By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Missouri Western State University will pause for a silent vigil this morning to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on America.
University President Elizabeth Kennedy says she will gather at the Marion Clock Tower on the St. Joseph campus Saturday morning, beginning at 7:30am, to pause and remember. Anyone wishing to join the quiet remembrance on campus is welcome.
“It’s a tragedy that our entire nation wants to remember and we want to honor all of the individuals who lost their lives that day, who were so heroic in their efforts to save individuals and just the ongoing efforts even after the towers had collapsed,” Kennedy says.
The clock tower will ring 20 times at 7:46am, 8:03am, 8:37am, and 9:03am; the times the highjacked airplanes crashed into the Twin Towers in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and crashed in the field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Kennedy says it’s important to pause and remember.
“Something very simple, but quiet and respectful and giving people the time to reflect on what that day was,” Kennedy says.
Kennedy says September 11, 2001 was the type of historic day that holds a special place in a person’s memory; one on which you can remember what you were doing, where you were, what was going on, and how you felt.
“It will be a good remembrance and opportunity to just reflect on what that day has meant for our country,” Kennedy says.
One hundred small American flags have been placed throughout the campus while flags on campus are lowered to half-staff for Patriot’s Day.