In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, President George W. Bush proclaimed Friday, September 14, 2001, as a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims of the Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001.[1]
A bill to make September 11 a national day of mourning was introduced on October 25, 2001. The bill requested that the President designate September 11 of each year as Patriot Day. The bill passed the Senate unanimously on November 30. President Bush signed the resolution into law on December 18, 2001. On September 4, 2002, President Bush used the authority of the resolution to proclaim September 11, 2002, as the first Patriot Day.
In observance throughout the United States, the American flag is flown at half-mast at the White House and on all U.S. government buildings and establishments throughout the world. Additionally, a moment of silence is observed to correspond with the attacks on that day in 2001, beginning at 8:46 a.m. EDT, the time the first plane struck the North Tower of the on September 11, 2001.