Washington Looks Back On 9/11 20 Years Later

SEATTLE — Anyone older than 25 likely remembers where they were on 9/11.

Americans felt a collective trauma as first one and then another plane flew into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. As the truth dawned on people watching from their TVs that America was under attack, another plane took aim at the Pentagon. A fourth was brought down in a field in Pennsylvania in a final act of heroism by passengers who realized their flight had been hijacked.

Nearly 3,000 Americans were killed in the suicide attacks carried out by 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaida. While none of the victims called Washington home, the Evergreen State joined the rest of the county Saturday in mourning the fallen with dozens of ceremonies.

At Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Brig. Gen. William Ryan, Special Assistant to the Deputy Commanding General of America’s First Corps, and 62nd Airlift Wing Commander Col. David Fazenbaker spoke at a ceremony honoring the victims of the 9/11 attacks and the service members killed fighting terrorism.

Meanwhile in Olympia, Gov. Jay Inslee marked the day with a prepared statement mourning those who were killed, and expressing support for attack survivors and for the armed forces who served in the resulting wars. His statement reads, in part:

"My fellow Washingtonians, today marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in this country on September 11, 2001. As we remember this tragedy and honor our nation’s resilience, this time is also an opportunity to strengthen our national consciousness and consider what we can keep doing to advance freedom."

As the governor noted, veterans who are having a difficult time processing the tragedy have help available and can call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255.

"I know this is a very tough time for some, including our heroes who served our armed forces in its aftermath," Inslee said. "A generation of young Americans and their families suffered the physical and mental scars of the wars waged after the attacks of 9/11. If you’re having a hard time, please know how much we appreciate your service. You are not alone."

Of course, Washington is not the only state looking back at the horrific attacks. At the 9/11 memorial in Lower Manhattan, New York — an area known for years after the attacks as “Ground Zero” — the names of the fallen were read aloud.

“Throughout the ceremony, we will observe six moments of silence, acknowledging when each of the World Trade Center towers was struck and fell and the times corresponding to the attack on the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93,” the 9/11 Memorial & Museum wrote on its website.

The annual “Tribute of Light,” which are lights pointed to the sky in the shape of the Twin Towers, went on as dusk approached.

Most 9/11 victims were from either New York or New Jersey, where many who lived across the Hudson River from the World Trade Center recall the horror of watching the twin towers collapse from their homes in Hoboken and Jersey City.

More than 2,700 people died at the World Trade Center alone on 9/11, including the passengers of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175. Another 184 were killed when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into The Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and 44 died on United Airlines Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Patch editor Tim Moran contributed to this report.