The Virginia War Memorial will honor and remember the thousands of Americans who perished and the thousands more who were injured during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, during the Commonwealth’s Patriot Day Ceremony on Thursday, September 11, 2025, at 11 a.m. in the Memorial’s Shrine of Memory-Global War on Terrorism and Beyond.
Members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend and participate in this annual ceremony to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Arlington and the downing of the commercial aircraft in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on 9/11/01.
Since that time, the United States Congress has designated September 11 each year as Patriot Day, a National Day of Mourning in remembrance and tribute to the 2,997 men and women who died during the surprise attacks and the more than 6,000 who were injured.
The keynote speaker for the ceremony will be Rear Admiral Samuel J. Cox (U.S. Navy, Retired). Admiral Cox has served as the Director of the Navy History and Heritage Command since 2014. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, he served as a naval intelligence officer for 33 years and retired as Commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence. He is currently responsible for all aspects of the Navy’s official history programs, including the historic submarine Nautilus, maintenance of the USS Constitution, 1,100 display aircraft, and the Navy’s underwater archaeology program.
“We are honored to have a such a distinguished historian as Admiral Sam Cox present the keynote address at this year’s Commonwealth’s Patriot Day ceremony here at the Virginia War Memorial,” said Dr. Clay Mountcastle, Virginia War Memorial Director. “We look forward to his insights regarding the 9/11 attacks and the impact they had on America, its military and its citizens. As Americans and as Virginians, we must never forget our fellow citizens who died on that infamous day nearly a quarter century ago. And there is no more fitting place in the Commonwealth to honor them than here on the hallowed grounds of the Virginia War Memorial. We invite all Virginians and their families and friends to join us for this solemn and inspiring patriotic event,” added Dr. Mountcastle.
Members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend the ceremony. Attendees are requested to arrive early to be in place for the 11 a.m. start time. Beginning at 10:40 a.m., the Virginia Barbershop Chorus will provide a selection of patriotic music. The ceremony will also include the placement of wreaths and the ringing of the ship’s bell from the USS Virginia in memory of those who lost their lives during the 2001 attacks. Representatives of the Freedom Flag Foundation, the Richmond-based nonprofit organization dedicated to remembering the events of 9/11, and other speakers will also participate.
There is no admission charge. Free parking is available in the Virginia War Memorial surface lot and parking deck at 621 South Belvidere Street, Richmond, VA 23220.
The Virginia War Memorial will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for visitation and to view the Memorial’s 9/11 exhibit in the Paul and Phyllis Galanti Education Center, which includes an actual portion of the Pentagon wall that was damaged by the terrorist aircraft. Also, the 9/11 documentary film, A New Century, A New War, will be shown all day in the Memorial’s Reynolds Theater.
For more information on the 2025 Commonwealth’s Patriot Day Ceremony, please visit www.dvs.virginia.gov or call 804.786.2060.
