Remembering 9/11 two decades later

The vast majority of students on campus have no memory of the events of 9/11, but it is a day that will never be forgotten as the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil.

The College Republicans memorialized the tragedy by placing 2,996 American flags in the lawn outside the Quad.

“It means everything for me to be out here and to have a ceremony to remember those who lost their lives on that tragic day,” Tiana Johnson, College Republicans President and ROTC cadet, said. “I wasn’t alive, and I don’t have any personal experience, but it was an attack on our soil. It’s the reason why I put on the uniform.”

Each flag represented a life lost as a passenger, first responder or a person who was simply starting a day of work during the terrorist attack. A moment of silence was held after the ceremony.

“Today is going to be especially commemorative for families who lost their loved ones, not only in the attacks but in the wars that followed. We’re hoping to produce some honor for them here today,” Caleb Jungling, vice president of the College Republicans, said.

One of those lives lost was former Johnnie football player Tom Burnett Jr. He led a small group of passengers in stopping a plane from reaching its intended target, which authorities believed to be the White House or the U.S. Capitol. Burnett was on United Flight 93 returning home to his wife and daughters from a business trip in California when it was hijacked. With the help of fellow passengers, they overtook the plane and redirected it away from Washington D.C.

According to phone transcripts, he spoke to his wife briefly.

“We have to do something,” Burnett said. “We can’t wait for the authorities. It’s up to us. I think we can do it.”

They averted the plane into a rural field near Shanksville, PA. All 44 people on board, including Burnett, died on impact. St. John’s University honored Burnett by creating a scholarship fund in his name and posthumously naming him a recipient of an Alumni Achievement Award.

He attended SJU from 1981 to 1984 and played as quarterback on the football team before completing his degree at the University of Minnesota. He is also honored on the Flight 93 National Memorial near the crash site.

As the universities honored Burnett, other student organizations honored victims in their own way. St. John’s University Fire and Rescue partnered with ROTC students in a 110 flight memorial stair climb in full uniform. They joined other emergency personnel across the country to walk the same number of floors as the World Trade Center to honor those who sacrificed their life for others.

Johnson described the trek as both humbling and motivating. As they climbed, they were encouraged to reflect on how challenging it would have been with the city crumbling around them.

The morning of September 11 has become a day of mourning and remembrance for many Americans. However, with many current college students being born after 2001, Johnson believes it is more important than ever to call attention to the events.

“Especially because so many students were not alive, it is up to us to inform others and pass on the knowledge so we never forget,” Johnson said.