Felipe VI traveled on the morning of this Friday to the Naval Base of Rota, where the commemorative event of the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in the United States took place, in which nearly 3,000 people died. Spanish and American military personnel paid tribute to the victims in a joint ceremony held every year to remember one of the greatest terrorist attacks in history.
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Accompanied by the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, the King participated in an event organized by personnel from the Spanish Navy and the United States Armed Forces stationed at the Naval Base. The U.S. ambassador to Spain, Benjamín León Jr., also attended.
The ceremony began with the parade of the Honor Guard and the placement of the flags in front of the stage, followed by the performance of the national anthems of Spain and the United States. Afterwards, there was a flyover of Spanish and American aircraft over the base, involving helicopters from the U.S. Navy and the Spanish Navy, as well as four AV-8B Harrier II planes from the Ninth Squadron.
One of the most heartfelt moments of the tribute was the floral offering in memory of the victims. Felipe VI and the U.S. ambassador to Spain, Benjamín León, laid wreaths, carried by representatives of the Fire Department and the U.S. Navy.
The remembrance of the attacks also served to reaffirm the shared values of both countries and the solidarity that Spain showed with the United States in the days immediately following 9/11. Benjamín León Jr. emphasized that, a quarter of a century later, the conviction remains that terrorism “can cause immense pain and losses, but it will never be able to defeat the values that keep free societies united.” “Our responsibility is not only to remember what happened and the lives lost, but also to remember how we helped,” the ambassador said during his speech.
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The commander of Naval Activities of Spain, Charles Chmielak, also looked back to remember those days and the support received from the U.S. community stationed in Rota. “We were not alone. We supported each other. We relied on our allies. They were there, ready to support us,” he stated.
Chmielak expressly recalled the King’s presence at the Naval Base just five days after the attacks. The then Prince of Asturias attended on September 16, 2001, along with representatives of the Navy and other Spanish authorities to participate in a ceremony honoring the victims. “Our people were suffering and far from home. Our Spanish allies were here with us, as they are today, 25 years later,” he added.
After a prayer by the Base chaplain and a commemorative reading by an officer, the ceremony concluded with the final alarm, the traditional bell tolls, the blessing, and the moment of silence in memory of the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives in the attacks.
Felipe VI’s visit to Rota continued afterwards with the inauguration of Base Forum, a new cultural space dedicated to preserving and disseminating the recent history of the town and its close relationship with the Naval Base. Located in the former municipal warehouses on Diputación Avenue, this museum covers about 2,300 square meters and traces the transformation experienced by Rota since the arrival of the Naval Base, as well as the ties established over more than seven decades between the town of Cádiz, the Spanish Navy, and the U.S. community.
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