Photo By Spc. Brooke Kentler | North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein (right) and Maj. Gen. Todd Hunt, the 41st adjutant...... read more read more
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RALEIGH, N.C. – At 8:46 a.m., a single bell rang across the North Carolina National Guard Joint Force Headquarters, marking the moment American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center 25 years ago. Soldiers, Airmen, first responders, families, state leaders, and community members gathered around the Minuteman Statue, carrying memories of a day that changed the nation and the generations that followed.
The sound of the bell opened a ceremony centered on more than the tragedy itself. It was a remembrance of the lives lost, the families forever changed, and the people who stepped forward in the aftermath, answering a call to serve their country and communities.
“We gather today to remember those who were lost and how we were all affected,” said Maj. Patrick Montandon, master of ceremonies for the NCNG's 9/11 commemoration.
N.C. Gov. Josh Stein spoke about the people who emerged as heroes during one of the nation’s darkest moments, from first responders running toward danger to ordinary Americans who reached out to those around them. He reflected on the unity that followed the attacks and how Americans stood together when their country needed them most.
“In one of our nation's darkest hours, we were not alone,” Stein said.
That call to service continued long after the smoke had cleared. North Carolina service members answered the nation's call in the conflicts that followed Sept. 11, and some would ultimately make the same sacrifice remembered during the ceremony. The names of NCNG fallen heroes were read aloud one by one, giving each Soldier and Airman a moment of recognition among the people gathered to remember them.
For the families listening, those names were more than words being read from a list. They belonged to sons, daughters, spouses, siblings, and loved ones whose absence has remained part of their lives for years. Gold Star family members were invited forward to place flowers in remembrance of those they lost, each rose carrying a personal connection to the name and face represented on the memorial displays.
Maj. Gen. Todd Hunt, the 41st adjutant general of North Carolina, reflected on the generations of Soldiers and Airmen whose lives were shaped by Sept. 11. He remembered those who left their homes that morning and never came home, as well as the citizen-Soldiers who later put their lives on hold to defend the nation.
“Let us never forget our country coming together and bonding in anger, sadness, and patriotism,” Hunt said.
The ceremony continued with a wreath-laying, followed by a moment of silence and taps. Stein and Hunt joined leaders from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and the Raleigh Fire Department in honoring those whose lives were lost, while the gathering stood together in quiet remembrance.
Twenty-five years have passed since the attacks, but remembrance does not belong only to the past. It remains in the families who continue to carry their loss, in the first responders who continue to serve their communities, and in the military members who continue the tradition of answering when their country calls.
The ceremony closed with a prayer of remembrance, reflecting not only on the devastation of Sept. 11, but also on the compassion and unity that followed. “But we also remember our country coming together to help those who were hurting, to support, to care, and to walk together through the national crisis," said Maj. (CH) Erin McGuffee. "All our lives were touched that day.”
As the final notes of Amazing Grace faded, the ceremony came to an end, but the effects remained. Displays surrounding the Minuteman Statue, including wreckage from the North Tower and firsthand accounts of the attacks, gave those gathered another opportunity to reflect on the lives lost and the events that shaped the generations that followed. -30-
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 09.11.2026 17:03 |
| Story ID: | 574444 |
| Location: | RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 38 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, North Carolina National Guard Honors 25 Years Since 9/11, by SPC Brooke Kentler, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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