5 things to know in veteran news: A look at 9/11 tributes across the nation

WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals on Friday will honor first responders and military members during a special ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the U.S.

The ceremony will take place at Nationals Park, when the Washington Nationals play the Los Angeles Angels. The game starts at 6:45 p.m.

A memorial stair run will take place earlier on Friday, as more than 60 members of the Guard Company at Marine Barracks Washington scale the ballpark steps to honor the victims and heroes of 9/11.

“In remembrance of the thousands of steps first responders climbed on Sept. 11, 2001, Guard Company Marines will honor those who ran toward danger and who gave the ultimate sacrifice,” according to the Nationals.

The ceremonial first pitch will be thrown by retired Army Special Forces Major David K. King Jr., a survivor of the 2001 terrorist attack at the Pentagon, when the Washington Nationals play the Los Angeles Angels on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (David K. King Jr.)

Friday also is Heroes Day at Nationals Park, featuring the National Anthem sung by Metropolitan Police Officer Brittany Shakir and the ceremonial first pitch by retired Army Special Forces Major David K. King Jr., a survivor of the attack on the Pentagon,

King suffered severe burns when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the western side of the Pentagon. “I just wish people would not forget what happened and the evil that caused that,” King said in a radio interview.

A day of remembrance at veterans cemeteries

An unusual event for honoring the victims of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, will take place this weekend at 140 veteran cemeteries across the nation.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is hosting a day of service and remembrance at VA and state cemeteries, with opportunities for local volunteers to clean headstones and participate in beautification activities.

The cemetery cleanup is Saturday at 10 a.m., but participants are encouraged to arrive about 30 minutes early.

The National Cemetery Administration offers a list of participating cemeteries.

“As our nation marks the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, VA national cemeteries offer a meaningful place to honor the courage and sacrifice of that day,” said VA Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Sam Brown, a combat-injured veteran.

Volunteers are invited to pre-register for the event with Carry the Load, a nonprofit that is partnering with the VA. Cleaning supplies and other materials will be provided on site.

New York City honors World Trade Center victims

New York City will mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11 with ceremonies that start in the morning with a memorial reading of the names of victims and extend overnight with a “Tribute in Lights” illuminating Lower Manhattan.

The commemoration begins at 8:30 a.m. at Memorial Plaza, an eight-acre park that honors the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, and Feb. 26, 1993, terrorist attacks.

Family members will read aloud the names of those killed in the 2001 attacks and a 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center.

A wreath-laying will take place at 11:30 a.m. at the FDNY Fire Museum on Spring Street, in honor of first responders.

Yankee Stadium will host a pre-game tribute at 6:30 p.m. before the Yankees play the Mets.

Memorial Plaza is the site of two bronze-edged pools that sit directly in the footprints of the original twin towers.

The 1993 terrorist attack was a truck bomb explosion in a parking garage beneath the World Trade Center.

The twin towers at the World Trade Center were targeted a quarter century ago, when attackers hijacked commercial planes and flew them into the buildings.

Air Force Capt. Hanna Born, who is stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., is on track to complete a 2,977-mile run to honor the documented victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. (Nelvis Sera/U.S. Air Force)

Counting the miles in a personal tribute to lives lost

Air Force Capt. Hanna Born, who is stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama is on track to complete a 2,977-mile run to honor victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Born works as an instructor pilot with the 23rd Flying Training Squadron, teaching fellow aviators to pilot TH-1H Huey helicopters.

Born started her run on Sept. 11, 2025, and is on the final stretch to complete the miles on Friday.

She has a personal connection to the terrorist attacks. Born was a 3-year-old at the Pentagon’s child development center when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the building.

The flight had just taken off from Dulles International Airport when hijackers commandeered the Boeing 757 and crashed it into the western facade of the Pentagon.

“We were safely evacuated and reunited with our family, which is an outcome thousands of others never received,” Born said.

Born shares a victim’s name and story on social media with each mile she runs.

Flag draped over the Pentagon after 9/11 is displayed

The morning after the terrorist attack at the Pentagon, a massive American flag was unfurled and positioned on the damaged side of the building.

That flag will be on special display at the National Museum of the United States Army in Virginia, in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the attack.

The red-white-and-blue measures 20 feet by 38 feet and is stained with soot and ash from the building where it was draped.

The museum is dedicated to recording and preserving the 250-year history of Army service “through the eyes of the soldier.”

The museum, located about 20 miles south of D.C., is featuring a special exhibit — “Steel and Stone: Engineering the Response to 9/11” — which chronicles the Army and Army Corps of Engineers’ recovery efforts.

“Through personal accounts and powerful artifacts, this exhibit will share how U.S. Army engineers stepped in with speed and determination amid chaos and devastation,” according to the museum.