In solemn commemoration of the devastating September 11, 2001, attacks, Governor Tina Kotek has commanded that all flags at public institutions in Oregon be lowered to half-staff until sunset of Patriot Day, following the orders laid out in President Biden's Presidential Proclamation, as reported by the Oregon state newsroom. This directive serves to honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 individuals who perished in the terrorist onslaught, inclusive of civilians and first responders, whose lives were irreversibly impacted that fateful day.

Reflecting on the significance of this national moment Governor Kotek relayed a message expressing the state's collective heartache and veneration for those who demonstrated the utmost bravery amid the chaos, "Today, we remember those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, the families who grieve for them still, and the courage and selflessness of the first responders that day." and although the governor sought to recognize the profound sense of unity and resilience that emanated globally as an antidote to the tragedy her statement implicitly reminds us of the fissures that have since then, etched themselves into the nation's fabric. Kotek enunciated the sentiments by acknowledging that in honoring the victims, we must also celebrate "the kindness and strength so many across the country and world showed in the face of tragedy; they showed us the best of who we can be," as acquired by the Oregon state newsroom.

The decree that flags are to be lowered is a tradition that has been observed annually, meant to not only serve as a period of remembrance but also to inspire acts of service and community building representative of the surge of collective resolve displayed immediately following the attacks. The act is a visual symbol, pervading the skyline with vestiges of a shared historical moment that continues to influence the trajectory of the nation's policies, its global position, and the interpersonal dynamics within its communities.