President Joe Biden will commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on America with an event with troops and military family members at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, White House officials announced Monday.
The ceremony will follow a Sept. 10 trip to Hanoi, Vietnam, to meet with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. Biden will fly from there to Alaska for the Sept. 11 memorial event, which is expected to include representatives from all of the military branches.
This week, U.S. officials will mark the two-year anniversary of the full withdrawal of American military forces from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years of combat operations there, actions brought on by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
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On Aug. 26, Biden released a statement honoring the 13 U.S. servicemembers killed in a terrorist bombing at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport during that evacuation.
“We can never repay the incredible sacrifice of any of the 2,461 U.S. service members who lost their lives over two decades of war in Afghanistan or the 20,744 who were wounded,” he said. “But we will never fail to honor our sacred obligation to our service members and veterans, as well as their families, caregivers, and survivors.”
In addition to Biden’s appearance at the Alaska base, first lady Jill Biden is expected to attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial on the anniversary. Defense Department officials have not released full details of that event.
Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to visit New York City for remembrance events there.
Nearly 3,000 individuals were killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, including 184 who were at the Pentagon.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
