Pentagon honors victims of 9/11 on anniversary

The Department of Defense held a ceremony on Monday morning on the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks in which one plane crashed into the Pentagon.

On Sept. 11, 2001, a hijacker flew American Airlines Flight 77 into the southwest corner of the Pentagon, killing 184 people, including everyone on board the plane and many more inside the building, which was heavily damaged. That side of the building has since been replaced, though every anniversary, service members unfurl a large American flag off the side of the building, similar to the garrison flag that was displayed the day after the attacks 22 years ago.

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“I know that being here today is hard. I know that it aches to remember this milestone year after year. And I know that nothing can make it right. And as the years go by, it may feel that the world is moving on, or even forgetting what happened here on Sept. 11, 2001. But please know this: The men and women of the Department of Defense will always remember,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said during the ceremony, according to his prepared remarks.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley host an observance ceremony at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in honor of the 184 people killed in the 2001 terrorist attack on the Pentagon, Monday, Sept. 11, 2023, in Washington.

Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

“Sept. 11 made America a nation at war. And hundreds of thousands stepped up to serve our country in uniform. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have come to a close. But we remain relentlessly focused on combating terrorist threats to America.”

All 184 names were read aloud during the ceremony.

The Pentagon has a dedicated memorial to those who were killed in the attack. There are memorial benches dedicated to each of the victims, and they’re organized based on their ages. Each one also contains a small pool of water that reflects light in the evenings, and they’re positioned in a way that distinguishes the victims on the plane and those inside the building.

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Later on Monday, Austin, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will participate in a wreath laying by first lady Jill Biden at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.

President Joe Biden, who is returning from an overseas trip, will speak in Anchorage, Alaska, and will not be back in Washington to honor the anniversary. While the decision has garnered criticism from some, he is not the first president to not attend the ceremony in New York, though those past presidents have either gone to one of the other 9/11 sites or given remarks from the White House lawn.