Stafford County Will Honor the Fallen at 25th Observance of the 9/11 Attacks

Stafford County will mark the 25 years since the 9/11 attacks with a special ceremony on Friday, September 11, 2026. The ceremony recognizes and pays tribute to the more than 3,000 people who died during attacks on the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and the skies over Shanksville, PA.

"We honor their legacy every year by recognizing today's first responders and teaching younger generations the significance of that day," said Deuntay Diggs, Chairman of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors. "We annually reaffirm our commitment to the ideal that there is far more that unites us than divides us."

The ceremony will occur outside the Stafford County Public Safety Building, 1225 Courthouse Road, Stafford, VA 22554, at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, September 11, 2026. A bell-ringing ceremony will be performed that involves five tolls, a signal that traditionally marked the safe return of firefighters to the station. The bell ringing is also used at funerals for fire and rescue personnel.

Stafford County has held an annual bell-ringing ceremony since the year after 9/11. Speakers include Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chairman Deuntay Diggs, George Washington District, Stafford County Fire and Rescue Chief Joseph Cardello and Sheriff David Decatur from the Stafford County Sheriff's Office.