Today marked the 14th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the Tuesday morning in September 2001. While this event took place years ago, students and faculty still pay tribute to those affected by this tragedy.
This series of attacks by the terrorist group Al-Qaeda were initiated by two planes crashing into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, followed by a plane crashing into the Pentagon building in Virginia and ending with a plane crash in Shanksville, Virginia. By the end of the day, 2,996 lives were lost—spreading nationwide panic across the United States and instantly putting a spotlight on national security.
According to the 9/11 memorial’s official website, over 21 million citizens have visited the newly completed memorial to pay tribute to their loved ones lost during these attacks. Many within the Bonaventure community pay tribute to those they lost within their own families.
“My grandmother actually worked in the North Tower,” Cori-Anne Fagan, a junior psychology major, said. “She worked on the floor above where the plane hit. We believe she passed away instantly… I didn’t really understand what any of it meant, but we sat there for all day waiting to hear anything we could about my grandmother. No one called. It was one of the saddest days of my life, and I’ll never forget it.”
While some individuals may not have been directly affected by these attacks, many remember the events of this historic day, as they played out on television screens across the nation.
“I remember this day as a sorrowful and painful day for my mom and dad because they were witnessing thousands of innocent people die,” Shania Brinkley, a sophomore sociology major, said. “I wasn’t able to comprehend what was occurring, but I did understand this was a serious situation.”
Students said that they feel as though the events of 9/11 unified America. In the weeks following these attacks, citizens said they came together to clean up the ruins left behind and care for those affected.
“As a nation, we have formed a stronger bond since 9/11,” Brinkley added. “The amount of support we continue to show for those affected is so high. I think it’s important for us to pay tribute to 9/11 because it allows for those who lost their lives to never be forgotten.”
Bonaventure will hold a 9/11 memorial service today to honor the victims of these attacks. The service will run from 12:20 to 12:50 p.m. in the courtyard outside the William E. and Ann L. Swan Business Center. Everyone in both the Bonaventure community and the local area is welcome to attend.
“It’s important to pay tribute to the lives lost, not only to honor their memory, but also to connect ourselves further to the past, to step outside our normal orientation toward the future and the new,” Matt King, an assistant professor, director of composition and director of the Plassmann Writing Center, said.
“As a culture, we are quick to move on to the next news story, the next link, the next piece of entertainment, even the next tragedy. It’s important to attend to the past as well.”
mcgurllt14@bonaventure.edu
