A new exhibit at the 9/11 Memorial Museum is keeping the memory of that day and its aftermath alive, even for those who didn’t live through it, as the museum highlights 15 years since the raid that killed Usama bin Laden.
“A third of the U.S. population has been born since then, so it’s not just kids,” Jay Weinkam, executive vice president of government and community affairs at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, told Fox News Digital. “It is 25 years later, and it’s our teachers, our first responders, men and women in our military forces, educating them on what happened and what the response was.”
“Our Flag Was Still There” showcases flags related to 9/11 as the nation marks 25 years since the 2001 terrorist attacks and celebrates its 250th anniversary.
The history-altering terrorist attacks killed nearly 3,000 people when hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
But many Americans are too young to remember.
“It hit me pretty hard when I realized all of the kids there weren’t even alive during 9/11,” Will Chesney, a retired SEAL Team operator and dog handler, told Fox News.
“As we approach the 25th anniversary of 9/11, we realize how many people aren’t old enough to remember it,” Elizabeth L. Hillman, president and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, told Fox News.
The exhibit, which can be found in the museum’s Foundation Hall, features flags with stories from first responders, veterans and Americans who lived through it, along with artifacts and photos spotlighting the American flag.
Marking 15 years since Usama bin Laden was killed in Operation Neptune Spear, a flag now on display was once tucked into a lead Chinook pilot’s flight gear. After returning to base, he wrote “5/1/11 Geronimo ‘NS’” on the pole base to signal the mission’s success.
Chesney said former President Barack Obama’s 2011 announcement that the mission had ended signaled a turning point.
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“Seeing America just so excited and unified and coming back together, that might’ve been one of the best parts of the whole night, was seeing that on the news,” he said. “I just, I really wish it would’ve lasted longer.”
The museum hopes its exhibit can keep that same sense of unity.
“The flag was a source of strength, resilience and hope… people should have pride and remember how we responded,” Weinkam said. “Obviously, learn about what happened, but have some pride in how we came together.”
“They remind us how people can come together across the lines that divide us in service of a common cause, and that service inspired by unity is another big theme we can remember from 9/11,” Hillman added.
The exhibit includes the Ground Zero flag raised by FDNY firefighters, the flag draped over the Pentagon by soldiers and firefighters and a flag raised over the last column of the South Tower.
Weinkam educators will be crucial to carry on the memory and the 9/11 Memorial Museum has placed an emphasis on programs that help teachers in classrooms across the country educate students on what occurred on that consequential day.
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Future police officers and firefighters can also use the exhibit to learn how their departments helped, Weinkam said.
“We do a lot of training with federal agencies for new recruits,” he said. “Every NYPD cadet and every FDNY probie [probationer] is required to come here as part of training to learn how their department responded on 9/11.”
He said honoring 9/11 heroes is more important than ever for younger generations.
“With fewer and fewer people in those leadership positions back then or even with those forces, it’s important to remind those coming up of what happened and what could happen again,” he said.
Hillman also hopes the exhibit can help young people emotionally connect to what happened.
“The museum can connect people to the events of that day in a really powerful way, and having artifacts from the important historical events before, on 9/11, and after 9/11, like Operation Neptune Spear, is a great way to connect our visitors to the stories of 9/11,” she said.
Personal artifacts may be the key, she said.
“When we see the spaces, when we see the material, the artifacts, the models, the axe that a firefighter carried, those sorts of real experiences, material experiences, and firsthand experiences with eyewitnesses, they help move people to understand and appreciate what came before,” she said.
Retired U.S. Navy four-star Adm. William H. McRaven told Fox News that even in the worst moments, people come together, and that is something worth remembering.
“It really showcased the American spirit,” McRaven said. “It showed that in our most dire moments, we can come together, unify and get the job done. But as you point out with the fire truck behind us and this incredible museum and memorial we’re in, this is about making sure we never forget,” he said.
The exhibit will remain open to the public through February 2028.
New 9/11 Museum exhibit aims to connect younger Americans to the attacks through powerful artifacts 2026 IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2025 2026-05-14 09:02:03 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
