Spanberger Marks 25th Anniversary of 9/11 at Arlington Fire Station

Gov. Abigail Spanberger joined families of those killed on Sept. 11, 2001, survivors and first responders Thursday in Arlington to mark the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks and honor those whose service continued long after that day.

Spanberger spoke at Arlington County Fire Station 5, a site closely connected to the response at the Pentagon. Truck 105, the station’s ladder truck, was the first Arlington County fire unit to arrive after American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon, reaching the scene about four minutes after impact.

During the ceremony, first responders laid a wreath at a memorial outside the station that includes a steel beam from the World Trade Center. The tribute honored the 184 people killed in the attack at the Pentagon.

“On September 11th, we remember the Americans who died, the people who never came home, those who fought hijackers and sacrificed themselves, those whose days started off like every other day and never came home,” Spanberger said.

Arlington firefighters led rescue and recovery operations at the Pentagon for nearly two weeks. Fire Station 5 also became a staging area for Arlington County Police and officers from neighboring jurisdictions responding to the attack.

Spanberger said those details are important because the effects of Sept. 11 extended far beyond the hours when Americans watched the attacks unfold.

“For everyone here who was a part of that response or a community member on that day, that heaviness lasted far longer than the day of the 11th,” she said.

For some first responders, she noted, the physical consequences have continued for decades.

Spanberger pointed to Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Stanley Meador, who she said was a state law enforcement officer in Northern Virginia on Sept. 11 and went to the Pentagon after learning what was happening.

She said Meador later suffered from cancers related to his exposure following the attacks.

“That day did not start and finish on September 11th, and our responsibility to the first responders continues into the future,” Spanberger said.

Teaching a New Generation

Twenty-five years after the attacks, Spanberger also focused on the growing number of young Americans who know Sept. 11 only as history.

She recalled having breakfast that morning with her 12-year-old daughter, who asked whether anyone aboard the hijacked planes survived.

Spanberger said the question reminded her of the responsibility parents and communities have to teach younger generations about the scale of the attacks and the people who responded.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks in New York, at the Pentagon and aboard Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.

Spanberger said future generations should understand not only the loss but also the actions of first responders and ordinary citizens who helped others.

“It is our responsibility to ensure the generations of Americans to come know the patriotic and selfless example first responders like you all set,” she told those gathered at Station 5.

A Personal Connection to Sept. 11

Spanberger was a graduate student in Germany when the attacks occurred.

She recalled watching from overseas as Americans lined up to donate blood, volunteers searched through debris, and flags appeared across the country.

She said the response helped shape the direction of her own life.

Spanberger said she had already planned to pursue public service eventually, but witnessing the response to Sept. 11 motivated her to return to the United States and begin that career sooner. She later served as a federal law enforcement officer and CIA officer before entering elected office.

“It was actually watching people like the responders in Arlington, like you all, the ones running towards the danger, the emergency, the ones who remained calm and focused, and yet oh so human,” she said.

She told the first responders that their influence extended well beyond their work during the days and weeks following the attack.

“You all are the ones that drove so many people to pursue careers of service, for some of us earlier than we had planned,” Spanberger said.

Remembering the Unity That Followed

Spanberger also reflected on the national unity many Americans remember from the days after Sept. 11.

She said people often compare that period with divisions seen in the country today. In her remarks, she argued that unity following the attacks was not automatic.

“It was a choice,” Spanberger said.

She pointed to first responders from different agencies working together, New York City firefighters running toward the World Trade Center and the passengers aboard Flight 93 who fought their hijackers.

“Unity wasn’t a foregone conclusion; it was a choice that so many of us made,” she said.

Spanberger said Americans today can make that same choice to work together despite their differences.

She also reflected on those who served during the wars and counterterrorism efforts that followed Sept. 11, acknowledging what she described as the “sorrows and challenges” of the past 25 years.

Rather than describing herself as optimistic about the country’s ability to come together, Spanberger said her outlook is based on refusing to accept another outcome.

“It is, in fact, an unwillingness to accept any other option,” she said.

The governor closed by returning the focus to the first responders gathered at Station 5 and to those who have died in the 25 years since the attacks because of illnesses and other lasting effects.

She said remembering Sept. 11 requires preserving both parts of its history — the magnitude of the loss and the example set by those who answered the call to help.

“I thank you for your service,” Spanberger said. “I am grateful for the example that you have set for Virginians and for our country, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be here to honor this day and say thank you.”