Bells resounded this Patriot Day to mark 22 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed 2,996 Americans, including over 400 first responders, across four airplane crashes in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. It was the worst attack against the United States homeland in our nation’s history.
The day has become a national moment of service and remembrance. The names of the dead were read aloud and bells tolled solemnly, often muffled or half-muffled, in respect. Other observations included the quick striking of a bell at the exact moment each plane went down: at 8:46am (North Tower), 9:03am (South Tower), 9:37am (Pentagon), and 10:03am (Shanksville).
The day is particularly poignant for first responders, who ran towards danger to save civilians, too many of whom became casualties themselves. The bell tolling ceremony is a tradition dating back to when firefighters began their day’s shift. The alarm, sounded by the bell, summoned those brave souls to fight fires and save lives.
When the fire was out and the alarm was over, it was the bell which signaled they had answered the call. When a firefighter paid the ultimate sacrifice, it was the mournful toll of the bell which announced the comrade’s passing. It is a fitting tribute to the brave men and women we honor each 9/11.
Across America and at our military installations abroad, bells were rung to highlight our heroes and to punctuate ceremonies of silent reflection and remembrance. These images capture those moments.
Image: A bell and a firefighter helmet sit on display at the 9/11 Patriot Day ceremony held at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado, on Sept. 11, 2023. During the ceremony, members from Team Buckley honored the lives of those lost and the courage and bravery of the first responders who tirelessly worked to save lives. Courtesy: Staff Sgt. Haley N. Blevins, U.S. Space Force.*
Image: U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Elijah Zinselmeier, 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department driver operator, tolls a bell during a 9/11 memorial ceremony held by the 380th ECES Fire Department at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, on Sept. 11, 2023. Courtesy: Airman 1st Class Christian Silvera, U.S. Air Force.*
Image: U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Brian Smith, 56th Operations Group senior enlisted leader, rings a bell after completing the 9/11 Tower Challenge on Sept. 11, 2023, at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Participants of the challenge climbed 110 floors around the arena in honor of the first responders who ascended the World Trade Center during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Courtesy: Airman 1st Class Jakob Hambright, U.S. Air Force.*
Image: Airman 1st Class Nathan Horn, 378th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, rings a bell in honor of first responders during a 9/11 remembrance ceremony at Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on Sept. 11, 2023. The event was organized by military first responders from the 378th Expeditionary Civil Engineer, Medical, and Security Forces Squadrons in order to honor those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Courtesy: Tech. Sgt. Alexander Frank, U.S. Air Force.*
Image: Brian Faas, Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company firefighter, performs the ringing of the bell ceremony at the 22nd Anniversary 9/11 Memorial Service at the Air Mobility Command Museum on Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, on Sept. 11, 2023. Members of local firefighter communities paid respect to the victims of 9/11 and participated in the memorial. Courtesy: Mauricio Campino, U.S. Air Force.*
Image: Airman Jonas Chattmon, 812th Civil Engineer Squadron, rings the bell traditionally signifying the loss of a firefighter's life during the opening ceremony of the 9/11 Memorial Run, Walk, Ruck March event on Sept. 11, 2023, on Edwards Air Force Base, California. Courtesy: Giancarlo Casem, U.S. Air Force.*
Image: U.S. Air Force Firefighter Ruben Amaya, 452d Civil Engineering Squadron from the 452d Air Mobility Wing, rings the September 11th, 2001 Memorial Bell at March Air Reserve Base on September 11, 2023. Courtesy: Staff Sgt. Kekoa Santiago, U.S. Air Force.*
Image: Members of the 628th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department ring a memorial bell during a ceremony honoring 9/11 heroes and victims at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, on Sept. 11, 2023. Courtesy: Airman 1st Class Carl Good, U.S. Air Force.*
Image: Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate Jason Brown, assigned to Naval Station Mayport, strikes the bell during a 9/11 remembrance ceremony at Naval Station Mayport on Sept. 11, 2023. Courtesy: Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brandon J. Vinson, U.S. Navy.*
Image: U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jared Waddell, 52nd Civil Engineers Squadron firefighter, rings a bell during a 9/11 Remembrance ceremony on Sept. 8, 2023, at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. Courtesy: Airman Sydney Franklin, U.S. Air Force.*
Image: Members of the Fort Knox Fire Department toll a bell for those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, during a Patriot Day ceremony at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery Central on Sept. 11, 2023. Called “Striking the Four Fives,” the ceremony is a somber reminder of the cost of heroism. Courtesy: Eric Pilgrim.*
Image: A ceremonial fire protection bell is on display during a 9/11 ceremony at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, on Sept. 11, 2023. Members from each first responder unit were in attendance as the distinguished visitors spoke in memory of the brave men and women being memorialized. Courtesy: Senior Airman Jacob Dastas, U.S. Air Force.*
