On Saturday, the Messiah University Conservatives hosted a memorial service to remember the September 11 attacks 20 years later. The brief ceremony consisted of a flag ceremony, a time of prayer and reflection and a speech by MU Conservative vice president, Erik Olson.
Jacob Cornwell, the president of MU Conservatives, wanted to do something to bring students together on campus for 9/11.
“It was something that we could do that was unifying in this trying political time,” Cornwell said.
Olson emphasized during his speech that the club wanted to make it clear that this was not a political event, but was for everyone. He also mentioned how important he feels unity is in today’s climate.
“Right now I think we need to come together in order to solve our differences, we need to look past what makes us different in order to be hopeful for a better future,” Olson said.
However, hosting a memorial service targeted towards college students means that the majority of those in attendance were either not alive during the attacks or too young to remember.
“I barely remember them, I was about one at the time, I just remember my parents being very upset about it,” Olson said.
However, Olson feels that looking back on our history is important even if he was young during the attacks.
“I think it’s important to remember our history, both the good and the bad, so that we don’t make the same mistakes again,” Olson said. “But on top of that, look back and see that this was a time where we were able to come together.”
“For us, it’s up to us to keep the memorial going,” Cornwell said, further stating the importance of remembering our nation’s past.
“It’s even more important now to remember what happened because those older than us can remember very clearly the exact time, where they were, what they were doing, but we don’t have that,” Cornwell said.
Cornwell appreciated the student body’s presence and participation at the event.
“Even though the campus isn’t always very patriotic, the students still care and the administration was willing to back us,” Cornwell said.