The term "Patriot Day" functions as a proper noun, designating a specific day of observance in the United States. This day occurs annually on September 11th to commemorate the individuals who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Patriot Day was established by U.S. Public Law 107-89, signed by President George W. Bush on December 18, 2001. Officially designated as the "National Day of Service and Remembrance," the law directs that the flag of the United States be displayed at half-staff at all federal buildings and individual American homes. It also calls for a nationwide moment of silence to be observed at 8:46 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, corresponding to the time the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
It is important to distinguish Patriot Day (September 11) from Patriots' Day, a civic holiday observed on the third Monday of April in Massachusetts and Maine, which commemorates the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Therefore, Patriot Day is a fixed-date national observance dedicated to solemn remembrance and reflection, not a celebratory public holiday.
