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

From November 8-12, 2023, we celebrated the diversity and commitment of veterans with special events including a screening of the award-winning short film Boatlift, now playing daily in our newly reopened South Tower Screening Room; a U.S. Navy reenlistment ceremony on the plaza; and the placement of yellow roses at the names of veterans killed on 9/11, with the veteran organization Team Red, White & Blue and our partners at TD Bank. 

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. 

Through the sixth annual 9/11 Memorial & Museum Summit on Security, presented by Fiserv, Salute to Service programming in 2023 is made possible by Bloomberg as well as the Anheuser-Busch Foundation, Goldman Sachs Gives, Allied Universal, Morgan Stanley, and Secureworks.