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Remembering 9/11: 25 years later
Remembering 9/11: 25 Years Later
The impact of September 11 reached far beyond New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. On the 25th anniversary, the AZPM Newsroom brings together stories exploring how 9/11 affected Arizonans and continues to shape our communities.

REMEMBERING 9/11: The day after Sept. 11, a Tucson DJ called on listeners to create a human American flag. Thousands showed up.

AZPM | By Katya Mendoza
Published September 11, 2026 at 7:14 AM MST
9-11 Sanders Human Flag Hero
AZPM
In the days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, thousands of Tucsonans came together at Tucson Electric Park, now known as Kino Stadium, to form a human American flag. Photographer David Sanders took the iconic image.

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the coordinated terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia on September 11th, 2001.

In the days after, thousands of Tucsonans came together at Tucson Electric Park, now known as Kino Stadium, to form a human American flag.

AZPM's Katya Mendoza spoke to two of the people who helped create an iconic local image, radio host Johnjay Van Es and photographer David Sanders, about how it came together, and what it means to them now.
September 11
Katya Mendoza
Katya Mendoza is an award-winning environmental journalist covering water, energy, data centers, mining and public policy with a focus on resource management and its impacts on Arizona communities.
See stories by Katya Mendoza