Eastern, UConn To Mark Mark 25th Anniversary Of 9/11 Terror Attacks

STORRS/WILLIMANTIC, CT — Eastern Connecticut State University and the University of Connecticut will both pause Friday to mark 25 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, with ceremonies honoring the nearly 3,000 people who were killed and the first responders who risked, and, in many cases, later lost their lives.

At UConn, a university-wide remembrance ceremony will be staged at noon in the Student Union Theatre. The event is being coordinated by University Safety and is open to all members of the University community and the general public.

The remembrance ceremony will feature members of UConn’s Police and Fire departments, as well as students from the Army and Air Force ROTC programs.

The event will be live streamed to allow faculty, staff, and students at the regional campuses and UConn Heath to participate.

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Eastern will mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks with two days of events Sept. 10-11, bringing together students, faculty, staff, and members of the surrounding community for remembrance, reflection, and dialogue.

The events will include a faculty roundtable examining the lasting impact of 9/11; a remembrance ceremony featuring keynote speaker Nick DeLia, retired fire chief for the City of Groton; and a reading of the names of those who lost their lives in the attacks.

Faculty Roundtable: "25 Years After 9/11: How Much Has the World Changed?"

• Thursday, Sept. 10, at 12:30 p.m.
• Student Center Theatre

Eastern faculty members will explore how the events of Sept. 11 reshaped the world and continue to influence global affairs, mental health, international relations, and the global economy.

Panelists will include Caitlin Carenen, professor of history; Phyllis Lee, associate professor of psychological science; Martin Mendoza-Botelho, professor of political science; and Emiliano Villanueva, professor of business administration.

Remembrance Ceremony

• Friday, Sept. 11, at 10 a.m.
• Fine Arts Instructional Center (FAIC) Amphitheater

Throughout the morning, the University's clock tower bell will toll at 8:46, 9:03, 9:37, and 10:03, marking the times of the four attacks. The 10:03 a.m. chimes will mark a moment of silence, followed by a remembrance ceremony at the Fine Arts Instructional Center Amphitheater, where thousands of flags will line the hillside amphitheater, each flag representing a life lost in the attacks.

Keynote remarks will be given by Chief Nicholas DeLia, a 45-year veteran of Connecticut's fire and EMS service who served 21 years as fire chief of the City of Groton Fire Department and has held leadership roles with regional and state emergency response organizations. DeLia is a National Fire Academy instructor and Eastern Connecticut Fire School board member who continues to teach fire science and emergency response and remains committed to public safety and service.

Reading of the Names

• Friday, Sept. 11, immediately following the remembrance ceremony
• Fine Arts Instructional Center Amphitheater

Following the ceremony, members of the Eastern and surrounding communities will read aloud the names of every person who lost their life in the Sept. 11 attacks. The reading will continue throughout the morning, and community members are welcome to visit the amphitheater at any time for a moment of quiet reflection.

A community art project will also take place in the amphitheater throughout the morning. Members of the campus and surrounding community are invited to contribute.

On Sept. 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaida terrorists hijacked four airplanes, flying two into New York City's World Trade Center and one into the Pentagon. Passengers fought back on the fourth, United Flight 93, which crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The deadliest U.S. terror attack killed 2,977 victims.

Larger observances will be held at the three sites in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, PA.

Former Presidents At Ground Zero

As is traditional, the names of the 2,977 people killed in the 9/11 attacks and six others who died in the 1993 World Trade Center attack will be read at a ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in Manhattan.

Four former presidents — Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — are expected to attend the 25th-anniversary ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial in New York City.

President Donald Trump is not expected at Ground Zero. Vice President JD Vance will represent the administration in New York.

The ceremony will be livestreamed. That evening, the annual Tribute in Light will send twin beams into the sky, accompanied this year by a one-hour national broadcast beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC, Disney+, Hulu, National Geographic and ABC News Live.

President Trump will attend the 9/11 observance at the Pentagon, where 184 people were killed when American Airlines Flight 77 was hijacked and flown into the structure

Defense and military leaders traditionally gather for a ceremony centered on the memorial’s 184 illuminated benches, one for each victim. Details about public access to the Pentagon ceremony and a possible livestream had not yet been posted on the Pentagon Memorial’s official webpage on Tuesday.

The Flight 93 National Memorial, near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, begins with an 8:30 a.m. ceremony that includes the reading of the 40 passengers’ and crew members’ names, the Bells of Remembrance, and wreath-layings timed to the four attacks.

A second ceremony begins at 1 p.m., and both will be livestreamed. A luminaria ceremony is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12.