Granite State Times

Presented for the first time in a decade, the Pease Air Show, which was held on 9/11, drew a larger crowd than July’s NASCAR weekend during its two-day run at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. 

With over 70,000 visitors attending, the Pease Air Show was held on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 to honor the lives lost through air spectacle and performance, alongside family-friendly activities on the ground level, according to a Facebook post from the New Hampshire National Guard. 

“Maj. Joshua Gunderson, F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team commander, performs at Thunder over New Hampshire Air Show at Pease Air National Guard Base, New Hampshire, Sept. 11, 2021,” said a Sept. 22 tweet from AmericanGirl, documenting the event. 

The two-day event marks one such example of the National Guard's work within the state of New Hampshire, including the naming of their 157th Air Refueling Wing’s new KC-46 refuelers after the state’s 10 counties, the town of Newington and the city of Portsmouth, according to Granite State Times. 

The Pease Air Show served to honor and commemorate the lives lost during the 9/11 attacks and also marked the end of American occupation in Afghanistan. This year's air show coincided with almost 20 years of American soldiers being in Afghanistan until the recent withdrawal of all troops from the region.