Patriot Day is a United States federal observance held annually on September 11th. It is officially designated as the National Day of Service and Remembrance. The day serves to commemorate the nearly 3,000 people killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The observance was established by a presidential proclamation signed by George W. Bush on December 18, 2001. It is crucial to distinguish Patriot Day (September 11) from Patriots' Day, a civic holiday celebrated in April in Massachusetts, Maine, and Wisconsin that commemorates the Battles of Lexington and Concord during the American Revolutionary War. The similarity in names often leads to confusion, but the two events are entirely separate in historical context and date of observance.
On Patriot Day, the President directs that the flag of the United States be flown at half-staff at all federal buildings and establishments, both domestically and abroad. Americans are asked to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time), the time the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The addition of "National Day of Service and Remembrance" in 2009 encourages citizens to engage in community service and charitable activities as a tribute to the victims, survivors, and first responders of the attacks.
