Sunday commemorated the 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, quietly bringing the Madison community together to remember the lives that were lost and reflect on the repercussions of that fateful day.
For many in the Madison community, 9/11 is a day embedded in memory even with the majority of current University of Wisconsin students not having completed elementary or middle school at the time of the attacks.
“I was in fifth grade at the time, at home and getting ready for school,” UW College Republicans Chair Johnny Koremenos said. “I remember my dad called me into the living room.”
“He said, ‘Take a look at this. This is something that’s going to define history.’ After the second tower was hit, we knew it wasn’t an accident,” he said.
To commemorate 9/11, Koremenos and the UW College Republicans teamed up with the UW College Democrats to plant nearly 3,000 miniature American flags on the lower portion of Bascom Hill at 8 a.m. Sunday morning to represent the lives lost.
Koremenos said the aim was to keep the event a “low-key” reminder for students walking to classes.
He also said he has seen a shift in the country’s reaction to the event.
“Within the first year or so after the attacks happened, 9/11 brought the country together. Over time, it’s become a more contentious issue with how the wars unfolded. It almost became polarizing in a way,” Koremenos said.
This, Koremenos said, is important today when considering the 9/11 attacks.
Pointing out the collaboration of the rival groups of College Republicans and College Democrats, Koremenos said 9/11 was a day for the two to come together for the innocent lives lost, disregarding any difference in political opinion or ongoing debate.
Erin Goulding, a leader of the UW chapter of College Democrats, said the two groups coming together to honor the victims was a rewarding experience. The flags will stay up on Bascom Hill for a few days following Sunday so students can see the memorial on their way to class.
Madison Station 7 firefighter Patrick Masters also took a quiet approach to commemorating the attacks.
Working with fellow firefighter Jeff Frank to construct a memorial at Station 6 on Monroe Street, Masters recreated the Twin Towers on a 4 by 6 foot scale.
The top piece of the memorial states, “All gave some, some gave all. September 11, 2001, 343. Never forget.” All 343 names of the firefighters who lost their lives on 9/11 were written around the towers.
“Jeff and I just wanted to create a quiet reminder without the drama for ourselves and others who see it to really emphasize what’s important – the firefighters we lost and the sacrifices they made,” Masters said.
Remembering hearing at 12 years old from theUPSman that someone was attacking the World Trade Centers, Masters recalls a change in perspective concerning the jobs of police and firefighters.
While the 9/11 attacks were not a factor in Masters’ ultimate decision to pursue firefighting as a career, he still stands as an example of a modern-day hero. Masters said the attacks brought attention to the dangers of his job and that these dangers are still a reality.
“In terms of fire service, it brought people’s attention to what firefighters and police do and the risk they take every day, whether something tragic happens or not. You never know when you go out the door what’s going to happen and what the call really is,” Masters said.
Other local events commemorating 9/11 included the Ironman Triathlon, a Madison Police Department ceremony on top of the Monona Terrace Convention Center, a walk led by the Wisconsin National Guard at the Capitol and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art’s “Perspectives on Post-9/11 World” including talks by UW professors Donald Downs, Charles Cohen and John W. Hall.
