Photo By Staff Sgt. Shawn Morris | Col. William Wightman, G-4 chief of staff for the U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness...... read more read more
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RED BANK, N.J. – “It is an honor and a privilege to stand before you today in remembrance of those who have sacrificed, and continue to sacrifice, in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against our nation,” said Col. William Wightman, G-4 chief of staff for the U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division, during the annual 9/11 commemoration held here Sept. 11 at Riverside Garden Parks.
“We must never forget the lessons of personal courage and shared sacrifice on that fateful Tuesday morning as we continue to heal as a people and as a nation,” Wightman continued.
This year’s remembrance marked the 24th anniversary of the attacks on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon, and Flight 93 in the skies over Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
“Today, in your own personal moments of reflection, I ask that you remember our fallen warriors and consider the enormous debt owed to all who have given their lives for us, both past and present,” said Wightman, whose father worked at 6 World Trade Center until 1994.
Wightman mobilized six times to the Dover Air Force Base Mortuary Affairs Campus, where his duties included curating the Joint Personal Effects Depot’s collection of unclaimed personal effects from the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon
“I had the privilege to curate those items, to hold them in my hands,” Wightman recalled. “Among those items was a damaged calculator, and attached to that calculator was a hand-written note that said, ‘Even this cannot add up my love for you.’”
On Dec. 18, 2001, President George W. Bush declared Sept. 11 as Patriot Day, designating it as a day to honor the victims of the 2001 attacks against the United States and observe moments of silence and fly Flags at half-staff.
“Since our establishment in 1908, the Army Reserve has continuously and consistently answered the nation’s call, and we have always delivered,” Wightman explained. “We will be called again – and we will be ready.”
| Date Taken: | 09.12.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.12.2025 09:41 |
| Story ID: | 547959 |
| Location: | RED BANK, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 67 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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