New 9/11 Museum exhibit aims to connect younger Americans to the attacks through powerful artifacts
A new exhibit at the 9/11 Memorial Museum is keeping the memory of that day and its aftermath alive, even for those who didn’t live through it, as the museum highlights 15 years since the raid that killed Usama bin Laden.
"A third of the U.S. population has been born since then, so it’s not just kids," Jay Weinkam, executive vice president of government and community affairs at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, told Fox News Digital. "It is 25 years later, and it’s our teachers, our first responders, men and women in our military forces, educating them on what happened and what the response was."
"Our Flag Was Still There" showcases flags related to 9/11 as the nation marks 25 years since the 2001 terrorist attacks and celebrates its 250th anniversary.
The history-altering terrorist attacks killed nearly 3,000 people when hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
But many Americans are too young to remember.
"It hit me pretty hard when I realized all of the kids there weren’t even alive during 9/11," Will Chesney, a retired SEAL Team operator and dog handler, told Fox News.
"As we approach the 25th anniversary of 9/11, we realize how many people aren’t old enough to remember it," Elizabeth L. Hillman, president and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, told Fox News.
The exhibit, which can be found in the museum’s Foundation Hall, features flags with stories from first responders, veterans and Americans who lived through it, along with artifacts and photos spotlighting the American flag.
Marking 15 years since Usama bin Laden was killed in Operation Neptune Spear, a flag now on display was once tucked into a lead Chinook pilot’s flight gear. After returning to base, he wrote "5/1/11 Geronimo ‘NS’" on the pole base to signal the mission’s success.
Chesney said former President Barack Obama's 2011 announcement that the mission had ended signaled a turning point.
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"Seeing America just so excited and unified and coming back together, that might’ve been one of the best parts of the whole night, was seeing that on the news," he said. "I just, I really wish it would’ve lasted longer."
The museum hopes its exhibit can keep that same sense of unity.
"The flag was a source of strength, resilience and hope… people should have pride and remember how we responded," Weinkam said. "Obviously, learn about what happened, but have some pride in how we came together."
"They remind us how people can come together across the lines that divide us in service of a common cause, and that service inspired by unity is another big theme we can remember from 9/11," Hillman added.
The exhibit includes the Ground Zero flag raised by FDNY firefighters, the flag draped over the Pentagon by soldiers and firefighters and a flag raised over the last column of the South Tower.
Weinkam educators will be crucial to carry on the memory and the 9/11 Memorial Museum has placed an emphasis on programs that help teachers in classrooms across the country educate students on what occurred on that consequential day.
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Future police officers and firefighters can also use the exhibit to learn how their departments helped, Weinkam said.
"We do a lot of training with federal agencies for new recruits," he said. "Every NYPD cadet and every FDNY probie [probationer] is required to come here as part of training to learn how their department responded on 9/11."
He said honoring 9/11 heroes is more important than ever for younger generations.
"With fewer and fewer people in those leadership positions back then or even with those forces, it’s important to remind those coming up of what happened and what could happen again," he said.
Hillman also hopes the exhibit can help young people emotionally connect to what happened.
"The museum can connect people to the events of that day in a really powerful way, and having artifacts from the important historical events before, on 9/11, and after 9/11, like Operation Neptune Spear, is a great way to connect our visitors to the stories of 9/11," she said.
Personal artifacts may be the key, she said.
"When we see the spaces, when we see the material, the artifacts, the models, the axe that a firefighter carried, those sorts of real experiences, material experiences, and firsthand experiences with eyewitnesses, they help move people to understand and appreciate what came before," she said.
Retired U.S. Navy four-star Adm. William H. McRaven told Fox News that even in the worst moments, people come together, and that is something worth remembering.
"It really showcased the American spirit," McRaven said. "It showed that in our most dire moments, we can come together, unify and get the job done. But as you point out with the fire truck behind us and this incredible museum and memorial we’re in, this is about making sure we never forget," he said.
The exhibit will remain open to the public through February 2028.