It’s been 23 years since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, and on Wednesday leaders at the Pentagon paused to reflect on a day marked by tragedy and heroism.
Nearly 3,000 people died during the attacks, including 184 people killed when a hijacked plane crashed into the Defense Department headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Their names were read aloud during the Pentagon's solemn ceremony.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke about the importance of remembering what happened.
Austin called it a day of memory and resolve.
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“It can feel that more and more Americans are returning to normal life on each new Sept. 11. But not here. Not at the Pentagon. Because we remember,” he said.
Austin extended his condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the victims.
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“We have repaired the damage to this building, but we cannot repair the damage to your hearts,” he said.
Brown praised heroes who risked their own lives to save others.
“Amid the destruction, something profound emerged. A demonstration of determination. It was the courage of those who rain toward the danger, who chose not to flee, but to help, but to save, that provided a light in a time of darkness,” he said.
In a display of resiliency, the Pentagon unfurled an American flag over the building at sunrise.
Victims' memorials began early in New York and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, as well.
Across the country, thousands of volunteers honor the courage and sacrifice of that day by beautifying dozens of America’s national military cemeteries.
