Gateway Technical College will hold a ceremony on the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 to honor and reflect on the lives lost that day and for the veterans who served the aftermath at its HERO Center, 380 McCanna Parkway, Burlington.
Opening ceremony activities will begin tentatively at 7:15 a.m. Sept. 11 and, from there, area emergency responder leaders will address the audience at key moments in the morning to mark the sequence and times of the events of Sept. 11, as well as moments of silence for those who passed as a result of the attacks.
The event will continue until a little after 9:30 a.m.
“As we mark the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001, we honor the lives that were lost and the extraordinary courage and compassion of the first responders who answered the call that day,” said Gateway Technical College President and CEO Veronique Tran.
“As a steward of steel recovered from the World Trade Center, Gateway holds a profound responsibility to preserve the memory of first responders that day and inspire future generations. Through the education and training of tomorrow’s first responders, we honor those who serve – then, now, and in the years to come.”
Tran will speak at 7:25 a.m. to coincide with the first tragedy of that day, when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
Following Tran, other officials expected to speak include Racine Fire Chief Steve Hansen, Lakewood Fire Chief Eric Johnson, Burlington Police Chief Brian Zmudzinski and SC Johnson-Waxdale Fire Chief Gavin DeGrave. Gateway graduate and veteran Jaemie McDonough will speak in a prerecorded video address.
Located in front of the HERO Center stands “On Eagle’s Wings,” a monument inspired by the heroic acts of the first responders to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. At its base is a steel I-beam from the World Trade Center, taken from the wreckage of the New York building complex in the aftermath of the attack on the center Sept. 11, 2001. This national artifact was presented to Gateway Technical College by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation of New York City to honor the dedication of the Health and Emergency Response Occupations training center and to inspire future generations of heroes.