RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia and the country paused to reflect and honor the lives lost 23 years ago during the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil.
Officials said 47 Virginians lost their lives during the attacks on the Pentagon, Twin Towers, and United Flight 93, and 175 Virginians lost their lives in the global war on terror in the years that followed. During the annual Patriot Day ceremony at the Virginia War Memorial, veterans, survivors, and educators shared why it is critical to remember those lost and honor those who chose to serve in its wake.
Woolridge Elementary teacher Tara Krohn said 9/11 brings the same mission each year: help educate her students on a day that changed the world that none of them were alive to experience.
"How do you never forget, when you never knew?" Krohn told the crowd at the Virginia War Memorial. “We challenge them to shift their perspective. We all have a symbol, we have the artifact, we have a story. So simply, share that story.”
In partnership with The Freedom Flag Foundation, Krohn works to educate future generations about what happened on 9/11 and expose them to the moments that followed.
“Every day we have a choice to be resilient and to have courage and to be trustworthy and to be selfless. These are all traits I think rose up from 9/11," Krohn said. “I think 9/11 encompasses all that if you focus on the good. It’s hard to do, but through the ash, you focus on what rose up.”
Former Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence Lynn Wright delivered the keynote address Wednesday. The days before the attacks, she had just started a new job at the Pentagon.
"We felt a heavy thud, and looked out the windows at the Pentagon south parking lot and saw the beginnings of the heavy black smoke, and we saw a lot of people running toward the impact zone," Wright said. "That image has always stayed with me. When there was clear danger, people ran to the danger to help.”
Eight of Wright's Naval intelligence colleagues died in the attack on the Pentagon. She reflected on each of their lives and service, and said 23 years later, many of their family member are also now in service to the country.
"Thank you for remembering the people that we lost and the people that carry on," Wright said.
Education materials on 9/11 and the global war on terror are available through The Freedom Flag Foundation and the Virginia War Memorial.
