Mercyhurst holds commemorative event to mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11 attacks
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Mercyhurst University will be holding an event on Friday, Sept. 11, from 8 to 9:30 p.m. in Walker Recital Hall.
This gathering will reflect on the tragedy of the 9/11 attacks and recognize those who were affected by them. While 25 years have passed, the impact these attacks had on reshaping the world and sense of normalcy in the United States remains significant.
The commemorative event will feature five panelists who each have firsthand experience with the 9/11 attacks in New York City or at the Pentagon. This call to remembrance reflects on this tragic milestone in history and how it restructured the United States in a way that can never be forgotten.
The five panelists include:
- Ted Stanich, executive director of Intelligence Studies, Mercyhurst
- Brian Fuller, executive director, Center for Intelligence Research, Analysis, and Training (CIRAT), Mercyhurst
- John Patterson, director of Protective Services, Mercyhurst
- Scott Macdowell, corporate news director, Lilly Broadcasting
- Fred Hoffman, associate professor, Intelligence Studies, Mercyhurst
Each panelist will share their personal recollections.
“The attacks on September 11, 2001, were life changing. They represented a change in our mindset here at home,” said Stanich. “Our homeland was now a target and terrorism was brought home. It was unclear whether we were at war or if we were facing some other criminal threat. Terrorism and counterterrorism immediately became a new threat and priority for all of us in domestic law enforcement and emergency response roles.”
Stanich worked in Washington, D.C., as a special agent for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division (EPA CID), and he served as a first responder who assisted the FBI with body recovery and evidence recovery at the Pentagon following the 9/11 attacks. He also coordinated EPA’s law enforcement response support at the World Trade Center and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
“The primary focus of Intelligence was altered as well,” Stanich continued. “Protecting the public and the Homeland became a singular focus for many organizations, and vulnerabilities we had never considered were revealed and required analysis. The world changed here in the U.S. overnight.”
Hoffman was working in the National Military Command Center inside the Pentagon at the time of the attack.
“Al Qaida’s terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, were a seminal turning point in American history, altering the trajectory of our country no less significantly than had Japan’s December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii,” said Hoffman. “Just as Japan’s surprise attack abruptly ended America's isolationism and propelled the nation into World War II, the strikes on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon transformed our country geopolitically, institutionally, militarily, economically, socially, culturally, and morally.”
The event will begin with opening remarks made by Hoffman, followed by the panelist presentations, and closing with an engaging question session between the panelists and the audience.
The audience is encouraged to ask questions and reflect on this transformative event in American history.
“The Al Qaida attacks occurred a generation ago, but Americans are still living with many of the consequences of those attacks today,” said Hoffman.
Students, faculty, staff, and administrators are invited to attend. This event will not be open to the public.