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FIRST ON FOX: Ahead of Memorial Day, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum announced that all veterans will receive free admission beginning Friday, expanding a longstanding effort to honor Americans whose lives and military service were shaped by the Sept. 11 attacks.
The museum said the expanded policy builds on its existing free admission program for active-duty military personnel and reflects the connection many post-9/11 veterans feel to the memorial site and museum.
“For countless Americans, September 11, 2001, was a call to serve,” 9/11 Memorial & Museum Chief Advancement and Communications Officer Josh Cherwin said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “That day defined a generation of first responders, students who enlisted in the weeks afterward, and young people who chose to serve as they learned what happened on 9/11.
“Today, nearly 100 million Americans have no lived memory of 9/11, including many of the newest recruits bravely serving in our armed forces,” the statement continued. “By welcoming every veteran and service member to experience the Museum free of charge we can honor their service and educate a new generation.”
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John Paluska speaks at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. (Courtesy of John Paluska)
John Paluska, a retired Army Green Beret and member of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum’s Visionary Leadership Council, said the museum represents far more than a historical institution.
Paluska told Fox News Digital he was just 18 years old and a freshman at Fordham University when he found himself at Ground Zero volunteering in the aftermath of Sept. 11.
“I remember the smell distinctly,” Paluska said. “The firemen, the beacons going off whenever there was kind of subtle silence, and the sights of the American flags slowly being draped.”
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John Paluska later served as a U.S. Army Green Beret after volunteering at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. (Courtesy of John Paluska)
Paluska said the experience changed the course of his life. “And a month later I went to a recruiter and began the enlistment process,” he said.
He later served as a U.S. Army Green Beret with deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq.
In a statement released by the museum, Paluska said he believes the next generation must continue learning about the attacks and their aftermath.
“There are young Americans in uniform today who weren’t alive on September 11th, and many who served because of it,” Paluska said. “I am proud of this museum for leading the way in making sure their service — and that day — is never forgotten.”
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The Freedom Tower is reflected in the Reflecting Pool at the 9/11 Memorial in New York City. (Catherine Robotis/Universal Images Group)
Paluska said many post-9/11 veterans feel a deep personal connection to the memorial site.
“For us, we don’t want history to repeat itself,” he told Fox News Digital. “We don’t wanna go back to war again. War is an awful thing.”
He said many veterans find peace walking through the memorial plaza and reflecting on both the losses of Sept. 11 and the years that followed.
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Colorful flowers are left by mourners at the 9/11 Memorial in New York City to honor those killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks. (Getty)
“You look up and you see the Freedom Tower, One World Trade, and you realize how great that we have it,” Paluska said.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum also shared the story of Ron Bucca Jr., whose father, FDNY Fire Marshal Ron Bucca Sr., was killed during the attacks before Bucca Jr. later went on to serve as a Green Beret himself.
“My father gave his life on September 11th, and that day set the course of my own service and the service of a generation of Americans,” Bucca Jr. said in a statement.
“For those of us who served because of that day, this museum is personal,” he added.
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The museum said free admission has also been available to 9/11 family members, rescue and recovery workers, individuals eligible for the World Trade Center Health Program and immediate family members of those who died from 9/11-related illnesses and injuries.
September 11, 2026, will mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks at the World Trade Center.