Day of Remembrance marking 9/11 anniversary at the State Capitol looks to the lessons learned, with hope for the future

The skies were blue over the State Capitol on Saturday morning, bright and breezy and perfect, a near replica of that September morning 20 years ago when everything changed.

The Minnesota Tribute Bell rang four times over a span of 77 minutes: at 7:46 a.m., marking when Flight 11 hit the World Trade Center's north tower; 8:03 a.m., when Flight 175 hit the Trade Center's south tower; 8:37 a.m., when Flight 77 hit the Pentagon; and 9:03 a.m., when Flight 93 crashed in a Pennsylvania farm field after passengers fought back against the hijackers.

Those 77 minutes changed America, and Saturday was a time to remember the horror, anger and despair that came on Sept. 11, 2001.

But it was also a time to remember the feelings that came afterward — awe at the stories of heroism that would emerge from the terror, humility at the selflessness displayed in the weeks and months after the attacks, and unity over the shared humanity that comforted Americans in the aftermath of one of the nation's darkest days.

"We were united," Gov. Tim Walz told a crowd of several hundred at Saturday's 9/11 Day of Remembrance. "I'm not saying we all thought the same. I'm not saying we all agreed on everything. But we understood the things that united us were far greater than those that divided us."

To many who attended, it felt like both a lifetime ago and yesterday. The day America was attacked was a turning point in history, like Pearl Harbor or the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., like the Challenger explosion. All memories seared into the national consciousness.

Somehow, perhaps because it was more recent, it felt on Saturday like 9/11 had eclipsed those events. That day was, as speakers said again and again, a day of evil that revealed so much good.

With an enormous American flag suspended between ladder trucks from the Minneapolis and St. Paul fire departments, the 34th Infantry Division Red Bull Band played patriotic songs to a crowd of soldiers and veterans who were personally affected by the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks — many of them among the 40,000 Minnesotans who have served in the military in the past two decades.

The crowd paid homage to Minnesotans who lost family members in the terror attacks and in the two wars, in Iraq and Afghanistan, that were fought in response.

Four F-16 planes from the Minnesota Air National Guard's 148th Fighter Wing roared over the Capitol in "missing man" formation. One of the planes doubled back and performed a barrel roll above the enthralled crowd. Afterward, World War II planes rumbled over the Capitol grounds.

As speakers remembered the day and bands played, life went on nearby, with traffic buzzing nearby on Interstate Hwy. 94 and people waiting in line at Starbucks and Target — reminders of how everyday life has endured while the shock and lessons of 9/11 have receded over 20 years.

For those who lived through that day, it seemed impossible that it has been so long. But 9/11 was an event that happened in a different era, bringing a brief time of national unity before divisions grew over the threats of terrorism, climate change and pandemic.

But it would be folly, Votel said, to ignore the middle of the 9/11 story — the most important part, he added. And the middle began with the passengers of Flight 93, including Minnesotan Thomas Burnett Jr., fighting back.

"It is a story about those that stood up and played a role when the nation called," Votel said. "They fought back aboard hijacked aircraft. They willingly plunged into an inflamed Pentagon to rescue their comrades. They dug with their hands in the wreckage of the twin towers to recover their neighbors. They lined up to give blood in the hope they could contribute to saving a life. They formed citizen cordons for firemen, police and service members making their final lonely journey home, and then cared for their grieving families and helped raise their children.

"These are the in-between stories. It is here that we see the better angels of ourself, rising to the challenge that the moments present. And it is here that I hope you will spend most of your time when commemorating this solemn event."