September 11 Remembrance: 25 Years Later, We Remember
On the 25th anniversary of September 11, Aviation Heritage Park & Museum will bring the community together to remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost, honor those who answered the call to serve, and reflect on a day that forever changed America.
The Museum will hold a September 11 Remembrance at 1 p.m. Friday, September 11, inside Aviation Heritage Park & Museum in Bowling Green. The public is invited to attend.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners. Two were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. A third struck the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Passengers and crew aboard United Airlines Flight 93 fought back against the hijackers before the aircraft crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
In a matter of hours, nearly 3,000 people were killed. Among them were office workers and travelers, firefighters and police officers, military personnel and ordinary Americans who began that morning expecting it to be a day like any other.
What followed was grief on a scale difficult to comprehend. But Americans also witnessed extraordinary courage. First responders rushed toward danger. Strangers helped strangers. Communities gathered to pray, mourn and comfort one another. American flags appeared on homes, businesses and along streets across the country.
A quarter century later, September 11 remains a day to remember both what America lost and how Americans responded.
Brigadier General Todd Wiles, a Warren East High School and Western Kentucky University graduate with deep ties to the Bowling Green community, will be the featured speaker for the remembrance.
Brig. Gen. Todd Wiles will be the featured speaker at Aviation Heritage Park & Museum’s September 11 Remembrance.
Wiles entered the U.S. Air Force in 1995 as a Distinguished Graduate of WKU’s Air Force ROTC program and went on to a distinguished career as an Air Force command pilot and military leader. He spent 15 years flying the F-16 and served in numerous leadership positions, including F-16 instructor and evaluation pilot, squadron and group commander, and commander of the Tennessee Air National Guard’s 118th Wing.
His service took him directly into the conflicts that followed September 11. During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Wiles served as a forward air controller providing air support to U.S. Army forces. He later served another combat tour in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, flying the F-16 and MQ-9. He was promoted to brigadier general in 2022 and served as Chief of Staff for the Tennessee Air National Guard.
His military honors include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal and Aerial Achievement Medal.
The September 11 Remembrance will also include a prayer and the playing of Taps in honor of those whose lives were lost.
For Americans who remember September 11, the images and emotions of that day have never entirely faded. For a generation born afterward, however, September 11 is history rather than memory. On its 25th anniversary, Aviation Heritage Park & Museum invites both generations to come together: those who remember where they were when they heard the news, and those who know the story only through the words and memories of others.
Twenty-five years later, the responsibility to remember belongs to all of us.
September 11 Remembrance
Friday, September 11, 2026
1 p.m.
Aviation Heritage Park & Museum
Bowling Green, Kentucky
The public is invited to attend.
