U.S. Sailors and Marines assigned to USS Boxer and 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit gathered on the mess decks to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Sept. 11.
The event recognized and honored the nearly 3,000 lives lost on that day, as well as acknowledged the nation’s unbreakable resolve that arose from the ashes after the tragic events.
“As we mark 25 years, we do not just look back at the tragedy, we recognize the legacy of profound courage it forged,” said Logistics Specialist 1st Class Ajile Adams, master of ceremonies. “We honor the first responders who rushed into danger, the citizens who stood together in our darkest hour, and the generation of service members who stepped forward to defend our freedom.”
Boxer’s petty officers first class, selected for promotion to chief ptty officer, organized the ceremony, with each presenter reading the sequence of events as they occurred on that Tuesday morning in 2001. They paid homage to those lost on the planes that struck the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. They recognized the heroism of the passengers on United Airlines flight 93 who fought to take control of the plane, preventing more lives from being lost, and those first responders who ran into the towers and never walked out, saving thousands of lives in the process. Each reader closed their recognition with the phrase, “We will never forget.”
Lt. Pierre St. Hillaire, Boxer’s medical administration officer and a native of New York, remembers visiting the observation deck of the World trade Center as a young boy, feeling the wind hit his face when looking through the 25-cent binoculars, while his father, a city employee, pointed out every landmark that stood across the horizon. He shared vivid memories of a vibrant city that had, “an electric pulse that you felt in your bones,” while passing through every borough on the subway.
“You see, to a kid looking up at the World trade Center, the red carpets, the cavernous ceiling, the banks of elevators, it felt like the epicenter or possibility,” said St. Hillaire. “It represented honest, hardworking people showing up every day to build a life, make a living, and chase the American dream.”
He also recalled his shock and confusion as a 17-year old college freshman watching the news and become aware that his city was under attack.
“Watching those towers collapse on television was like watching a piece of my youth, my home, and our nation’s sense of invulnerability vanish into smoke and ash,” said St. Hillaire. “Yet amidst the horror and carnage, we saw what true American courage looked like.”
He will never forget the bravery of the city’s first responders, as they weaved through gridlocked streets toward danger, or of the ordinary citizen who pulled strangers to safety from the wreckage. That legacy of courage and fortitude would have a lasting impact on his life and later inspire his call to put on the uniform.
“’Never Forget’ is not just a phrase, it is an active duty of the great men and women who fought side by side to defend freedom for generations to come,” said St. Hillaire. “It is the living continuance of the promise made 25 years ago to defend the nation and protect our freedom.”
Capt. Eli Owre, Boxer’s commanding officer, spoke to the crew and reflected on what it was like to be a midshipman first class at the U.S. Naval Academy when he, alongside many future Navy and Marine officers, saw the life changing news. He recalled suddenly being glued to the same TVs he had walked past each day without so much as a second thought and watching the reports of an aircraft striking the World Trade Center.
“As the day went on, we knew that the world had changed and the attacks were a challenge to American ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” said Owre. “Every one of us knew that we would be commissioned into a vastly different military and world than the day before.”
Owre shared the names of a few of his fellow midshipmen at the time, who would later be among the over 7,000 service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the conflicts that followed 9/11. He reminded the crew that 25 years later, the Sailors and Marines aboard Boxer carry the weight of all those who have worn the uniform before them.
“As an ARG MEU, we have upheld their legacy while forward deployed across the oceans, in the skies and from remote forward operating bases,” said Owre “I am humbled to have the opportunity to continue their legacy with you aboard Boxer.”
After Capt. Owre’s remarks, the audience stood as the ceremony presenters performed the 13 folds of the American flag, memorializing each important chapter in this our nation’s history, from its fight for independence, it’s involvement in each major conflict since the nation’s founding, recognition for the service members lost preserving those hard-earned freedoms and finally those continuing that that legacy today.
Boxer is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East.