25 Years Later: Remembering September 11 and a Coast Guard Hero
Twenty-five years ago, September 11, 2001 began like any other Tuesday morning. By the end of the day, our nation had changed forever. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and aboard Flight 93. Behind that number are thousands of individual stories: families who lost loved ones, first responders who ran toward danger, and ordinary Americans who stepped forward to help strangers. A quarter century later, September 11 remains a day to pause, remember and honor those whose lives were taken and those who answered the call.
The Coast Guard was among those who responded immediately. As Lower Manhattan became increasingly isolated, its waterfront offered an escape route. Coast Guard personnel helped organize an extraordinary flotilla of ferries, tugboats, commercial vessels and private boats that evacuated more than 500,000 people from Manhattan by water. It became the largest maritime evacuation in recorded history, accomplished in less than eight hours without loss of life during the evacuation. Coast Guard cutters, small boats and aircraft also responded, while personnel helped secure New York Harbor and supported operations around Ground Zero.
The Coast Guard's mission changed in lasting ways after that day. On September 14, Operation Noble Eagle brought additional Coast Guard men and women into port-security, search-and-rescue and recovery missions. Thousands of Coast Guard Reservists and Auxiliarists were mobilized in what became the largest homeland-defense and port-security operation since World War II. The attacks also helped reshape America's approach to homeland security. The Department of Homeland Security was created in 2002, and in March 2003 the Coast Guard transferred from the Department of Transportation to the new department.
But history isn't only about operations, dates and numbers. It is about people. And one of the Coast Guard's most powerful stories from September 11 is that of Machinery Technician 1st Class Jeffrey Palazzo. Palazzo had served eight years on active duty before becoming a Coast Guard reservist while also serving as a New York City firefighter. Rescue was seemingly part of who he was long before either uniform: according to his family, he helped rescue capsized boaters when he was just eight years old. During his Coast Guard career, he responded to major incidents and was credited by a fellow Coast Guardsman with saving dozens of people from the water during the 1993 Golden Venture disaster.
On September 11, Palazzo was serving with FDNY Rescue Company 5. When New York needed him, he answered the call one final time. Palazzo and 10 other members of Rescue 5 lost their lives while responding to the World Trade Center. His Coast Guard story, however, did not end that morning. The service later announced that a Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter would bear his name, ensuring future generations of Coast Guardsmen would know the story of a man who dedicated his life to saving others. Fittingly, on September 12, 2026, one day after the 25th anniversary of the attacks, the Coast Guard is scheduled to commission USCGC Jeffrey Palazzo in New York City.
This is exactly why preserving Coast Guard history matters. The National Coast Guard Museum is helping ensure stories like Jeffrey Palazzo's aren't lost to time. Palazzo's story will be included in the Museum's 9/11 exhibit, alongside the larger story of how Coast Guard men and women responded when our nation needed them most. As we mark 25 years since September 11, we encourage you to take a few minutes to read the Museum's story of Jeffrey Palazzo, remember his sacrifice and learn about the Coast Guard legacy that continues in his name.
Never Forget. Semper Paratus.
Read: Jeffrey Palazzo — A 9/11 Coast Guard Hero's Story
National Coast Guard Museum
