9/11 Memorial & Museum Opens New Exhibition, In Their Honor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 2, 2026

AS AMERICA AND THE WORLD PREPARE TO COMMEMORATE 25 YEARS SINCE SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 ATTACKS, THE 9/11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM OPENS NEW SPECIAL EXHIBITION, IN THEIR HONOR: 25 YEARS OF 9/11-INSPIRED SERVICE

The exhibition brings together firsthand accounts, artifacts, and multimedia storytelling

Photos of the exhibition and select artifacts can be found HERE

NEW YORK, NY – The 9/11 Memorial & Museum announced a new exhibition, In Their Honor: 25 Years of 9/11-Inspired Service, which explores how individuals and communities transformed grief into a 25-year legacy of public service and community action following the September 11, 2001 attacks. The exhibition will open to the public on September 12, 2026.

In Their Honor invites visitors to reflect on an enduring legacy of 9/11: how the events of that day motivated individuals to serve others. Through firsthand accounts, artifacts, and multimedia storytelling, the exhibition highlights the different ways people responded to 9/11, from military service and emergency response to healthcare advocacy, education, philanthropy, and creative expression, and how the legacy of 9/11 continues to shape the lives and choices of a generation. That legacy takes on new significance today, as 100 million Americans – one-third of the population – are too young to remember the attacks.

“Twenty-five years later, we can see the profound ways that 9/11 changed our country and the people who lived through it,” said Beth Hillman, President and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. “In Their Honor recognizes individuals, organizations, and communities who chose to act in the face of unimaginable loss, reminding us that service can take many forms. These stories offer powerful examples of the purpose and meaning that people can find in serving others.”

At the center of the exhibition are six anchor artifacts, each representing a different thematic dimension of service and its lasting impact, from which additional stories unfold:

• The Feathers of the Phoenix: Created in 2006 by children attending America’s Camp, a summer camp for kids who lost family members on 9/11, the phoenix sculpture symbolizes rebirth, endurance and collective resilience. Each feather is an individual expression from a bereaved child that testifies to the power of community. From 2002 to 2011, America’s Camp welcomed up to 400 children each year.
• Jedburgh wing cutout from World Trade Center steel: Cut from World Trade Center steel that was once part of the America’s Response Monument, these wings connect U.S. Special Operations Forces who served after 9/11 with the World War II-era Jedburgh teams who parachuted into occupied France to support the D-Day invasion.
• Board signed by Disaster Medical Assistance Teams personnel: This plywood board once formed part of a security wall around a DMAT tent at Ground Zero. Medical and mental health professionals from across the country affixed their team patches to the board and signed it with messages reflecting their experiences at Ground Zero.
• Uniform jacket worn by American Airlines Captain Beverley Bass: Bass, American Airlines’ first female captain, wore the jacket on September 11, 2001, after diverting her flight to Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, following the closure of U.S. airspace. Years later, actress Jenn Colella wore the jacket in select performances while portraying Bass in the musical Come From Away.
• Bunker coat signed by 9/11 healthcare advocates: The bunker coat belonged to FDNY Firefighter Ray Pfeifer, who died in 2017 after battling 9/11-related cancer. In 2019, advocates signed Pfeifer’s coat and presented it to comedian Jon Stewart prior to Stewart’s 2019 Congressional testimony, to thank him for his support of long-term healthcare for 9/11 responders. Their efforts helped secure federal funding for those sickened by toxic exposure into the 2090s.
• Betty Nielsen and Freedom Quilts: After watching the attacks unfold from her home in Iowa, U.S. Air Force veteran Betty Nielsen rallied her community to create five memorial quilts. The effort grew into Freedom Quilts, a volunteer network that has created and delivered more than 6,700 quilts to families of those killed on 9/11 and in the post-9/11 wars.

