Every September 11th, flags at Santa Clara fire stations are lowered to half-staff to honor the fallen on one of the most devastating days in our country’s modern history. This year was no different, but it carried extra weight because it was a milestone. Exactly 25 years ago, planes struck the Twin Towers in New York City, changing the world forever.

At 6:59 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2026, while many people in the Bay Area were starting their days, a call went out over the SCFD radios. Wearing their dress uniforms, firefighters lowered the flags at local stations to half-staff and stood at attention for one minute to honor the fallen.

This year, members of the SCFD also joined Santa Clara police officers at police headquarters on El Camino Real for an additional ceremony.

“A solemn anniversary of a terrible day, a terrible attack,” said Santa Clara Police Chief Cory Morgan, who had invited SCFD to hold the ceremony at police headquarters. “Just talking to people here that gathered, the small group that gathered here, each one had a personal anecdote about how it really affected them, their family, their life. It’s just an honor to take part.”

Many of the people gathered were not on the police force or in the fire department when the attacks occurred, but they remember where they were and how they felt.

Santa Clara Fire Deputy Chief Matt Queen says keeping these memories alive is important for the next generation of public servants.

“We have people hired that weren’t even born, really have no idea of how it was that day for people that were. So, it’s important we do these ceremonies; we take the opportunity to talk about how the day happened and what sacrifices were made that day and what it represents to public safety, fire service and what we’re meant to do for the community,” said Queen. “It’s to honor the lives lost that day, the sacrifices that were made and also make sure that memory lives on and carries forward; that sense of service carries on to the firefighters and the police officers and other employees that weren’t around to experience that on that day and understand what this job is all about.”

Queen says only about 10-12 firefighters who were in the department on 9/11 are still working. Two Santa Clara firefighters went to Ground Zero as part of recovery efforts, but they have since retired.

For many first responders, 9/11 changed the trajectory of their lives.

“I was at a job before I got hired here, and that was the day where it was like … it wasn’t as serious as a Pat Tillman or something like that that left an NFL career to go join the military and serve, but it was like, ‘Yes, there are greater things to be doing with your time and service to the community,’ and definitely was one of the key reasons why I transitioned and tried to become a firefighter,” said Queen.

“It wasn’t an immediate decision for me to join after 9/11, but it definitely I would call it kind of a slow burn,” said Morgan, who joined the military in 2003. “I just felt the need to serve and to give back, and I did join … honored to have served and still be serving.”