RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia and the country paused to reflect and honor the lives lost 23 years ago during the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil.
Officials said 47 Virginians lost their lives during the attacks on the Pentagon, Twin Towers, and United Flight 93, and 175 Virginians lost their lives in the global war on terror in the years that followed. During the annual Patriot Day ceremony at the Virginia War Memorial, veterans, survivors, and educators shared why it is critical to remember those lost and honor those who chose to serve in its wake.
WATCH: Commonwealth’s Patriot Day Ceremony commemorating 9/11 attacks
Woolridge Elementary teacher Tara Krohn said 9/11 brings the same mission each year: help educate her students on a day that changed the world that none of them were alive to experience.
“How do you never forget, when you never knew?” Krohn told the crowd at the Virginia War Memorial. “We challenge them to shift their perspective. We all have a symbol, we have the artifact, we have a story. So simply, share that story.”