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NMSU ROTC To Hold 9/11 Commemoration

  New Mexico State University's Air Force and Army ROTC will commemorate the tragic events of 9/11 beginning with a memorial run at 6 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11. A memorial service and flag ceremony will follow with NMSU's Army ROTC firing a cannon, marking the exact times the planes hit. The annual event is open to the public.

"It is important that we never forget how our lives were changed forever on that morning," said Lt. Col. David McCoy, NMSU Army ROTC commander and professor of military science in the College of Arts and Sciences. "So many lost their loved ones on that day; many of them in an instant. The twin successful attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, along with the failed attack that crashed in Pennsylvania, must serve as constant reminders for us to maintain an everlasting vigilance in the face of terror."

More than 200 cadets and cadre will participate in the run escorted by NMSU police. The run will take them down the Horseshoe to Espina and north to University Avenue where they will make their way to the Pan American Center. From there, they will return to Hadley Hall via the International Mall.

"We run because it's our way of honoring everyone that lost their lives on Sept. 11, and thanking the marines, sailors, soldiers, airmen and citizens that serve to protect our nation's core principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," said Lt. Col. Ira Cline, NMSU Air Force ROTC commander and professor of aerospace studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.

After a brief memorial service, the Army ROTC will fire four cannons consecutively. They will fire at 8:46 a.m. for American Airlines Flight 11; at 9:02 for United Airlines Flight 175; at 9:37 a.m. for American Airlines Flight 77; and at 10:03 a.m. for United Airlines Flight 93.

Prior to the events, NMSU cadets will pay tribute to the nearly 3,000 victims of 9/11 with a chalking on International Mall. The public is invited to attend this annual event, which will begin in the afternoon of Sept. 10.

For more information contact the NMSU Air Force ROTC at 575-646-2136.