In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, Patriot Day occurs on September 11 of each year in memory of the people killed in the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

of the year 2001.

History

In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, carried out by terrorists from Al-Qaeda,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

George W. Bush proclaimed Friday, September 14, 2001, as a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims of the Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001. A bill to make September 11 a

national day of mourning A national day of mourning is a day or days marked by mourning and memorial activities observed among the majority of a country's populace. They are designated by the national government. Such days include those marking the death or funeral of ...

was introduced in the U.S. House on October 25, 2001, by Rep. Vito Fossella (R-NY) with 22 co-sponsors. The result was the resolution to proclaim September 11, 2002, as the first Patriot Day. Original co-sponsors in the House were: * Gary Ackerman (D-NY) * Rick Boucher (D-VA) *

Eliot Engel Eliot Lance Engel (; born February 18, 1947) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from New York from 1989 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented a district covering portions of the north Bronx and sou ...

(D-NY) * Phil English (R-PA) * Randy Forbes (R-VA) *

Benjamin Gilman Benjamin Arthur Gilman (December 6, 1922 – December 17, 2016) was an American politician and Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Middletown, New York, from January 3, 1973, to January 3, 2003. Early life Gilm ...

(R-NY) * Felix Grucci (R-NY) *

Maurice Hinchey Maurice Dunlea Hinchey (October 27, 1938 – November 22, 2017) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New York and was a member of the Democratic Party. He retired at the end of his term in January 2013 after 20 ye ...

(D-NY) *

Steve Israel Steven J. Israel (born May 30, 1958) is an American political commentator, lobbyist, author, bookseller and former politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from New York from 2001 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was electe ...

(D-NY) * Peter T. King (R-NY) *

Ray LaHood Raymond H. LaHood (born December 6, 1945) is an American politician who served as the 16th United States Secretary of Transportation from 2009 to 2013 under President Barack Obama. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the ...

(R-IL) *

Nita Lowey Nita Sue Lowey ( ) ( Melnikoff; born July 5, 1937) is an American politician who formerly served as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1989 until 2021. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Lowey also served as co-Dean of the New York C ...

(D-NY) *

Carolyn Maloney Carolyn Jane Maloney (née Bosher, February 19, 1946) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2013, and for from 1993 to 2013. The district includes most of Manhattan's East Side, Astoria and Long Island City ...

(D-NY) * Michael R. McNulty (D-NY) *

Jim Moran James Patrick Moran Jr. (born May 16, 1945) is an American politician who served as the mayor of Alexandria, Virginia from 1985 to 1990, and as the U.S. representative for (including the cities of Falls Church and Alexandria, all of Arlington ...

(D-VA) *

Jerry Nadler Jerrold Lewis Nadler (; born June 13, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician who since 2013 has served as the U.S. representative for , which includes Manhattan's west side and parts of Brooklyn. A member of the Democratic Party, he is in ...

(D-NY) *

John E. Peterson John E. Peterson (born December 25, 1938) is an American Republican politician from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. From 1997 to 2009, he represented the state's mainly rural and largely Republican 5th Congressional district in the U.S. Hous ...

(R-PA) * Thomas M. Reynolds (R-NY) * Ed Schrock (R-VA) *

Don Sherwood Don Sherwood may refer to: * Don Sherwood (politician) (born 1941), American politician * Don Sherwood (DJ) (1925–1983), American radio personality * Don Sherwood (cartoonist) (1930–2010), American cartoonist and illustrator {{hndis, Sherwo ...

(R-PA) *

Ed Towns Edolphus "Ed" Towns Jr. (born July 21, 1934) is an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2013. A Democrat from New York, Towns was Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committe ...

(D-NY) *

James T. Walsh James Thomas Walsh (born June 19, 1947)Walsh, James T.
''Biographical Directory of ...

(R-NY) From 2009 to 2016, President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

proclaimed September 11 as Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance, in observance of , the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. In 2017, President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

proclaimed September 8–10 as National Days of Prayer and Remembrance, and proclaimed September 11 as Patriot Day. President Trump also did so in 2018, 2019, and 2020 as well. After Joe Biden was elected President in 2021, he also issued an Executive Order for Patriot Day 2021 and Patriot Day 2022., url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/09/09/a-proclamation-on-patriot-day-and-national-day-of-service-and-remembrance-2022/

Observance

The

flag of the United States The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the c ...

is flown at half-staff at the White House and on all U.S. government buildings and establishments throughout the world; Americans are also encouraged to display flags in and outside their homes. Additionally, a

moment of silence A moment of silence (also referred to as a minute's silence or a one-minute silence) is a period of silent contemplation, prayer, reflection, or meditation. Similar to flying a flag at half-mast, a moment of silence is often a gesture of ...

is observed to correspond with the attacks, beginning at 8:46 a.m. (

Eastern Daylight Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a sma ...

), the time the first plane,

American Airlines Flight 11 American Airlines Flight 11 was a domestic passenger flight that was hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists on September 11, 2001 as part of the September 11 attacks. Lead hijacker Mohamed Atta deliberately crashed the plane into the North Towe ...

, struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Patriot Day is not a

federal holiday Federal holidays in the United States are the eleven calendar dates that are designated by the U.S. government as holidays. On U.S. federal holidays, non-essential federal government offices are closed and federal government employees are paid ...

; schools and businesses remain open in observance of the occasion, although memorial ceremonies for the 2,977 victims are often held. Volunteer and service opportunities are coordinated by the

Corporation for National and Community Service AmeriCorps (officially the Corporation for National and Community Service or CNCS) is an independent agency of the United States government that engages more than five million Americans in service through a variety of stipended volunteer work prog ...

References

External links

* Text of the statute *
Public Law 107-89
**

20102011

Detailed information on the bill from THOMAS

U.S. Army's Patriot Day Website
{{Authority control Recurring events established in 2001 Aftermath of the September 11 attacks Public holidays in the United States September observances