BROOKINGS (9-10-26) — Tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11.
David Earnest is Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at South Dakota State University. He invites the public to a special, on-campus observance tomorrow… “We thought the 25th year since those attacks was an appropriate opportunity to remember and commemorate what happened on that day. So this Friday, September 11 at 10 a.m. we will convene a panel of witnesses who were in New York and Washington on that day — to share with us what they observed and what they experienced, and help us remember and reflect.”
He said those three witnesses have unique perspectives on that day… “John Richards on 9-11 was an FBI special agent with the Manhattan Field Office and he was among the first responders to lower Manhattan. J.J. Sutherland on 9-11 was a producer for National Public Radio in the Washington, D.C. headquarters and he produced that day’s coverage of the news events for National Public Radio. And then Brig. Gen. Jeff Johnson was the deputy commander of the air national guard base out at Andrews Air Force Base, and Gen. Johnson and his team were responsible for standing up the air defense of the nation’s capital.”
Earnest said they want young people to appreciate the significance of what happened 25 years ago… “So many of our students were not alive on 9-11. Our undergrads are mostly 18 to 22 years old, so this happened before they were born. They certainly know the history — they’re knowledgeable about the dates and the facts and the information — but they’re not familiar with the feeling of that day. So as we thought about this event, we said we’re not going to talk about the history, we’re not going to talk about or do a minute-by-minute reportage of what happened. Rather, we’re going to focus on the feelings and the experiences of that day.”
The event is free but seating is limited and advance tickets are required. Seas can be reserved at https://sdstate.evenue.net/events/CU-USA250 or by calling 605-688-6045.
The observance will be held Friday, September 11 at 10 a.m. at the Larson Memorial Concert Hall of The Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center on the campus of SDSU
— Brookings Radio News
