Ohio State students honor 9/11 in remembrance event

Cameron Roda
Thu, 12 Sep 2013 04:04:25 +0000
Campus, 9/11, ohio state, osu

Jeffrey Lewis, a professor in international studies, speaks at the 9/11 Day of
Remembrance at Browning Amphitheater Sept. 11.
Credit: Eric Seger / Sports editor

Memories replayed for Ohio State community members as attendees paid their respects at the 9/11 Memorial Event Wednesday night on campus.

The memorial was held at Browning Amphitheater next to Mirror Lake to cap off 9/11 Remembrance Day at Ohio State, and was hosted by the Security and Intelligence Club.

The hour-long memorial began with the OSU Air Force ROTC presenting the colors, followed by the national anthem sung by Cassie Kahr of the OSU Women’s Glee Club.

OSU international studies professor Jeffrey Lewis and Army Reserve Captain Harry McQuiniff were guest speakers at the memorial event.

Lewis discussed the nature of commemoration of historical events, instead of speaking about the 9/11 attacks specifically.

“The way that we act, the decisions we make based on our remembrance and based on our understanding are a form of commemoration,” Lewis said. “Any anniversary such as the 12th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States is both an opportunity to reflect and an invitation to think and act based on these reflections.”

McQuiniff followed Lewis’ speech with some insight into his memories of 9/11 and his experiences from time he spent stationed in Afghanistan after the attacks in 2001.

McQuiniff concluded his speech with a message for students in attendance.

“Whatever you do, go do it and do it with gusto, because it does make a difference,” McQuiniff said.

Event coordinator for the Security & Intelligence Club Katelyn Wright, a third-year in international studies, spoke about how important 9/11 is to the current generation of college students and what that generation needs to carry on.

“9/11 was our generation’s Pearl Harbor, our generation’s Cold War. We are the generation that remembers the attacks,” Wright said. “We saw it as kids, but now we are getting older and we can do something about it. It will always be a tragic moment in our history, but out of it arose many heroes and that’s what we should remember.”

The memorial ended with a speech from Alexa Lorick, a member of the Security and Intelligence Club and a fourth-year in logistics management and a moment of silence to pay tribute, as well as a crowd rendition of “Carmen Ohio” led by the OSU Women’s Glee Club.

Wright was unable to provide information Wednesday night about how many attended the event.

Lorick said it’s important to carry on the legacy of those touched by 9/11 and the Americans who were alive when the attacks occurred.

“Current freshmen in high school were 2 years old when the attacks occurred and very soon, this memorial service will honor 9/11, not from personal recollections but as a historical event,” Lorick said.

After the event, Kahr, a second-year in voice performance and music education, said it was an honor to sing at the event.

“I grew up singing for charity events and a lot of events that touch a lot of people and I’d say this is definitely one of the most touching events I’ve been able to sing at,” Kahr said.

Kahr reflected on how she thinks about 9/11 and what the current generation needs to do to continue the commemoration.

“I like to think about how I would feel about it now if it happened. I think events like this are important because we need to communicate to the younger generations how we felt when it happened and show them we all need to stick together,” Kahr said.

Levi Cramer, a first-year in political science and psychology, chose to attend the memorial event partially because of his career aspirations.

“I consider myself very patriotic and I eventually want to work in government so coming to the event was a no-brainer for me.” Cramer said.

As a part of 9/11 Remembrance Day, the Red Cross and the American Red Cross Club at OSU partnered with the Security and Intelligence Club to host a blood drive at William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library? Wednesday afternoon prior to the memorial event. Wright was unable to provide information Wednesday night about how many donated blood.