With hands over their hearts or at their brows in salute, attendees watched the colors be raised over Georgia Military College’s Grant Parade Field Wednesday as the school held its annual Patriot Day ceremony in remembrance of the world-changing events of Sept. 11, 2001.

Every heartbeat, every salute was reminded of the harrowing events of 9/11 when 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners. Two were flown into the World Trade Center towers in New York City. One hit the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The other crash landed in a field in Pennsylvania as it’s thought the passengers attempted to retake the plane before it could make its way to another high-profile target. Some 3,000 people were killed in what remains the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history.  “Today is indeed a time of deep reflection,” master of ceremonies Scott Seagraves said at the outset of Wednesday’s proceedings. “Our purpose this morning is to honor and remember ordinary citizens who perished while exercising their daily lives, the first responders who perished while protecting and saving lives, and the service members who gave their all in service to our nation in response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.” GMC’s parade field was filled with Prep School and junior college cadets. They were joined by local leaders, first responders and community members who were seated or standing around the flag pole. 

Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, president of GMC, shared that the annual Patriot Day ceremony that’s been going on for more than a decade is a chance for the institution to continue the cadets’ education.  “Their education is making sure we understand and appreciate the sacrifices that were made that day on 9/11,” Caldwell said.  The general then introduced the morning’s keynote speaker, Baldwin County Commissioner Henry Craig. An alum of both GMC Prep and the junior college, Craig joined the Army and flew more than 100 combat missions with 350 flying hours in Vietnam. After his military career, he went on to work as a pilot for Continental Airlines, a decision which put him right near the center of the events of 9/11. 

“Twenty-three years ago at my office at Newark, New Jersey, I was one of the chief pilots responsible for approximately 900 pilots at our New York base,” Craig said. “My office was at the airport across the river from New York City. It was a Tuesday. It was a cloudless sky. The sky was deep blue. Not a day goes by that I don’t remember what I saw. A few minutes before 9 o’clock one of the secretaries came to my office and said an airplane had hit the World Trade Center. I clearly remember looking at her and saying, ‘That’s impossible. It’s a wonderful clear day with a blue sky, not a cloud in sight.’” Craig realized he could go outside his office and have a firsthand view of the World Trade Center towers.  “Shortly after watching the smoke rising from the first tower, I viewed a flash on the other tower. Then a huge, black, orange, terrible blast came out of the other World Trade Center,” he said. “I’ll never forget that sight.” The Army veteran had been to war and seen explosions before, but nothing like what he witnessed that September day, he said. Another huge explosion occurred, followed by a tower of smoke. The first tower fell, as did the second. A living beast comprised of smoke and debris consumed one end of New York City.  “It went down the streets and alleys, and further collapsed other buildings,” said Craig. “It chased the people out of New York whether by car or walking. I can still see the pictures of people walking across bridges abandoning New York covered in dust looking like they were refugees from a foreign place.” The county commissioner of the last 12 years then got into the crux of his message, how American patriotism was at an all-time high after 9/11 and it now sits at a low. He challenged the adults in attendance to find ways to instill respect for country and community into young people every day.  Following his address, Craig joined Gen. Caldwell, Shanoca French, and Prep School cadet Alexis French in laying a wreath at the base of the flag pole in honor of all the lives lost on 9/11 and the ensuing Global War on Terror. The Frenches were doing so in honor of their husband/father, Army Staff Sgt. Alex French IV, who was killed in action in Afghanistan Sept. 30, 2009. National Guardsmen then offered a three-volley salute followed by echoing “Taps” that hung heavy over the parade field. The Sept. 11 remembrance crossed over into Thursday as cadets continued the tradition of writing the names of those who died that day 23 years ago as well as in the war that followed. As the rainy weather allowed, names were written in chalk on the brick walkway leading to and from the Old Capitol Building throughout the day. A special guest joined in, too. U.S. Marine Corps retired Gen. James Mattis, former U.S. Secretary of Defense under President Donald Trump, was on campus Thursday to cut the ribbon on the NewDay USA Center of Leadership and address cadets in the speaker series that’s a partnership between GMC and veterans mortgage lender NewDay USA.  Former Secretary Mattis, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan following 9/11, got to witness the cadets write the names of the perished before participating as well. “It’s 23 years since that day on 9/11 when about 3,000 people from innocent citizens of 91 countries, by the way, were murdered on our soil,” Mattis said in a media availability period. “To see an action like that of getting down and copying the names down in chalk on the brick, that action probably did more to cement in these young peoples’ minds that bad things can happen and people can come together to correct them is the bottom line. It’s not just talking about it. It’s not just hearing a speech about it or seeing a TV show about it. It’s actually writing down the names of the human beings that were lost that day. I was very impressed by it.”