Oklahoma Flags Lowered for 25th Anniversary of September 11
Oklahoma Flags Lowered to Half-Staff on 25th Anniversary of September 11 Attacks
Flags across Oklahoma state property are flying at half-staff today as the nation marks 25 years since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Governor Kevin Stitt ordered Oklahoma flags at half-staff for September 11 under Executive Order 2026-34, directing the American flag, Oklahoma flag and Freedom flags on state property to be lowered in remembrance of the victims.
The governor also highlighted the longstanding connection between Oklahoma and New York first responders, beginning after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and continuing when Oklahomans traveled to Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks.
Oklahoma Flags at Half-Staff for September 11 Honor Victims 25 Years Later
The order to fly Oklahoma flags at half-staff for September 11 comes exactly a quarter-century after coordinated terrorist attacks struck the World Trade Center, Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed on September 11, 2001. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum commemorates 2,983 people killed in the September 11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Stitt said the anniversary remains a day of grief while also recognizing the first responders and other Americans who responded to the attacks.
“We remember the innocent lives taken from their families, the first responders who ran toward danger, and the men and women in uniform who have defended our freedom in the years since,” Stitt said.
Executive Order 2026-34 directs the Division of Capital Assets Management to implement the half-staff directive across appropriate state agencies.
The governor's announcement and details of the directive are available through the official Oklahoma Governor's Office September 11 announcement.
Oklahoma and New York First Responders Share Bond From Two Terrorist Attacks
Oklahoma's remembrance carries a particular connection to New York because of the relationship forged between first responders after two of the deadliest terrorist attacks on American soil.
After the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, members of New York City's police and fire departments traveled to Oklahoma to assist with the rescue and recovery operation.
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum has documented how New York responders helped Oklahoma crews shore up the damaged Murrah Building, allowing rescuers to continue working inside the unstable structure.
Six years later, Oklahoma returned that support.
Oklahomans traveled to New York following the September 11 attacks to assist and support responders working at Ground Zero. The 9/11 Memorial's historical collection documents that some Oklahomans were able to travel east within days of the attacks despite the widespread suspension of commercial air travel.
That history is preserved through the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
September 11 Remembrance Continues Across Oklahoma and the Nation
The 25th anniversary is being observed through ceremonies, moments of silence, flag displays and other commemorations honoring those killed and the responders who entered the attack sites.
At the National September 11 Memorial in New York, victims' family members traditionally gather on the Memorial plaza each year to read aloud the names of those killed.
The commemoration also recognizes key moments from the morning of September 11, including the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.
For Oklahoma, the anniversary also carries the memory of residents with ties to the state who were among those killed and of the first responders who traveled to New York after the attacks.
Stitt said the relationship between Oklahoma and New York demonstrates how Americans have responded to one another following national tragedies.
The names of those killed in the attacks are permanently recorded at the National September 11 Memorial.
Across Oklahoma state property today, the lowered flags mark 25 years since September 11, 2001, honoring the people who died, the first responders who ran toward danger and the generations of Americans whose lives were changed by the attacks.
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