American flags will be flown at half-staff across the United States on September 11 as the country marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The observance falls on Patriot Day, the National Day of Service and Remembrance, and will coincide with memorial events in New York.
Federal agencies, state governments, organizations and private citizens are being called on to take part. The flag is traditionally flown from sunrise to sunset, and Americans are encouraged to pause at 8:46 a.m. Eastern time.
National September 11 Memorial & Museum
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum commemoration ceremony in New York is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. on Friday. Family members will read the names of those killed in the attacks, and organizers plan seven moments of silence. Six of those moments correspond to key moments from September 11, 2001.
A seventh moment of silence has been added for people who have since died from illnesses and injuries linked to 9/11 exposure. The museum’s “Our Flag Was Still There” installation ties together flags connected to Ground Zero, the Pentagon and the response that followed the attacks.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed at Guantánamo Bay
Last month, a military judge set a June 5, 2028, trial date at Guantánamo Bay for alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three co-defendants. The proposed plea agreement that would have avoided a death-penalty trial collapsed, leaving the case on a separate track from the public remembrance.
The annual observance is centered on remembering the victims, recognizing survivors and honoring first responders, recovery workers and military personnel affected by the attacks and their aftermath. Even as flags are lowered nationwide, the legal case tied to the attacks is still moving toward a death-penalty trial in 2028.
