Loan Le/The Mirror

A small group of people gathered on the Barone Campus Center Traffic Circle, encircled by red, white and blue flags. The afternoon sun shined and a light breeze moved the small American flags.

Last Friday, Fairfield University commemorated the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. This year marked the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks, which had killed 2, 977 victims.

Students and faculty paid tribute to those who had fallen, including the 14 alumni who had died in the attacks.

The Glee Club opened the ceremony with a performance of Star Spangled Banner. Alex Peras ’14 sang Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up.”

Father Charles Allen, S.J., remarked on the event and the effect that it had on the nation.

“My prayer is that we might never forget the events of September 11th and never forget who died on that day,” Fr. Allen said.

In the face of a war-torn world, people still hold steadfast to their patriotism.

“We were attacked for our lifestyle and our freedom as Americans,” Rob Vogel ’12, FUSA vice president, said. “We were attacked for all the reasons we have to be proud of. The best way that we can honor who were lost in 9/11 is if we continue to live our lives with deepened pride of our American tradition, our freedom, our values, our society, our dreams and our way of life.”

Reminders of the 9/11 attacks are seen every day at the University. A plaque in the Barone Campus Center commemorates Patrick McGuire ’82, one of the victims of the attacks. Outside the Alumni Hall, and a steel part from the debris found at Ground Zero is embedded in the ground and engrained with the  names of the 14 fallen alumni.

In his closing statements, Vogel said: “Let us tribute the victims not by avoiding taking things for granted due to the fear of losing them, but rather, to be fully alive in each moment, accompanied by the appreciation of all that we have.”

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