Patriot Day 2024 in the USA: History of the day, memorable quotes on 9/11

The world has been fighting the menace of terrorism for decades and some countries have suffered heavily. The 9/11 terror attack on the US Twin Towers is perhaps the biggest and the deadliest in recent history. The episode which involved the hijacking of planes and targetted attacks in New York signature buildings killed thousands of people and instilled fear in the minds of millions.
Patriot Day in the USA is celebrated annually on September 11 in remembrance of the people who lost their lives in the heinous terrorist attack. This year it falls on a Wednesday.

Almost 3,000 people were killed during the attack, and 6,000 others were injured, sending the entire world in shock. September 11 is a national holiday in the USA. People in the US observe a moment of silence at 8:46 am when the first plane crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York. Memorial events and ceremonies are held across the country to honor the victims.
On September 11, an American airline plane going from Boston to Los Angeles was hijacked by 5 passengers in the plane; the plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York at 8:46 am; another flight United Airlines 175 going from Boston was hijacked by 5 passengers in the plane; this plane crashed at the south tower of the World Trade Center in New York at 9:03 am; news came that two more planes have been hijacked: the American Airlines 77 that took off from Washington going to Los Angeles crashed at the Pentagon at 9:37 am; and another plane United Airlines 33 hijacked was crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at 10:03 am. This incident left not just America but the entire world in shock and terror.


1. “Even the smallest act of service, the simplest act of kindness, is a way to honor those we lost, a way to reclaim that spirit of unity that followed 9/11.” — Barack Obama
2. “For me and my family personally, September 11 was a reminder that life is fleeting, impermanent, and uncertain. Therefore, we must make use of every moment and nurture it with affection, tenderness, beauty, creativity, and laughter.” — Deepak Chopra
3. “Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children.” — George W. Bush
4. “We will win this struggle—not for glory, nor wealth, nor power, but for justice, for freedom, and for peace… so help us God.” — Tom Harkin
5. If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.”
- Sandy Dahl, wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in 2002
6. "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 J. Austin III, Sept. 11, 2023