Fort McCoy Remembers 9/11

Photo By Zachary Mott | U.S. Army Sgt. Ryan Tatum, 181st Multifunctional Training Brigade, plays Taps during the Patriot Day Ceremony at Fort McCoy, Wis., Sept. 10, 2021. The ceremony marked 20 years since the attacks that shook the nation and left nearly 3,000 dead.  

FORT MCCOY, WI, UNITED STATES

09.10.2021

Story by Zachary Mott 

88th Readiness Division

FORT McCOY, Wis. – 20 years ago, America was attacked. Planes were hijacked. Buildings were hit. People died. Military and emergency response leaders along with members of the Fort McCoy community gathered here to honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 people who died that day and to commemorate those events, Sept. 10, 2021.

“Out of rubble and ashes, Army and Army Reserve Soldiers were among the heroes who emerged – responding within hours, as Soldiers and as citizens, and continuing to serve in the days, weeks and years that followed,” said Maj. Gen. Darrell J. Guthrie, commanding general, 88th Readiness Division, and senior commander for Fort McCoy, during his remarks at the ceremony.

The ceremony featured acapella versions of the national anthem by Mary Guthrie, Full-Time Support-Civilian Branch chief, 88th Readiness Division, and America the Beautiful by Capt. Natanael Maria, 181st Multifunctional Training Brigade, as well as Taps by Sgt. Ryan Tatum, 181st MFTB, in addition to speeches by Guthrie and Col. Michael Poss, Fort McCoy garrison commander.

The events of Sept. 11, 2001, have had an indelible mark on a generation of Americans. From those who were born after the attacks to those who have served an entire military career under its shadow, no one is untouched by the attacks.

Even Fort McCoy, a thousand miles removed from the World Trade Center towers, was not insulated from the impact the attacks had on the nation. Military policemen from the Army Reserve’s 6015th Garrison Support Unit in Forrest Park, Ill., were mobilized to help secure the post.
Elsewhere across the country, other units were called to action both here and overseas.

“The events of 9/11 and the deaths of our own, marked an unofficial beginning of the U.S. Army and Army Reserve’s role in the war on terror,” Guthrie said.

We continue to remember the events of 9/11 to honor the memory of those who died and to remember the sacrifices of those who have been called to service since then.

“I ask everyone to pause and remember all of our fellow service members and DOD civilians who died that day,” Guthrie said.

• Date Taken: 09.10.2021
• Date Posted: 09.11.2021 08:45
• Story ID: 404945
• Location: FORT MCCOY, WI, US