patriot Day. On September 10, 2012, President Barack Obama changed the official name to ‘Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance.’

Here are some things we’re encouraged to do on September 11th:

• The American flag is to be flown at half-staff.
• Observe a moment of silence at 8:46 am Eastern Standard Time, the moment the first of the four planes crashed into the World Trade Center. Additional moments of silence can be observed at 9:03am for the second plane, 9:37am for the plane that hit the Pentagon, and 10:02am when passengers fought back against hijackers and forced their flight down short of its target. 

You can remember and serve together with friends and neighbors to make a positive impact in your community. Check out serve.gov to register your activity or find one near you.