Tuesday September 13, 2011
Volume CXXXII Issue 2
A Decade of Rememberance The terrorist attacks of 9/11 shook fear and embedded shock into the lives of the American people. It started on the infamous eleventh of September, 2001, at 5:45 a.m., when the first hijackers passed security clearances at Portland International Jetport in Maine. Following their entrance, their fellow hijackers passed through Logan international Airport, Newark International Airport, and Washington Dulles Airport to embark on their mission. Everyone, students and faculty, our parents, our friends, remember where they were on September eleventh. Whether their memories are splotchy and vague, or memorable enough to describe every detail, everyone remembers something from that day in 2001. Professor Chris Bonner of the Homeland Security Program strongly believes that September eleventh was like his generation’s JFK assassination. Everyone remembered what they were doing, maybe where they were at, how they felt. On 9/11, I lived in inner-city Philadelphia and attended a diverse school crowded with childhood poverty. The teachers gathered all of us, children ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade, into the auditorium where they whispered hurriedly to each other and announced we’d get to go home early. I felt an edge of excitement, what child wouldn’t want to go home before lunch? My uncle picked myself and my nine cousins up from school and we squished ourselves into a small beat up car. My grandmother was crying when we walked through our front door and her Spanish words slurred into notes of sadness as she worried about family in New York City. The television flashed videos and pictures of tall skyscrapers, large planes, and puffs of smoke and flame wildly reaching out from the destruction towards the sky. I remember feeling afraid since I had never seen a grown-up cry. Jordan Amman Queen, a student at ERAU, was sitting in his class in North Carolina. He remembered it vividly, excitedly stating, “I was in 7th grade in Mr. Garrison’s class, sitting down and we were watching t.v.. We were going to have a quiz but instead we watched the buildings burning. Teachers were crying and very worried about us.” Also from North Carolina, Logan Brooks, a junior NROTC Aeronautical student, was in his
neighborhood school in Charlotte when the news struck his elementary school. He remembered, “I was in Mr. Harrin’s fifth grade science class. They brought a T.V. in and turned it away from the class. They turned down the sound and all the teachers were watching it. You could tell something was wrong.. We didn’t even get to go home. I just knew planes crashed.” Though young, Logan Brooks understood the affects of the attacks on the United States. “Then the next week I remember watching the news and stuff getting blown up overseas.” He stated. The majority of the student body at ERAU was young during the attacks. We viewed the rampages of tears, news reports, and images as something a child could not fully grasp. Professor Bonner was stationed with the FBI in Daytona Beach on 9/11 in 2001. His boss walked into the room he was in and announced the US had been attacked by terrorists. Professor Bonner’s life changed as his work days turned into endless duties of serving his country. It was rumored a graduate of ERAU piloted one of the planes in the towers, so it was Professor Bonner’s duty as an FBI agent to work closely with the university to get the facts straight. He cleared the rumor up quickly, concluding the person was not a graduate of ERAU. The terrifying events that took place on that day will live on and be remembered forever in history through in the tears and hearts of those who lost loved ones. Though all of us did not lose someone during the events of 9/11, the aftereffect haunted families around the country. My godfather would never return from the War on Terror. Our friends and loved ones would serve and fight and sometimes never come back. September eleventh and the events it unfolded onto the people of America will forever hold our hearts, especially as we remember all those lost on its tenth anniversary and those who lost their lives in the battles afterward. Presently, as our forces fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, our history of 9/11 and how it will be commemorated in years to come is still being written. ~Karissa Hewitt Gurest Reporter
Last Thursday, September 8, 2011, the Embry-Riddle community came together to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the U.S. Faculty, staff, students, Daytona Beach Firefighters, Daytona Beach Policemen and Veterans gathered under and around a large tent on the west lawn to remember one of the most horrific days in the history of America. The message was “to honor, to heal and to hope.” Flanked by a memorial wall with thoughts, prayers, and memories written by both students and staff and an American flag with the stripes created by the 2,983 names of all those who perished on 9/11/01. C/Captain Ian Thompson’s AFROTC 157th detachment commanded the ERAU ROTC Color guard to bring forth the colors and open the ceremony. Silence fell over the crowd of approximately 300 in reverence to the flag and then the Acafellas sang the National Anthem with clarity and emotion. Reverend Melynne Rust then lead the participants in a prayer of remembrance, pausing in silence after each location of impact, and each group of personnel responding to the emergency. Dr. John P. Johnson, President of ERAU took time to thank our own community heroes, Lt. Ed Stoney from the Daytona Beach Fire Department and about a dozen fire fighters in attendance; Lt. Captain Ben Walton and Captain Craig Capri from the Daytona Beach Police Department; the Med Club at ERAU, President Matt Saur and another ten EMTs; and all of the service men and women who are on active duty and those who are now veterans. Each of them is a hero in their own right, putting others and service before self. “Remember, we must remember,” said Johnson as he implored the audience to honor those who perished, those who saved lives, and those who bravely fought for our freedoms. Perhaps one of the most emotional portions of the ceremony was the playing of a music montage. “I Believe,” by the Blessed Union of Souls mixed with news reports, phone calls, and press conferences from that day. The emergency sirens can be heard in the background, the terror in the voices of those on the street observing the unthinkable. The message to a son from his mother: after telling her son to get together with others on the plane to try to stop the hijackers on Flight 93, she says simply, “I love you.” The words of the song, echoed in the silence of the crowd: “‘Cause I believe, that love is the
answer, I believe that love will find the way” Hope. Major Jason Glenn, USAF delivered a message of hope. He spoke of serving four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, bringing soldiers home safely and bringing those who fought, but died, home with respect. He cited the number of deaths from the attacks and the number of service men and women who have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then, in closing, Major Glenn spoke the words from “America the Beautiful”: The love for America and the pride in all of the U.S. service personnel could not have been more compelling than at that moment. As Cadet Thompson called forth fellow student cadets to present wreaths for the service men and women, the firefighters, the police officers and the first responders who died on September 11, each member of the audience serving in our military stood quietly at attention as the first wreath crossed their path. The Acafellas made their way to the stage where Joey Jaworski led them in their own version of “Hallelujah”, his voice penetrating the hearts of those listening. Reverend Rust sealed the solemnity of the anniversary with a moving benediction as she prayed that we find hope. As a community the audience joined together to sing the words spoken by Major Glenn, three verses of “America the Beautiful”. The community came together and shared one more moment of honor as “Taps” was played and the notes eerily fell over the campus. What are the lessons learned from 9/11/01? Complacency can be dangerous. The citizens of the United States of America have a responsibility to stay informed and educated about current events, policies and the world. The 9/11 Commission Report challenges Americans to become involved, to become informed, to read the Bill of Rights, vote and speak up against hatred. The days following 9/11/01 were some of the most unified our country has seen. People came together to grieve, to pray, to cry and to hope. It did not matter the race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or educational level – we were Americans and we would not allow these events to take away our freedoms, our love and our hope. It takes great courage and wisdom to hope. May the next generation be both wise and brave. ~ Cathy S. Downes Associate Dean of Students
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