On Wednesday, September 11th, students and staff at Liberty High School gathered in remembrance of the 9/11 attacks of the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Flight 93. With music from Liberty’s bagpipes, 1st Company and the Liberty Chorus, the assembly listened to Mr. Joe Stellato, (LHS Class of 1989) recount his experiences at Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks.
Guidance Counselor Travis Wuchter began the ceremony with the following words:
Once again, good morning. I really appreciate you all coming out and, helping us remember 24 years ago, a day that was very, traumatic and tragic for all those who witnessed it and were around to experience that day and the weeks and months following.
That day was much like today in terms of the weather. I’ve heard of it referred to as a bluebird sky because it’s cloudless, clear, crisp and blue. It does remind you, each September when the weather is like that, of that day.
Twenty-four years ago, foreign terrorists hijacked four passenger airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers. The U.S. Pentagon, and into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing nearly 3000 innocent civilians and thrusting America into a decades long war on global terror. Every year since that tragic event on September 11th, or the day closest to that, Liberty High School has taken time to remember that day, and the innocent lives lost in those attacks.
It seems every generation experiences at least one event so impactful that it’s seared into their memories; to generations in the 1940’s, remember Pearl Harbor; those of the 1960’s remember the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Those from the 80’s remember the Challenger disaster, the shuttle that exploded in the air.
And the generations of this century, the century’s turn, will always remember September 11th. Those of us who experienced that day don’t have a choice about whether or not we remember. The memories will be there for the rest of our lives. The choice we do have, is whether or not to acknowledge those memories.
Whether or not we memorialize them; for each generation that comes after, those who have no memory of that day; your generation. The choice is much more difficult and in many ways more important. Your generation’s choice – whether or not to commemorate 9/11 for years to come, decides whether or not the memories of my generation endure, or simply fade away.
After Mr. Wuchter’s introduction, Mr. Stellato spoke at length about his experience at Ground Zero and how it still affected him today.
Liberty’s Principal, Mr. Brandon Horlick, concluded the 9/11 remembrance ceremony with some closing thoughts. To watch the ceremony, visit the LHS YouTube page here.