The exhibition also features the stories of individuals whose lives demonstrate the many forms of service inspired by 9/11. These include:

• Jerome Nedd, Jr., who became an FDNY firefighter inspired by the responders who tried to save his father, Jerome O. Nedd, a chef at Windows on the World.
• Shayla Colon, who became a journalist, was guided by her mother Sol E. Colon’s example of empathy and personal motivation to counter misinformation.
• Olivia Perez Johntry, who became a science teacher after being inspired by forensic anthropologists’ work identifying victims of 9/11, and whose father, Anthony Perez, died in the attacks.
• James and Patrick Dowdell, who followed their father FDNY Lieutenant Kevin Christopher Dowdell’s legacy of public service through careers in the FDNY and U.S. Army.
• Caitlyn McIntyre, who became a registered nurse inspired by her father, PAPD Officer Donald James McIntyre’s service and sacrifice on 9/11, and her mother’s nursing career.
• Bryan and Christopher Strauss, who followed their father’s example of service by joining the NYPD and, in 2024, the NYPD Emergency Service Unit. NYPD ESU Detective Scott Strauss was part of the rescue of PAPD officers trapped below rubble at the World Trade Center.

“Service has always been a part of our family story. Our father, Lieutenant Kevin Dowdell, showed us through his FDNY career what it means to dedicate your life to helping others, and both of us found our own ways to carry that legacy forward through our service in the FDNY and U.S. Army,” said James and Patrick Dowdell, whose stories are featured in the exhibition. “Having our family’s story included in In Their Honor is deeply meaningful to us. It honors not only our father’s example, but the many families who turned the loss and sacrifice of 9/11 into a commitment to serve others and carry that legacy forward.”

Military, emergency, and humanitarian service are represented through stories of U.S. service members, Disaster Medical Assistance Teams who provided care at Ground Zero, and advocates who fought for long-term healthcare for 9/11 responders and stronger aviation security. Organizations including 9/11 Day, HEART 9/11, Voices Center for Resilience, and the Tunnel to Towers Foundation further illustrate how these efforts have continued and expanded in the years since 9/11.

Creative and cultural responses include the founding of the Tribeca Festival, the creation of the Broadway musical Come From Away, and the annual presentation of Tribute in Light. Stories of Betty Nielsen’s creation of Freedom Quilts, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner’s ongoing identification of 9/11 victims, and other efforts to preserve memory further demonstrate the many ways individuals and communities have honored those lost and carried their stories forward.

Presentation of In Their Honor: 25 Years of 9/11-Inspired Service has been made possible by Underwriting Sustainers Bank of America and The Starr Foundation with additional support from Presenting Sustainers 9/11 Day and AmeriCorps, Barasch & McGarry, BNY, Hagerty Consulting, MetLife Foundation, Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, and Tunnel to Towers Foundation, and Annual Sustainers Agnes Gund and Gay Lutton.

"The Starr Foundation is proud to support In Their Honor, as a way to bring stories of 9/11-inspired service to a new generation. Today's Museum visitors without lived memory of 9/11 will not only gain a deeper understanding of its history but will also draw inspiration from those who were faced with unspeakable tragedy and chose to be unmistakable agents of good," said the Starr Foundation.

Sustainers are a preeminent circle of patrons committed to supporting key initiatives of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, such as special and rotating exhibitions, collection acquisitions, and educational, public, and professional programs.

The In Their Honor: 25 Years of 9/11-Inspired Service exhibition will open to the public on September 12, 2026. Tickets are available HERE.

ABOUT THE 9/11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUM

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum is dedicated to exploring 9/11, documenting its impact, and examining its continuing significance. This mission is advanced through commemoration, education, and inspiration. Located on eight of the 16 acres of the World Trade Center site, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum remembers and honors the 2,983 lives lost on September 11, 2001, and February 26, 1993. Through exhibitions, a wide variety of programs, and commemorative events, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum seeks to educate the public – particularly the 100 million Americans born since the attacks or those too young to remember them – about the consequences of terrorism and its impact on individuals and communities. By preserving and sharing stories of resilience, compassion, and courage, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum hopes to inspire individuals to build a more compassionate and secure world.

For more information or to reserve a ticket to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, please visit 911memorial.org.

MEDIA INQUIRIES

Garrett Levine | (954) 464-4015 | press@911memorial.org