9/11 Museum Offers Free Entry to All Veterans Starting Friday

Starting Friday, every American veteran can visit the 9/11 Memorial & Museum for free, a tribute to generations of service members whose lives were forever changed by the September 11 attacks.

The museum's expanded admission policy builds on its existing program for active-duty military personnel. It recognizes the profound connection many post-9/11 veterans feel to Ground Zero, where nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in 2001.

"For countless Americans, September 11, 2001, was a call to serve," said Josh Cherwin, the museum's Chief Advancement and Communications Officer. Nearly 100 million Americans today have no lived memory of 9/11, including many of the newest military recruits.

John Paluska knows that call intimately. He was just 18 and a college freshman when he found himself volunteering at Ground Zero in the weeks after the attacks.

"I remember the smell distinctly, the firemen, the beacons going off whenever there was subtle silence, and the sights of the American flags slowly being draped," Paluska told Fox News Digital. A month later, he visited a recruiter and began the enlistment process.

Paluska went on to serve as a U.S. Army Green Beret with deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. Now retired, he sits on the museum's Visionary Leadership Council and believes the next generation must understand what happened that day and in the years that followed.

Why This Inspires

For many veterans, the memorial represents more than history. It's a place of reflection on both the losses of September 11 and the years of service that followed.

"We don't want history to repeat itself," Paluska said. "We don't wanna go back to war again. War is an awful thing."

The museum also shares the story of Ron Bucca Jr., whose father, FDNY Fire Marshal Ron Bucca Sr., died in the attacks. Bucca Jr. later became a Green Beret himself. "For those of us who served because of that day, this museum is personal," he said.

Walking through the memorial plaza, veterans can look up at One World Trade Center, the Freedom Tower that rose from the ashes. It stands as a reminder of resilience and renewal.

The museum already offers free admission to 9/11 family members, rescue and recovery workers, and individuals eligible for the World Trade Center Health Program. Now every veteran who answered the call to serve can walk those halls and remember why they chose to stand guard for their country.