By: Gabrielle Ziegler

On the 21st anniversary (9/11/2023) of the horrid attacks, Shenandoah University held a remembrance ceremony to honor the victims and affected families.  The event was held at 2:00 p.m. at Sarah’s Glen on the Winchester Main campus.

To kick off the ceremony, Shenandoah Veterans and Supporters President and Army Veteran, Logan Large, welcomed all attendants. To follow was a presentation of colors by Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) with the National Anthem being sung by John Lim (SU Masters Student).  Taps with Rifle Volley was also played by Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).

Various guest speakers were present at this event, voicing their concerns and condolences. An invocation was done by De’Lyn Celec (SU Chaplin). This was followed by a reading of the 9/11 events by Niccole Gatliff (Associate Registrar: Veterans and Technology); she was also the event coordinator. The keynote speech was given by John Winn (SU Professor of Business Law and Army Veteran). 

Gatliff explained how this ceremony was prompted by a student’s (De’angelo Wynn) suggestion seven years ago. He put together a script/plan to honor those involved with 9/11. Since then the event has been recreated each year with minor adjustments.“9/11 changed our world, not just the United States,” said Gatliff. “These days there are very few undergraduates that were even born when those tragic events occurred. It’s important for faculty, staff, and most importantly students to know what happened that day and can see how it continually affects those of us that lived through it.”

The event was a success with a total of 50-60 people in attendance. These included an estimate of 25 students, 15 SU faculty members, and 10-15 community members.

“It is amazing to have somewhere on our campus to go to pay our respects,” said SU junior student Kayla Jenkins. “The ceremony was a very nice tribute and I got to see my professor’s incredible speech”. 
Gatliff stated that this event was successful due to the efforts of several different offices and community partners including American Red Cross, SAR, VFW, Dr. Fritz Polite, Chastity McCabe, and Zach Abe.