Photo by Angela Foster
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will host 9/11: A Day of Remembrance at noon on Friday, Sept. 11, in the University Center Auditorium, bringing the campus and Chattanooga community together on the 25th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The program will honor those killed on Sept. 11 and recognize the courage, service and sacrifice of military members, first responders and their families in the years since.
Presented by the Scenic City Women’s Network, the commemorative event is open to UTC students, faculty, staff, alumni, military-connected families and community members. For more information and to RSVP, click here.
UTC’s Office of Veteran and Military Affairs serves as the campus host.
“Hosting 9/11: A Day of Remembrance closely aligns with our mission,” said Sylvana Matthews, director for Veteran and Military Affairs. “It is an opportunity to honor military service members and families, recognize first responders, support military-connected communities and strengthen the partnerships that help us serve them.”
Matthews said UTC welcomed the chance to host the program as the University continues to strengthen its connections with the Chattanooga community.
“This is a meaningful occasion for our campus to join local civic leaders and community partners in remembering a day that changed the nation,” Matthews said. “We want students, faculty and staff, including those who did not experience 9/11 firsthand, to have the chance to reflect, learn and honor the people whose lives and service shaped the years that followed.”
The program will open with remarks and introductions from Sally T. Worland, chair of the 9/11: A Day of Remembrance planning committee. UTC Chancellor Lori Bruce will welcome attendees, and Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly will offer remarks.
The UTC ROTC Color Guard will present the colors and lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Jack Lyons, a sixth-grade student at Loftis Middle School, will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and the Baylor School Choir, directed by Vic Parks, will perform “You Raise Me Up,” “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America.”
Other scheduled participants include Maj. Gen. Bill Raines, U.S. Army, retired; UTC alumnus Maj. Gen. Mark McDonald, U.S. Army, retired; Dr. June Scobee Rodgers, founding chair of the Challenger Center; Capt. Craig T. Worland, U.S. Marine Corps, retired; and Scenic City Women’s Network Executive Director Renee Nail. Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee are scheduled to provide video messages.
Andrew Smith, a U.S. Army veteran who served with the 82nd Airborne Division and co-founder of the Honoring the Sacrifice Foundation, will deliver the keynote address.
Smith, a Hamilton County native and Lee University graduate, deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. On March 8, 2012, he stepped on an improvised explosive device while on patrol, losing both legs and sustaining severe internal injuries from shrapnel. He returned to Tennessee after months of surgeries, procedures and physical therapy at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
After his recovery, Smith and his wife, Tori, returned to Tennessee, where he completed his degree and began working with veterans and military families. He is the father of three children and remains active in his community through youth sports, volunteer work and efforts to support wounded service members and their families.
Sponsors of 9/11: A Day of Remembrance include The Patriot Foundation Trust, Morning Pointe Senior Living, The Raines Group, State Rep. Greg Vital, and Hidden Hollow Resort and Camp.
Learn more
