Photo By David Hernandez | – Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) cadets, school leadership and staff...... read more read more
FORT BUCHANAN, PUERTO RICO – Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) cadets, school leadership and staff members, service members, parents, and students gathered at the Antilles High School Gym, Sept.11, to participate in the 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony.
Col. John D. Samples, Fort Buchanan Garrison Commander, attended the ceremony, accompanied by Command Sgt. Maj. Kimberly D. Bergman-Gándara, Fort Buchanan Garrison Command Sergeant Major.
Samples addressed students on the importance of remembering September 11, 2001.
"Your parents, maybe great-grandparents, might talk about the 9/11 or Pearl Harbor attacks, as days that they'll never forget. I encourage all of you to honor the sacrifices made on September 11 by choosing to take care of one another every day, while making the world better for everyone," said Samples.
For Neils Mateo, the school principal, the ceremony was personal, as he worked at the Pentagon the day of the attacks and lost many friends.
"It's a simple message. If you're coming to this school. You're attending a school on a U.S. Army installation. We are all joined by either military service or federal civilian service. Everybody who is in this school raised their hand to swear allegiance to the Constitution. That's what joins us all. Events like 9/11 can unite a nation," said Mateo.
On September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 victims were killed in terror attacks that changed the U.S. forever. As a result of the 9/11 attacks, thousands of service members from units stationed at Fort Buchanan and across the island deployed in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
With an annual budget of nearly $500 million, Fort Buchanan supports approximately 15,000 military personnel, including active-duty, Reserve, Puerto Rico National Guard, Marine Corps Reserve, and Navy Reserve members. The installation's mission remains focused on enhancing readiness and facilitating the deployment of forces anywhere, anytime.
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.16.2025 17:06 |
| Story ID: | 548333 |
| Location: | PR |
| Web Views: | 29 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Antilles High School at Fort Buchanan remembers 9/11 terror attacks on 24th anniversary, by David Hernandez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
