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25th Anniversary Of 9/11 Observed At NAS Pensacola
September 12, 2026
Twenty-five years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, service members, local first responders, and community members gathered at Naval Air Station Pensacola on Friday to honor the victims and reflect on a quarter-century of vigilance.
The installation marked the milestone anniversary with multiple observances, bringing together both those who lived through the tragedy and a new generation of service members tasked with carrying its legacy forward.
At the Charles E. Taylor hangar, personnel from NAS Pensacola and the Naval Air Technical Training Command (NATTC) joined emergency personnel and civilian staff for a solemn ceremony featuring a reading of the timeline of the 2001 attacks and a moment of silence.
“For a quarter century, our nation has kept a solemn promise: we will never forget,” said Capt. Ronald Rumfelt Jr., commanding officer of Naval Aviation Schools Command, who served as guest speaker. “To never forget is not merely a slogan, it is an operational imperative. For 25 years, the men and women of our armed forces have answered the call born on that morning. Some of you may not have been born when our nation was attacked, yet stand here, entrusted with the task of bearing our heritage into the future, and keeping our solemn promise: we will never forget.”
Later in the day, the public gathered beneath the suspended aircraft of the National Naval Aviation Museum’s Blue Angels Atrium for a second observance featuring firsthand accounts from retired military officers whose lives were directly altered by the events of that day.
Retired Cmdr. Steve Scheibner, who was an American Airlines commercial pilot in 2001, shared the harrowing story of how close he came to being aboard the first plane used in the attacks. Scheibner was originally scheduled to pilot American Airlines Flight 11 before his schedule was changed on September 10, 2001. Flight 11 was hijacked the following morning and flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
“I think all of us, if we’re old enough, remember exactly where we were on that terrible day,” Scheibner said. “That first television screen you saw is etched into your mind forever. It’s one of those moments where your brain takes a snapshot of exactly where you were.”
Attendees also heard from retired Vice Adm. John Totushek, former Chief of Naval Reserve and Commander of Naval Reserve Force, who was working inside his office at the Pentagon when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the building in Arlington, Virginia.
“God bless the brave people that fought fires and went into buildings and rescued people that day,” Totushek said. “God bless the military people and contractors who worked so hard to get the Pentagon back up and running in less than a year. And we’ll never forget. It’s up to us and our leadership to be ever watchful.”
The museum ceremony concluded with the presentation of a ceremonial wreath and the playing of “Taps.”
Photo by Ens. Anthony Aspenson/U.S. Navy for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
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