Whitley County Coroner Andy Croley has a slightly different take on 9/11 than most people.
Less than one week after the World Trade Center towers fell on Sept. 11, 2001, Croley traveled to New York City and worked at Ground Zero as part of the federal level Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams (DMORT), which responds to mass casualty events.
It was Croley’s first deployment with the group, which he joined in 1998 after hearing about one of its missions to Guam for an air crash. He was there for nearly three weeks.
“25 years ago, on this morning in 2001, our world changed together. Like so many Americans, I remember what we all were doing exactly that day. I was sitting in my office as we watched the events unfolded on television with a feeling of disbelief and horror,” Croley told a crowd of students, faculty, local law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency personnel and community leaders, who were gathered for a 9/11 remembrance ceremony at Patriot Park on the campus of the University of the Cumberlands Friday morning.
After his service at Ground Zero, Croley worked to get a piece of steel from the World Trade Center brought to Whitley County to serve as a memorial to 9/11.
The more than 12-foot long, 2,200-pound shaft of marred steel now stands in front of the Hutton Building on the campus of the University of the Cumberlands as a memorial to 9/11. It was the location for Friday morning’s ceremony.
“Today, we are gathered beside an actual steel beam recovered from the Trade Center. It is not simply a piece of steel. It is a witness of history. This beam was once part of a place where thousands of people went to work, conducted business, shared meals, called their families and lived everyday lives,” Croley noted.
“On Sept. 11, it became part of one of the largest and most painful disasters and scenes in American history. Look at its strength, look at its weight, look at the damage it carries. This rugged steel reminds us of the incredible force of destruction, but it represents far more than destruction. It also represents courage, sacrifice, perseverance, and the strength of the American spirit.”
2,977 innocent people never returned home that day.
Croley noted Sept. 11 showed both the worst of humanity, but, also, the best of America as the country came together.
“Neighbors helped neighbors. Strangers donated blood, clothing and supplies and their time. Churches opened their doors. Communities held prayer services. People stood in line to help in any way they could. American flags appeared on homes, businesses, vehicles, bridges, roadways and throughout our country,” Croley said.
“We were not divided by politics, background or differences. We were simply Americans. We were reminded of the things that connected us were far greater than the things that divided us. That lesson is as relevant today as it was 25 years ago. Many of the students standing here today were not yet born when these attacks occurred.”
Croley said those of us, who remember 9/11, now have an obligation to tell the story, and teach each generation what happened, including the innocent lives that were lost, the first responders, who ran towards the danger, and about the service members, who defended the country in the years to follow.
“We do this not to preserve the fear or hatred, but to preserve the truth, honor and courage … The words ‘Never Forget’ must be more than words repeated once a year,” Croley said.
“We were reminded that the things that connected us were far greater than the things that divided us,” Croley said. “That lesson is just as important as it was 25 years ago.”
University of the Cumberlands Chancellor Jerry Jackson noted some of the students gathered for Friday’s ceremony, were not even born yet.
“That gap between memory and history is part of why we gather each year,” Jackson said. “Behind me stands a piece of that morning. The steel beam once held up the World Trade Center. It survived the collapse of the two towers and made its way eventually to the lawn here at the Hutton School of Business, where it has stood since 2003. It is a unique gift forged in tragedy, but now serving a place for our community to pause, remember and pray.”
The University of the Cumberlands ROTC held a flag folding ceremony and then raised another flag during the ceremony to half mast.
The ceremony concluded with a performance of the “The Star Spangled Banner” by Cumberland Voices, the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance, the observance of a moment of silence and the benediction by Dr. Jacob Ratliff, who is an assistant professor.
