NEW HAVEN, Conn. (Sep. 9, 2020)—Two local veterans service organizations are asking people to wear an article of red clothing on Friday, to mark the 19th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and to show solidarity for deployed U.S. military service members.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars New Haven Post 12150 and the American Legion New Haven Post 210 hope to honor the thousands killed in the 9/11 attack, recognize those who risked their lives to save others in the wake of the attack, and to Remember Everyone Deployed (R.E.D.)—a tradition in many military communities—by wearing red on Friday.
VFW and American Legion Post Commander Charles M. Pickett said, “despite the coronavirus crisis, we should never forget the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, which triggered nearly two decades of war. While the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting traditional 9/11 memorial services this year, we’re asking people to remember 9/11 and honor our troops who are still deployed in support of the Global War on Terror by making a simple and COVID-safe gesture by wearing red on Friday.”
In response to the Tuesday, September 11, 2001 attacks, the United States invaded Afghanistan in October 2001, seeking to destroy al-Qaida and the Afghan Taliban, who harbored the terrorist group. According to the publication Stars and Stripes, there are nearly 13,000 U.S. troops still in Afghanistan and more than 2,440 have been killed there.
