FORT BUCHANAN, Puerto Rico — Elected officials, service members, Department of the Army civilians, families, students and community members gathered at Antilles High School on Sept. 11 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and help ensure a new generation understands and remembers the events that changed the nation.
The Fort Buchanan Fire Department led the remembrance ceremony, joined by firefighters and first responders from surrounding Puerto Rico communities. Their participation honored the firefighters, police officers, emergency personnel and civilians who responded to the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, while highlighting the partnerships that connect the installation with the communities beyond its gates.
Niels Mateo, Antilles High School principal and retired Navy veteran, delivered the keynote address. Twenty-five years earlier, Mateo was a Navy officer serving at the Pentagon when terrorists attacked the building.
“For me, September 11 is not simply a chapter in a history book,” Mateo told the audience. “It is a day I lived.”
Speaking before students who were born years after the attacks, Mateo emphasized the responsibility of those who remember 9/11 to share its lessons with generations that did not experience it.
“Because when living memory begins to fade, remembrance becomes a responsibility,” Mateo said.
Mateo also connected Puerto Rico directly to the national response that followed the attacks. Puerto Rican service members were among the thousands who mobilized, deployed and supported military operations in the years that followed.
“Puerto Rico did not watch history from the sidelines,” Mateo said. “Puerto Rico answered the call.”
The ceremony brought together the military and civilian communities to remember nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks and recognize the service and sacrifice of those who responded at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
For Fort Buchanan, the commemoration also provided an opportunity to connect students with the experiences of those who witnessed the attacks and served during the years that followed.
“‘Never Forget’ must be more than a phrase,” Mateo said. “It must be a promise.”
Mateo closed by challenging the audience to carry that promise forward.
“Buildings can be rebuilt. Institutions can recover. A nation can heal — but only if its people remember what was lost, honor those who served, and remain united around the principles they are determined to defend.”
Twenty-five years after 9/11, the gathering demonstrated that remembrance extends beyond those who witnessed the attacks. Through education, community partnership and shared remembrance, Fort Buchanan continues helping pass their stories and lessons to the generations that will carry them forward.