Remembering 9/11: Statement from JWV National Commander Scott P. Stevens

Today, JWV and Americans across our great nation pause and reflect to mark 24 years since the September 11, 2001 attacks, to memorialize with tributes honoring the victims. May their memories be a blessing to all.

Many loved ones of the nearly 3,000 people killed will join dignitaries and politicians at commemorations on Thursday in New York, at the Pentagon in Virginia, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. While these events are solemn, they also demonstrate the commitment and resilience of our American spirit to stand against terrorists — foreign, domestic and state alike– and for Americans to be united in fighting terrorism and defense of the United States Constitution. JWV will also continue to educate Americans, especially our youth and those born after 2001, on its significance.  JWV remembers and will never forget.

At ground zero in lower Manhattan, the names of the victims of this attack upon our nation will be read aloud by the victims’ family members and loved ones in a solemn ceremony of remembrance. Moments of silence will mark the exact times when the hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center’s iconic twin towers, as well as when the skyscrapers fell.  The Vice President and his wife will participate. JWV remembers and will never forget.

At the Pentagon in Virginia, the 184 service members and civilians killed when hijackers steered a jetliner into the headquarters of the U.S. military will be honored. The President and his wife will attend the service. JWV remembers and will never forget.

And in a rural field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, a similar ceremony marked by moments of silence, the reading of names, and the laying of wreaths, will honor the victims of Flight 93, the hijacked plane that crashed after crew members and passengers tried to storm the cockpit. Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins will attend that service. JWV remembers and will never forget.

As National Commander, I urge each JWV member, patron, and supporter to honor, in their own way, those lost on and because of September 11, and remember the survivors, family members, and first responders whose lives were forever changed on that day. JWV recognizes its members and supporters who joined and served after September 11 and those currently serving to protect the freedom we enjoy as Americans. JWV remains steadfast against and condemns all terrorist actions, past, present, and future.