Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Simon Pike | Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Rhyan Capili, a chief petty officer selectee assigned to...... read more read more
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Okinawa commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with a morning colors ceremony outside the hospital on Camp Foster, Sept. 11, 2026.
“Twenty-five years ago, the course of our nation and our military changed in an instant,” said Capt. Richard Gilliard Jr., commanding officer of NMRTC Okinawa, during his keynote speech. “On Sept. 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 innocent lives were taken at the World Trade Center, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon. Among those lost were service members, civilians, and first responders who ran toward danger to save others.”
The command’s chief petty officer selectees coordinated the event and carried out the ceremony: acting as the master of ceremonies, raising the national colors, tolling a ceremonial bell during a moment of silence, presenting a memorial wreath, and curating a display detailing the timeline of the attacks.
“It meant a lot to me,” said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Rhyan Capili, a chief selectee who participated in the ceremony. “When 9/11 happened, I was in high school. I remember around seven in the morning, I was getting ready for school, watching the news, and I saw the Twin Towers get hit. I was like, ‘Hey, Mom, what’s going on? Is that a movie?’ And she responded, ‘No. No, it’s not.’”
Capili emphasized that ceremonies like this ensure future generations remember those sacrifices.
“If commands like ours, service members like us, don’t do this every year, it’s going to be forgotten,” Capili said. “It’s important that we always keep in mind what we’re fighting for: defending our country’s freedom.”
Because Okinawa sits across the International Date Line, NMRTC Okinawa was one of the first U.S. military commands around the world to render honors on the milestone anniversary.
“It is an honor for us to be one of the first to stop, to pause, and to commemorate,” said Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Kearns, the command chaplain, who delivered the invocation and benediction. “We forget that this was real. That evil is real, that people will do evil things just because they want to cause pain. When people want to do that, that’s when we find our humanity. That’s when people say, ‘Other people are more important than myself. Even though the building is burning, I’m going to run over and help.’ People entered those buildings knowing they wouldn’t come out, but they went anyway.”
As time and distance have passed since 2001, the proportion of active-duty service members who were born before the attacks continues to shrink. According to the 2024 Military OneSource Demographics Profile, roughly 42.8% of the more than 1.2 million active-duty service members are 25 years old or younger.
“Days like this are a chance for our junior Sailors to hear the story that they may not have seen or been a part of,” Kearns said. “And for those of us who bear the wounds, to pause and remember what 25 years has looked like.”
Gilliard also remarked on the duty of upcoming generations to carry on the memory of the fallen.
“For our younger Sailors and staff, this is a history that you have to carry,” Gilliard said. “A legacy of resilience and shared sacrifice that forms the bedrock of our modern military.”
Reflecting on the pain America still carries 25 years later, Kearns sought comfort in his benediction.
“Heal what remains wounded,” Kearns prayed. “Ease the memories that still awaken fear. Calm the anxiety that lurks beneath the surface. Soften the rage born of loss, and comfort those whose sorrow has never departed them. May we remember the fallen by the manner in which we live. May we honor the brave by the courage with which we serve.”
Gilliard echoed the chaplain’s call to service in his own remarks, providing his own call to action.
“As forward-deployed naval personnel and healthcare professionals standing the watch in the Indo-Pacific, our responsibility is clear,” Gilliard said. We do not just remember history, we answer it every day through our readiness, our vigilance, and our unwavering dedication to the mission. Let us share in the spirit of unity, courage, and resolve that carried our nation through its darkest hour.”
U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Okinawa supports the Defense Health Agency's U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa, which is the largest overseas medical treatment facility staffed by active-duty Navy personnel and stands at the ready to respond to contingency operations to support the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s area of operations. It is a critical regional asset for direct care delivery, regional referrals, and medical contingency operations. The staff at USNH Okinawa understand their vital role as pre-positioned, forward-deployed naval forces within the first island chain, aligned and in support of joint military commands and operations.
| Date Taken: | 12.31.1969 |
| Date Posted: | 09.11.2026 04:28 |
| Story ID: | 574373 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 21 |
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