UCO Community Unites to Remember 9/11

On Thursday, the University of Central Oklahoma hosted its annual 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance Walk at Broncho Lake, where students, faculty, and volunteers placed nearly 3,000 American flags to honor each life lost during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The event, hosted by UCO’s Office of Community Engagement, is designed to help educate and connect a generation of students who were born after the 9/11 attacks.

“Almost all of our undergraduate students were not alive when the actual event happened,” said Nicole Doherty, director of Community Engagement. “So the Remembrance Walk was our way to bring it to life for our current group of students, so they can read the story, see the amount of people impacted by it, and also take a moment and reflect on what that day meant.”

In addition to the flags, signs that were placed along the walkway shared the names of those who died, along with facts and moments from that day. Students, faculty, and visitors paused to read, reflect, and pay their respects.

Among the volunteers helping with the event was David Pittman, a U.S. military veteran. For him, the remembrance holds a deeply personal meaning.

“I joined the military about six months before 9/11 happened,” Pittman said. “It was at a time of peace, and when that day happened, the world turned upside down and I really knew what my commitment to this country was. It’s a big thing for me to be here.”

The 9/11 Day of Service, which began about three years ago, also includes a variety of service projects meant to honor the spirit of unity that followed the attacks. On Thursday evening, UCO Community Engagement staff and volunteers will be cooking and delivering spaghetti dinners to firefighters in Edmond as a way of thanking first responders for their continued service.

Through reflection and action, the campus community comes together not only to remember the past, but to serve in the present, keeping the legacy of 9/11 alive in meaningful ways.