Designs were recommended May 19 by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee for the three Fallen Heroes of 9/11 congressional gold medals recognizing those who lost their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.

Public Law 112-76 authorizes the gold medals to be presented to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York, Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania and the Pentagon Memorial at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., with the understanding that each medal is to be put on permanent, appropriate display. Bronze duplicates of the three medals are to be struck and sold by the United States Mint.

There were a total of 18 proposed obverse and 12 reverse designs for the New York medal; 13 obverse and 11 reverse designs for the Pentagon medal; and 13 obverse and 15 reverse designs for the Pennsylvania medal for the CCAC to consider.

Before the CCAC began their public review of the designs, many of the designs were removed from consideration if there was no support from the panel.

New York

The obverse design recommended by the CCAC for the New York medal is one of three renditions reflecting the work and sacrifice of all who assisted in rescue operations at the World Trade Center (WTC) on Sept. 11, 2001.

"NYC911" symbolizes both the date and the emergency response of the New York Police Department, New York Fire Department, local emergency medical technician personnel, and civilians who ran in as others ran out. A determined firefighter who climbed the stairs of the WTC towers only to meet his or her death in the collapse is pictured.

“This is a statement of the extreme level of commitment, integrity, compassion, and bravery of all who died that day trying to save others,” according to the U.S. Mint’s design narrative. “On the left of designs 01 and 01A is the ghostly image of the ruins of the WTC, which serve as a reminder of the enormity and the finality of the disaster.”

The CCAC-recommended obverse, Design 01, depicts the firefighter more to the left, with more of the collapsing WTC wreckage visible.

There was debate between CCAC members as to whether Obverse Design 01A should be the recommended design. It focuses more on the firefighter and not the WTC. Discussion included comments that Design 01 fully captures the frustration, desperation and futility rescue personnel faced.

While Design 01 received the highest number of votes, Design 01A was a close second. A motion to have Design 01A reconsidered to replace the Design 01 recommendation failed.

For the reverse, CCAC members recommended a design features a single rose protruding from an edge at the top, an echo of the memorial in New York where a white rose is placed through the name of each victim on his or her birthday.

The inscription reads, “Time cannot erase the memory of 2753 innocent people from more than 90 countries, lost at the World Trade Center in the attacks that shook the world on September 11, 2001.  May their memory inspire an end to intolerance.” A second rose on a stem appears horizontally within the inscription, below the date.

The design also features a bald eagle standing sentinel and clasping branches of laurel signifying an eternal honoring of those who perished in the tragedies.

The CCAC recommended removal of the rose at the top of the design.

Pentagon

The CCAC-recommended obverse design for the Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Pentagon medal exhibits a rendition of Lady Liberty enclosed within the shape of a pentagon, with her head bowed in sorrow and her arms outstretched. The stars represent the fallen inside the Pentagon. Roman numerals mark the exact date and time of the attack. Those who died aboard Flight 77 were represented in a paired reverse, which did not receive the CCAC’s recommendation.

The recommended reverse design features 184 stars on a raised border around the edge of the design, one star for each of the victims of the tragedy.

The inscription reads, “We honor the passengers and crew of Flight 77, those in the military who sacrifice for our freedom, and all who perished at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. We will never forget.”

The design also features a bald eagle standing sentinel and clasping branches of laurel signifying an eternal honoring of those who perished in the tragedies.

Pennsylvania

The CCAC did not recommend any of the 13 designs submitted for consideration for the Pennsylvania medal’s obverse. Instead, the panel chose for the recommended obverse one of the 15 proposed reverse designs.

The recommended design for the obverse was one of three featuring the hemlock groves behind the memorial boulder at the Flight 93 Memorial, a simple reminder of loss and healing. The design recommended includes the inscription “A Common Field One Day, A Field of Honor Forever.”

The CCAC recommended the removal of the date, as well as the inscription “Act of Congress 2011.” Greg Weinman, the liaison to the CCAC from the U.S. Mint’s Office of Chief Counsel, said the inscription referencing Congress is optional.

The recommended reverse design incorporates 40 stars on a raised border around the edge of the design, one star for each victim.

The inscription reads, “We honor the passengers and crew of Flight 93 who perished in a Pennsylvania field on September 11, 2001. Their courageous action will be remembered forever.”

The design also features a bald eagle standing sentinel and clasping branches of laurel, signifying an eternal honoring of those who perished in the tragedies.

The Treasury secretary will consider the CCAC’s design recommendations as well as those from the Commission of Fine Arts for the same medals before making final design selections.