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7 years later, 9/11 attacks not forgotten
BEN CLASSON/Herald photo
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Seven years later, the day-to-day lives of most University of Wisconsin students rarely include more than a passing thought of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
But when walking up Bascom Hill today, it could seem as if not a moment has passed since that morning.
With the help of several campus organizations and community members, UW College Republicans and College Democrats of Madison have placed 2,977 American flags — one for each civilian victim — on the lower third of the iconic slope.
“It’s important for people here on campus to remember what happened,” said Sara Mikolajczak, chair of the College Republicans. “We think a lot of people have forgotten what happened, or at least forgotten the impact, and this is one way for us to all come together and remember.”
A ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. tonight at 6210 Social Science where a slide show will play and several speakers from Vets for Freedom will discuss America’s response to the attacks, Mikolajczak said.
Afterward, attendees will walk across the street to Bascom Hill where they will hold a 7:45 p.m. candlelight vigil. The flags will be removed after the vigil.
The Young America’s Foundation started the flag event in 2003. Roughly 200 college campuses nationwide participate in the event, and YAF encourages businesses and small communities to partake as well.
Despite the nonpartisan nature of the event, differences have arisen. College Democrats Chair Claire Rydell said she thinks as time passes, so will the yearly memorials.
“I think there might be a time in the future when we stop, but right now it’s still enough in our memory to do this,” Rydell said.
But Mikolajczak believes there “isn’t a point where it should stop.”
“I think it’s a shame that we don’t do something for Pearl Harbor or other attacks on the U.S. or our democracy,” Mikolajczak said. “9/11 is not only something that affects American citizens, but it affects everything in the world.”
UW history professor John Sharpless said he remembers large memorials while he was in high school in the 1950s for Pearl Harbor Day and how the Dec. 7 date has diminished in importance since.
“It may just be a matter of time; 30 years from now there may be no more than a mention in the newspapers about 9/11. You won’t see groups of people,” Sharpless said. “But it takes a while for the people who experienced it to move beyond it.”
Event partners include the Associated Students of Madison, Students for McCain, the Muslim Students Association and Mayor Dave Cieslewicz.
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Tasteless advertising by the College Democrats and Republicans: Seriously, two burning towers? Democrats whined when Bush used that symbolism and now the CDems use it to promote their own event. You both sicken me.
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While I commend “The Herald” for publishing a story in memory of those lost in this tragic event, I cannot help but feel disappointed that it is not one of the main news stories. This event—though seven years old—is and will forever be burned into the memories of every man, woman, and child alive on that day. I personally feel that it is a disgrace to the families of those injured or lost on 9/11 that stories like this are not of the utmost importance to not only the newspaper, but to every American. I realize that it may be time to move on for some people, but no one should ever forget what happened that day, or any other significant time in history for that matter. The past is the past, but we should never forget what it has taught us.
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A beautiful tribute, and it’s great to see the two college party organizations working together like this, but I do have one question: why only include civilian deaths?
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Jeez, what a surprise that this liberal newspaper decided to put an article about UW football on the cover and not something covering 9-11….
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the college dems are sick to think they had anything to do with this other than a few members showing up in the morning. their chair says she doesnt even support continuing the memorial? who do you think you are? there are several students at the uw including me who lost family in the wtc. its sad it isnt being promoted more.
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1:42 -
Maybe because it doesn’t indulge in cultural masturbation.
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I think a more important question is: what are we remembering, specifically? Should this event “forever be burned into the memories of every man, woman, and child alive on that day” because of what happened that day or what happened after? If you ask me, the importance of 9/11 isn’t the event itself, though it is an understandable issue to be emotional about, even seven years after. The importance, like that of December 7, 1941, is in the events that followed. America changed. Our culture became based in fear - and we’ve let that fear overtake us. We have started giving up liberty for security - in effect changing the very nature of our society. Instead of reacting to events as they unfold, we react before they happen. We preempt diplomacy for fear that if we don’t use military action right away, the enemy will first. Dissent - the reason we’re not still a collection of British colonies - is now characterized as unpatriotic. Because of our fear, Islam, a religion fundamentally about peace and understanding, has become a violent, fanatical faction to be hated and persecuted. The importance isn’t in the event - it’s in our reaction. And right now, we should remember 9/11 so we change that reactive viewpoint and reflect on the trouble it has caused. Are we going to let a terrorist attack continue to fundamentally alter the fabric of American society? If so, then the men how hijacked those planes seven years ago were successful.