Regional News
WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration commemorated the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks with a ceremony at DEA Headquarters honoring those killed that day and those who later died from 9/11‑related illnesses. The event also marked the opening of a limited‑run DEA Museum exhibit titled Never Forget: 25 Years After 9/11.
The agency described “Never Forget” as its ongoing commitment to preserving the legacy of those lost in the line of duty and recognizing the courage and service demonstrated in the aftermath of the attacks.
During Friday’s ceremony, DEA Administrator Terry Cole announced the addition of two New York Drug Enforcement Task Force Officers to the agency’s 9/11 memorial:
• New York State Police Investigator Anthony B. Ashe, who died November 4, 2024 • New York City Police Department Detective James J. Motto, who died January 12, 2025
The memorial, dedicated in 2022, honors members of the New York Drug Task Force who died from illnesses linked to their work at Ground Zero.
It currently bears the names of Senior Investigator Thomas G. Moran Jr.; Detective Traci L. Tack‑Czajkowski; Investigator Paul R. Stuewer; Detective Mark Mkwanazi; Detective Thomas J. Barnitt; Sergeant Robert P. Masci; and Detective Terence P. Mulvey.
DEA officials said the memorial serves as a reminder that the sacrifice of 9/11 continued long after the attacks, affecting responders and their families for years.
Cole emphasized the agency’s ongoing commitment to honoring those lost and supporting the families affected by 9/11. In a press release, Administrator Terry Cole said the pain of the attacks remains deeply felt, adding:
“Twenty‑five years later, the pain of September 11 remains, as does our profound gratitude for every person who answered the call to serve,” Administrator Cole said. “Today, as we add two more names to DEA’s memorial, we are reminded that the sacrifice of 9/11 did not end when the smoke cleared.”
Cole noted that the agency’s response to the attacks included targeting the intersection of drug trafficking and terrorist financing. DEA later established the Foreign‑deployed Advisory Support Team (FAST) program, which worked alongside U.S. Special Operations Command and NATO forces in Afghanistan. FAST teams, operating with the DEA Kabul Country Office, identified and targeted major drug traffickers, disrupted the opium and heroin trade, and dismantled financial networks tied to terrorist organizations connected to 9/11.
Artifacts from DEA’s mission in Afghanistan are now part of the museum’s new exhibit.
The Never Forget: 25 Years After 9/11 exhibit marks the first time the DEA Museum has displayed artifacts connected to all three attack sites: the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the crash site of United Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Items include metal recovered from the World Trade Center, rubble from the Pentagon, and objects from the Flight 93 crash site, along with firsthand accounts from retired DEA personnel who witnessed the Pentagon attack from DEA Headquarters.
The exhibit also chronicles DEA’s operational response, including assistance at the Pentagon and Ground Zero; Aviation Division missions transporting blood supplies and conducting flights over the recovery area; and the service of more than 1,000 DEA Special Agents who volunteered as temporary Federal Air Marshals.
The exhibit will remain on display through October 3, 2026.
The DEA Museum and Visitors Center, located at 700 Army Navy Drive in Arlington, Va., is free and open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Additional information is available at museum.dea.gov
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