Image: Andersen Air Force Base Fire Department firefighters fold the American flag during the 2023 9/11 Memorial Ceremony on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on Sept. 11, 2023. U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps service members from all around the island of Guam gathered on Andersen to participate in a memorial ruck and a ceremony to honor the first responders who gave their lives for others during the 9/11 tragedy. Courtesy: Staff Sgt. Pedro Tenorio, U.S. Air Force.*
Image: Shinji Kajita, Kanto District Fire Chief, assigned to the Directorate of Emergency Services, rings a bell to honor those who died in the attacks in 2001 at a remembrance ceremony for the 22nd anniversary of 9/11 at Kizuna Hall on Camp Zama, Japan, on Sept. 11, 2023. Courtesy: Noriko Kudo, U.S. Army.*
Image: A U.S. Soldier assigned to 709th Military Police Battalion (709th MP BN) performs the ringing of the bell in remembrance of the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, during the 709th MP BN-hosted Patriot Day ceremony at the Tower Barracks Parade Field in Grafenwoehr, Germany, on Sept. 11, 2023. Courtesy: Spc. Christian Carrillo, U.S. Army.*
Image: U.S. Air Force Airman Martinez Hernandez, 23rd Wing Civil Engineering Squadron fire protection squad member, rings a memorial bell during a 9/11 memorial ceremony at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, on Sept. 11, 2023. Courtesy: Airman 1st Class Sir Wyrick, U.S. Air Force.*
Image: U.S. Air Force Airman Malaki Harrison, 30th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, rings the firefighter's bell during a 9/11 remembrance ceremony on Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on Sept. 11, 2023. Courtesy: Airman 1st Class Ryan Quijas, U.S. Space Force.*
Image: U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Taylor Branco, 721st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander, rings a ceremonial bell, signifying his completion of a 2,071-step memorial ruck march on Sept. 11, 2023, in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The 2,071 steps of the ruck march equal the number of steps taken by first responders who climbed the steps of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, in hopes of saving victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Courtesy: Staff Sgt. Christian Conrad, U.S. Air Force.*
Image: An Airman from the 19th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department rings a bell in honor of fallen firefighters during a 9/11 remembrance ceremony at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, on Sept. 11, 2023. Team Little Rock first responders hosted the ceremony in honor of those who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Courtesy: Airman 1st Class Isabell A. Nutt, U.S. Air Force.*
Image: From left, Senior Airman Michael Craddock, 8th Civil Engineer Squadron vehicle operator, Senior Airman Ryan Foley, 8th Security Forces Squadron reports and analysis clerk, and Senior Airman Bryce Shearer, 8th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron paramedic, ring a bell during a 9/11 remembrance ceremony at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, on Sept. 11, 2023. Courtesy: Staff Sgt. Samuel Earick, U.S. Air Force.*
Image: Buckley Honor Guard posts the colors on Patriot Day at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado, on Sept. 11, 2023. Courtesy: Airman 1st Class Aleece Williams, U.S. Space Force.*
Image: U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Emmanuel Rebollar, 48th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department, rings the ceremonial bell during the 9/11 remembrance ceremony at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, on Sept. 11, 2023. Courtesy: Karen Abeyasekere, U.S. Air Force.*
Image: A U.S. sailor assigned to the Joint Force Honor Guard rings a bell as Soldiers with the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) read the names of those who were killed during the terrorist attack at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, during the 2023 National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial Ceremony in Arlington, Virginia, on Sept. 11, 2023. Courtesy: Henry Villarama, U.S. Army.*
Image: U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jason Helgeson, a firefighter assigned to the 92nd Civil Engineer Squadron, salutes while the national anthem plays during a 9/11 Retreat Ceremony at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, on Sept. 11, 2023. The observance included a flag folding ceremony presented by the Fairchild Honor Guard, speeches made by wing officials, and the ringing of the ceremonial firefighter’s bell. Courtesy: Airman 1st Class Clare Werner, U.S. Air Force.*
Image: U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Enoch Ko, 35th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department noncommissioned officer in charge of logistics, rings a bell to symbolize the “Last Alarm” during a Patriot Day retreat ceremony at Misawa Air Base, Japan, on Sept. 11, 2023. Courtesy: Senior Airman Joao Marcus Costa, U.S. Air Force.*
Image: U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing perform the bell ceremony to honor the first responders who died during the 9/11 terrorist attacks during the commemoration 9/11 ceremony at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, on Sept. 11, 2023. The ceremony served as a reminder to uphold the resilience and selfless bravery these first responders demonstrated in the face of danger. Courtesy: Senior Airman Kristal Munguia, U.S. Air Force.*
Cover image: Keith Jimmo, 422d Civil Engineer Squadron fire chief, sounds a memorial bell during a 9/11 remembrance ceremony at RAF Croughton, England, on Sept. 11, 2023. Courtesy: Staff Sgt. Eugene Oliver, U.S. Air Force.*
*The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
