( Der Artikel wird in Kürze übersetzt. )
September 11, 2001, was a day that changed the world forever. Four commercial jets were hijacked and plowed into various locations in the Northeast: two were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, another impacted the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a fourth plane destined for another landmark in the nation’s capital was taken over by passengers before cratering into the soil of rural Pennsylvania.
Nearly 3,000 souls were lost on that tragic day. The Pentagon was heavily damaged. The World Trade Center, a shining beacon of commerce that stood sentinel in Lower Manhattan since the early 1970s, was completely destroyed.
The world came together in the days after 9/11, vowing to protect freedom and stand up for the cause of liberty. A quarter-century later, countless people around the world remain committed to protecting the ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. An entire generation of Americans has been born since that mournful Tuesday morning in September 2001. Yet, the nation – and the world – hasn’t forgotten the lives lost and vows of hope and better tomorrows made amid the heartbreak and carnage.
In 2026, the United States marks its 250th anniversary. The U.S. Mint has struck a variety of commemorative coins honoring the semiquincentennial jubilee, including the Enduring Liberty Half Dollar. The obverse depicts the heads of the Statue of Liberty as seen looking up from below in an awe-striking perspective. The reverse shows an outstretched hand passing the flaming torch of Liberty to the next generation. A limited number of these coins struck at New York’s West Point Mint carry a privy mark featuring the 9/11/01 date encircled by the inscription “ALWAYS REMEMBER.”
Indeed, the 2026 Enduring Liberty Semiquincentennial Half Dollar is apropos for remembering the tragedy of 9/11. The coin depicts a poignant view of the Statue of Liberty, which witnessed the attacks atop its pedestal in New York Harbor and stood resolute through the acrid plumes of smoke that rose from the ruins of the World Trade Center. Liberty truly endures.