2,977 people were killed on Sept. 11, 2001, when 19 al-Qaida hijackers crashed four jetliners into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington D.C. and a field in southwest, rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Every year since that day, Americans nationwide hold remembrance ceremonies to honor the victims and their families.
In Virginia, Governor Glenn Youngkin ordered flags be flown at half-staff on all state and local buildings and grounds from sunrise until sunset on Wednesday.
Across Hampton Roads, each of the seven cities commemorated the day, 23 years after the tragic event:
Newport News
Public Safety units held their annual commemoration ceremony at 10 a.m. at the Gaines Theatre on the campus of Christopher Newport University with U.S. Army Major General John D. Kline, as the keynote speaker.
Portsmouth
An 11 a.m. anniversary ceremony was held at High Street Landing with a demonstration from the city’s Color Guard, a prayer from Chaplain Dean Ford with the Portsmouth Police Department and words from Mayor Shannon Glover.
Suffolk
The city’s Fire & Rescue Department posted images on Facebook of the World Trade Center, also known as the Twin Towers, and from ground zero following the aftermath of the buildings’ collapse.
The Fire Department also participated in a remembrance walk at Harbor Tower Apartments. Firefighters walked up 25 floors of the apartment building, five times while carrying a card of a first responder who lost his or her life on 9/11 to mimic the flight of stairs in the World Trade Center walking from; some of them even did so, in full gear. They walked an extra 15 flights in honor of Suffolk Fire Fighter Steve, who lost his life this year too.
Chesapeake
The city held its annual 9/11 Day of Remembrance commemoration ceremony at The Chesapeake 9/11 Memorial near the main entrance of the Chesapeake City Park. The memorial features a 5.5-ton steel beam from the World Trade Center displayed on concrete rubble, symbolic of Ground Zero.
Hampton and Norfolk
Virginia Beach
Although Virginia Beach did not host a remembrance event on Wednesday, but the city does have scheduled events over the next couple of days.
On Friday, the city Fire Department will host A 3-Mile Run at the Virginia Beach Boardwalk at 7:45 a.m. The run will start from the Fishing Pier, between 14th and 15th Street, and extend to the fitness park.
On Saturday, will host two events, the 9/11 Stair Climb at the Norfolk Scope and the Carry on with The Honor Log.
The Honor Log is a 700-pound log given to the city by the Carry On organization, in an effort to memorialize those lost on 9/11.
The Carry on with The Honor Log event is set to begin at the Navy Seal Memorial at 7:30 a.m. The 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb will begin at the Norfolk Scope at 8 a.m.
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The attacks altered U.S. foreign policy, domestic security practices and the mindset of many Americans who had not previously felt vulnerable to attacks by foreign extremists.
Effects rippled around the world and through generations as the U.S. responded by leading a “ Global War on Terrorism,” which included invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Those operations killed hundreds of thousands of Afghans and Iraqis and thousands of American troops, and Afghanistan became the site of the United States’ longest war.
