Central Florida marks 9/11 anniversary

Cadets from the Air Force JROTC program at Dr. Phillips High School held their 11th Annual 9/11 Memorial Tribute, honoring the lives lost and the heroic efforts of first responders during the Sept. 11 attacks in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel) Cadets from the Air Force JROTC program at Dr. Phillips High School held their 11th Annual 9/11 Memorial Tribute, honoring the lives lost and the heroic efforts of first responders during the Sept. 11 attacks in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel) Local first responder agencies, including the Orlando Police Department, Orlando Fire Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Office and Orange County Fire Rescue, also participate in the Cadets from the Air Force JROTC program at Dr. Phillips High School held their 11th Annual 9/11 Memorial Tribute, honoring the lives lost and the heroic efforts of first responders during the Sept. 11 attacks in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel) Director of Air Force JROTC, Colonel Matthew Tipton, center, talks with cadets from the Air Force JROTC program at Dr. Phillips High School after their 11th Annual 9/11 Memorial Tribute in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel) Col. Calvin Wimbish (US Army, Ret.) is the Keynote Speaker during the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel) Dr. Marta Olenderek sings the National Anthem during the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel) Cadets from the Air Force JROTC program at Dr. Phillips High School held their 11th Annual 9/11 Memorial Tribute, honoring the lives lost and the heroic efforts of first responders during the Sept. 11 attacks in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel) Cadets from the Air Force JROTC program at Dr. Phillips High School held their 11th Annual 9/11 Memorial Tribute, honoring the lives lost and the heroic efforts of first responders during the Sept. 11 attacks in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel) Cadets from the Air Force JROTC program at Dr. Phillips High School held their 11th Annual 9/11 Memorial Tribute, honoring the lives lost and the heroic efforts of first responders during the Sept. 11 attacks in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel) The Honor Guard of the American Legion Post 286 get ready to do the Presentation of Colors during the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel) Dr. Marta Olenderek sings the National Anthem during the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel) Chief Chaplain Craig Daugherty does the Invocation during the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel) Therapy dogs and their handlers pose for photos at the 9/11 Remembrance Wall at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel) Left to Right, US Veterans Affairs Police lieutenant Bryan Ojeda; Honor Guard of the American Legion Post 286 Grády Marshall; and US Veterans Affairs Police lieutenant Peter Zayas, salute after placing a memorial wreath at the 9/11 Remembrance Wall at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel) Col. Calvin Wimbish (US Army, Ret.) is the Keynote Speaker during the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel) On Thursday, Central Florida marked the 24th anniversary of the deadly attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 that killed nearly 3,000 in the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center in New York City, at the Pentagon in Virginia and in a plane crash in a field in Shanksville, Pa. Top, Cadets from the Air Force JROTC program at Dr. Phillips High School held their 11th Annual 9/11 Memorial Tribute, honoring the lives lost and the heroic efforts of first responders. Bottom, Honor Guard of the American Legion Post 286 Grády Marshall, from left, and US Veterans Affairs Police lieutenants Bryan Ojeda and Peter Zayas, place the memorial wreath during the 9/11 remembrance ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona.. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel and Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel) Orlando VA Healthcare System Acting Deputy Director Jacqueline Kill delivers the Welcome Remarks during the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel) Chief Chaplain Craig Daugherty does the Invocation during the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel) The Honor Guard of the American Legion Post 286 get ready to do the Presentation of Colors during the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel) 9/11 Remembrance Wall at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel) Col. Calvin Wimbish (US Army, Ret.) is the Keynote Speaker during the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona, on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel) Show Caption1 of 22On Thursday, Central Florida marked the 24th anniversary of the deadly attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 that killed nearly 3,000 in the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center in New York City, at the Pentagon in Virginia and in a plane crash in a field in Shanksville, Pa. Top, Cadets from the Air Force JROTC program at Dr. Phillips High School held their 11th Annual 9/11 Memorial Tribute, honoring the lives lost and the heroic efforts of first responders. Bottom, Honor Guard of the American Legion Post 286 Grády Marshall, from left, and US Veterans Affairs Police lieutenants Bryan Ojeda and Peter Zayas, place the memorial wreath during the 9/11 remembrance ceremony at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona.. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel and Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)Expand