Sept. 8 (UPI) — A 24th anniversary national day of remembrance to honor victims of the 9/11 terrorists attacks will be held this week by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at dozens of national VA cemeteries.
The VA said Monday that Patriot Day on Thursday will be observed at more than 60 VA-run national burial grounds in collaboration with the nonprofit Carry The Load. The groups are hosting volunteer activities such as cleaning headstones and other acts of beautification in honor of 9-11-2001 — the day in which some 2,977 people were killed in the single largest loss of life resulting from a foreign attack on American soil.
“This Patriot Day, we invite all Americans to visit participating VA cemeteries, where they can help honor and preserve the legacies of the victims, first responders, service members and families touched by 9/11,” Sam Brown, the VA’s under secretary for memorial affairs, said in a statement.
On September 11, 2001, multiple extremists associated with the Islamist extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airplanes in a coordinated attack. Terrorists intentionally flew two of the planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, causing them to collapse. One plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and another crashed in a field in Somerset County, Pa., near the town of Shanksville.
Patriot Day, established by Congress at the end of 2001, is intended to honor the victims.
The VA will again join forces with Carry the Load as in years past to pass out cleaning supplies and other materials at no cost to attendees.
“We encourage Americans to honor the memory of those lost on 9/11 by serving in their communities and sharing stories of the first responders and military who sacrificed to keep us safe,” added Stephen Holley, Carry The Load’s chief.
On Monday, Brown said that VA cemeteries are an “ideal” place to reflect on “the heroism and sacrifice of 9/11.”
According to the VA, some 47 U.S. vets and their dependents who died on 9/11 are buried in cemeteries run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
VA officials said most of the veteran 9/11 victims are laid to rest at Calverton on Long Island and its adjoining plots.
Meanwhile, participants may pre-register for the day via CTL’s website.
“Together we can make a positive impact and show our gratitude for those who sacrificed so much for our freedom,” stated Holley, a veteran U.S. Navy SEAL.