My 9/11 Anniversary at Columbia

Pictured is the sun dial on College Walk, Columbia University, a traditional platform for student speeches, bedecked today for the 4th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001.


That's me on the sun dial this morning. Butler library is in the background. I had on the FDNY cap I bought after 9/11 and wore for most of my freshman year.

Thanks to Chris Higgins, the current President of Students United for America, and David Mazzuca, the current suA VP, I was able to read the names of the 9/11 killed from the sun dial this morning. Chris' dad is FDNY Lieutenant Tim Higgins, who died in the line of duty 4 years ago. As SU4V's ExecVP, I helped Jen Thorpe organize our 1st 9/11 anniversary events at Columbia, and I was part of the first anniversary name reading. If I graduate on time, today's name reading will be my last participation in a 9/11 anniversary as a NYC college student.

I was fortunate enough to be reading the names as our chapel bells tolled for the 1st Tower collapse. I saluted the American flag on Low plaza as the bells tolled again for the 2nd Tower collapse. The salute was for, first, our firefighters and police who died as heroes on 9/11, and then for all our champions at home and overseas who have been sent into the fight since that day.

Vaya con Dios, nuestros campeones.

- Eric