Members of the U.S. Navy hold a flag-folding ceremony on the 9/11 Memorial plaza before a group of onlookers.
Photo by Jin S. Lee

Salute to Service

Each November, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum recognizes our country’s veterans through Salute to Service, a tribute honoring those who served in the military as well as the families and communities that support them. All year long, active and retired military receive free Museum admission.  

Video: Salute to Service: Veterans Reflect on 9/11

STS VET PAGE Final_caps_v3

Salute to Service Events & Tributes

From Thursday, November 7 through Monday, November 11, the Memorial & Museum will host a series of events and tributes for our military and veterans, as well as the families and communities that support them. This year’s highlights include: 

Complimentary Museum Admission
We are pleased to offer free admission to active and retired U.S. military, veterans, Blue & Gold Star families, and guests. Reserve tickets here.

Rose Placement
As we do each Veterans Day, the 9/11 Memorial, alongside volunteers from the veteran organization Team Red, White & Blue, will place yellow roses at the names of 9/11 victims who served in the United States military. If you are a 9/11 family member and you would like us to place a yellow rose at the name of your loved one who served in the U.S. military, please email veterans@911memorial.org.

Virtual Tour Program
The Museum is offering a free virtual tour during Salute to Service. This on-demand tour, exclusive to the military and veteran community, takes participants through the Museum’s key spaces to provide a deeper understanding of 9/11, the lead up to the attacks, and their continuing global significance. If you are interested in this virtual tour, please RSVP here.

Events & Visits
If you are a veteran organization and would like to participate in Salute to Service, including hosting a visit to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, please email veterans@911memorial.org.

Visionaries in Service
Find out how Visionaries in Service are getting involved. 

Featured Programs: You are Invited

United States Navy Band Northeast Ceremonial Band Performance
Join us on Sunday, November 10 at 10 a.m. for a special performance by the Navy Band Northeast Ceremonial Band. Admiral Carl Lahti to begin the performance with opening remarks.

Location: Memorial Plaza between the two reflecting pools for a performance.

United States Marine Corps Birthday Salute 
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum is honored to welcome participants of this year's GORUCK/United War Veterans Council's Honor Ruck, including New York City Veterans Day Parade Grand Marshal and Medal of Honor Recipient, Sgt. Dakota Meyer. Alongside members from the United States Marine Corps, the Parade's featured service branch, Memorial visitors are welcome to join in this special event honoring our nation's veterans on Sunday, November 10 at 2:30 p.m. 

Location: Memorial Plaza between the two reflecting pools for a performance. 

United States Air Force Honor Guard Flag Fold
Join us on Monday, November 11 from 8-10 a.m. as the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard conducts multiple demonstrations of a flag fold, explaining its background and emphasizing its importance. 

Location: Memorial Plaza between the two reflecting pools.

Upcoming Public Program
In honor of this year’s Salute to Service, we invite you to join us for our upcoming public program, Above & Beyond: The Air Force Response on 9/11, on Monday, November 11 at 6 p.m. in the Museum auditorium. As thousands of first responders mobilized on the ground in response to the attacks on 9/11, fighter pilots took to the nation's skies. In this moment of unprecedented crisis, United States Air Force Lieutenant General Marc Sasseville, Major Heather Penney, and Lieutenant General Daniel Caine scrambled their F-16 jets, Sasseville and Penney without any weapons, to intercept any hijacked planes still in the skies and prevent an even larger tragedy. In honor of Salute to Service, these service members will join Museum President & CEO Beth Hillman to discuss the Air Force response on 9/11, lessons learned, and how the events reshaped the nation’s national defense protocols. You may attend this public program virtually or in person. Register here.

Location: Museum Auditorium

2023 Salute to Service Highlights

  • Close-up of yellow roses with an image that shows the American flag and the text THANK YOU
  • Five smiling people at a 9/11 Memorial podium inside the Museum
  • Uniformed officers folding an American flag on the Memorial plaza
  • Two women in military uniforms salute a tribute wreath with an American flag at center
  • Group of uniformed military men and women stand at attention on the plaza
  • A group of uniformed Coast Guard members in the auditorium, listening to a staff member speak in front of a movie screen
  • Four Coast Guard members in uniform walk across the plaza carrying instruments, flags, and a rifle, with the Memorial in background
  • Back view of guests wearing Operation Mend jackets study a large artifact in the museum
  • A row of smiling people at the Survivor Tree, with an American Flag wreath at center
  • Three men hold baskets of yellow roses on the Memorial plaza
  • People hover over a bucket of yellow roses as they prepare to place the on the Memorial
  • Yellow roses on the Memorial
  • Person carrying a flag folded military style
  • Ruck participants carry American flags onto the Plaza
  • Two people in uniform stand at the Survivor Tree with a tribute wreath between them

Photos: David E. Starke

Top: Veterans Day tribute on the plaza

Row 1: (L) Visionaries John Paluska, Ashley Nicholas, Bridget Gormley, and Cait Leavey with Lauren Daly, Senior Director, Community Affairs. (R) FDNY firefighters ceremoniously folding American flags, which were previously flown over the 9/11 Memorial. These flags were then presented to veterans in Houston during the Tunnel to Towers Foundation Veterans Village residence dedication there.

Row 2: (L) U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Joanna Nunan and Captain Zeita Merchant. (R): Navy Reenlistment Ceremony.

Row 3: (L) U.S. Coast Guard members attend an "All Available Boats" screening. (R) U.S. Coast Guard Honor Guard.

Row 4: (L) UCLA Health Operation Mend Memorial & Museum visit. (R) Wounded Wounded Warrior Project CEO LTG (Ret.) Mike Linnington and veterans at Survivor Tree

Row 5: (L) Team Red, White, and Blue during yellow rose placement on Veterans Day. (R) Team Red, White, and Blue and TDBank team members during yellow rose placement on Veterans Day. 

Row 6: (L) Yellow roses on the Memorial. (R) Moment of tribute during United War Veterans Council Honor Ruck. 

Row 7: (L) United War Veterans Council Honor Ruck at Memorial. (R) Survivor Tree tribute.