Georgia Southern Ceremony Honors Victims of 9/11

Georgia Southern University paused Thursday morning to honor the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The University’s Military Science Department hosted a ceremony at the Russell Union Rotunda to reflect on the tragedies seven years ago in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.
More than 100 cadets from Georgia Southern’s Army ROTC Eagle Battalion stood in formation as the ROTC Battalion Commander, Cadet Lt. Col. Amy McIntyre, addressed the crowd. Special guests included several members of the Statesboro Police Department, Statesboro Fire Department and Georgia Southern University Police Department.

“The events of Sept. 11, 2001, transformed America, and the current security environment will remain ‘guarded’ for the foreseeable future,” said Lt. Col. George Fredrick, Chair of the Military Science Department. “So it is vital that communities pay the appropriate tribute.”

“It is also important that we teach our students and cadets about the impacts of this most significant event, because it is up to them to deter, prevent and possibly respond to the next 9/11,” Lt. Col. Fredrick added.

The ceremony ended with a special presentation to the Georgia Southern Museum. Lt. Col. McIntyre gave a Georgia Southern University flag in a display case to the museum’s assistant director, Debra Gleason.

The flag was flown over a patrol base in the Karbala province of Iraq this spring by Georgia Southern graduate Maj. Kevin Rice (Class of 1988). The flag will now be displayed at the Georgia Southern Museum.

“In light of the University’s recent centennial celebration, this is a wonderful way to continue preserving and interpreting Georgia Southern’s history in the making,” Gleason said. “This particular artifact is a great testimony on how Georgia Southern graduates are really helping make a difference in the world through their deeds and their sacrifices.”

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