LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — It’s 22 years later, and the ceremonies to honor the victims and heroes are still just as poignant as initially. And they remain every bit as painful.
On Monday morning, a section of the University of Kentucky campus was devoted to remembering the 2,977 victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America. 2,977 American flags were planted, and the names of all 2,977 who perished on that day were read.
“We must do these ceremonies. We must never forget,” said Lt. Col. Alan R. Overmyer. “It’s our way of paying it forward and paying tribute to the memories of those who fell on that day,” he continued.
LTC Overmyer is a professor of Military Science at UK and runs the campus ROTC program. He delivered brief remarks before a cadet read the victims’ names. The ceremony is done annually on this campus.
“It impacted all of us. Not only was it an attack on those three buildings and those planes, but an attack on all of us,” Lt. Col. Overmyer said before turning his thoughts to the first responders. As we know, many survived that day but have died since as a result of debris-related illness from inhaling fumes and toxins the attacks left behind.
“There’s something we always use in the military, it’s ’mission, men, me.’ The mission that day was people needed help and those first responders rose to the call,” he said.
Every year since 2001, LTC Overmyer has made sure his men and women do the same to offer a proper tribute.
