Patriot Day unites first responders, military Veterans, civic leaders, school students, and community
Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, marked 24 years since thousands of people lost their lives in America's worst terrorist attack.
Hillsborough County honored the lives lost and the first responders that served that day in a ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park & Rear Admiral LeRoy Collins, Jr. Museum.
In observance of the National Day of Service and Remembrance, first-responders, military Veterans, and civic leaders aimed to inspire a generation too young to recall the historic events of 9/11.
Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) members from Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Youth Academy graduates lead the annual Patriot Day ceremony.
Patriot Day ceremony
The event included an honor guard, saber team, rifle salute, and taps. A solemn escort of a 135-pound section of steel beam salvaged from New York's Twin Towers also took place. The beam resides at Veterans Memorial Park.
Lt. Col. David Dietz, senior army instructor for Lennard High School, and his ROTC cadets were the lead school for this year's ceremony. He hopes that the event resonates with the youth in attendance, which included six other schools.
By encouraging students to attend or participate in 9/11 Remembrance events, Lt. Col. Dietz anticipates students gaining a better understanding of 9/11's impacts on the nation. He hopes that "it gives young people a different perspective."
Meet-and-greet
Following the ceremony, attendees and students enjoyed interactive demonstrations and photos with active-duty military members and first responders.
The community was welcome to meet and mingle with members from the U.S. Coast Guard St. Petersburg Station, U.S. Marine Corps 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion, Urban Search and Rescue team (USAR 1), and the MacDill Air Force Base Military Working Dogs (MWD), 6th Security Forces Squadron.
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue was also well-represented and had a heavy rescue vehicle, fire engines, and other equipment on display for the community to see up close.
Flying overhead, furling in the light breeze, was a 30-by-60-foot American flag. The flag is one of the largest and tallest flags of the United States of America in Hillsborough County and is officially permitted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).