Today marks 25 years since the morning Americans watched an unimaginable attack unfold in New York City, at the Pentagon and in a field outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
For those old enough to remember Sept. 11, 2001, the details often remain vivid: where they were, who told them and how ordinary routines stopped as televisions showed smoke pouring from the World Trade Center.
But a quarter-century later, an entire generation has reached adulthood with no personal memory of that day. Keeping the story alive now increasingly depends upon those who witnessed it sharing their memories with those who did not.
That responsibility is at the heart of a public remembrance ceremony taking place today at the Chattahoochee Mountain Fair in Clarkesville.
“Many of us know where we were that day, or we know somebody who was involved,” Grant-Reeves Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7720 Commander Bill Miles said. “Those stories need to be shared with our younger generation so people don’t forget the impact of 9/11 and how it changed our country and the world.”
A Morning That Changed America
At 8:46 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. United Airlines Flight 175 hit the South Tower 17 minutes later.
American Airlines Flight 77 then struck the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in rural Pennsylvania after passengers and crew members attempted to regain control of the aircraft.
Both World Trade Center towers collapsed before the morning was over.
The coordinated terrorist attacks killed 2,977 people and injured thousands more, according to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Among those killed were firefighters, police officers, emergency personnel and ordinary citizens who risked their lives to help others.
The consequences continue long after the debris is cleared. Thousands of rescue, recovery and relief workers, survivors and residents suffer illnesses connected to exposure to toxins at the World Trade Center site.
This year, the national commemoration in New York includes seven moments of silence. Six correspond with the times the towers were struck and fell, the attack on the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93. A seventh honors those who later died from 9/11-related illnesses.
Remembering in Habersham County
Habersham County residents have an opportunity to gather today during a remembrance ceremony at the Chattahoochee Mountain Fairgrounds.
The ceremony begins at 5 p.m. near the fairgrounds stage. It includes the presentation of colors, remarks about the lasting impact of the attacks, a candlelight observance and the ringing of a memorial bell at significant points in the timeline.
The ceremony concludes with ceremonial volleys involving the Sons of the American Revolution and the Grant-Reeves VFW Post 7720 Honor Guard, followed by the firing of a cannon from the grassy area behind the stage.
Miles began organizing a local Sept. 11 observance after moving to Habersham County and discovering that the community did not have an annual public ceremony. The observance was initially held at the Habersham County Wall of Honor before becoming part of the Chattahoochee Mountain Fair.
Today’s ceremony coincides with opening day of the fair, which runs Sept. 11–19. The fairgrounds are located at 4235 Toccoa Highway in Clarkesville.
Twenty-five years have passed, but remembrance now carries a new responsibility. For those who experienced Sept. 11, it is a memory. For younger Americans, it is history—and its meaning depends on the stories that are preserved and passed forward.
