MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University Army and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets will hold a 24-hour vigil to remember the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States of America.
Recruiting Operations Officer John Dowling said the idea came from the cadet class of 2001 and has become an annual event since 2002.
“To commemorate the traditional events of that day and also to pay tribute to the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines,” Dowling said. “From the school, bot vets and ROTC cadets who have largely had their military careers defined by that day.”
The ceremony begins at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, and at 8:46 a.m. there will be a special recognition. The marching will stop, and a ceremonial “Taps” bugle call will be made in honor of American Airlines Flight 11 that was the first hijacked aircraft to strike the World Trade Center.
“At 8 a.m., Wednesday through 8 a.m. Thursday, Air Force and Army ROTC cadets will conduct a 24-hour vigil on the square in front of the Downtown Library.”
Many cadets don’t remember the events of that day like many reflect each year. Dowling said many cadets have secondhand accounts they’ve heard over the years from family, but some remember family members being deployed during the Global War on Terror.
“They can remember that their moms and dads deployed when they were maybe in single-digit ages,” Dowling said. “Maybe in elementary school when their moms and dads went away to Iraq or Afghanistan because of what happened on September 11, 2001.”
Since those attacks, hundreds of WVU Army and Air Force ROTC graduates, as well as hundreds of student veterans, have served honorably around the world in support of these missions.
“This is their way of saluting and paying tribute to the service members who have served overseas for the last 23 years,” Dowling said.