Rock Island Arsenal remembers 9-11 with flag walk, remembrance ceremony

ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. -- As dawn broke on an unseasonably cool and cloudy September morning, a group representing a cross-section of the Army Family carried bundles of small American flags on a 3.25-mile walk on Rock Island Arsenal, in remembrance of tragic events that occurred on that day 13 years earlier.

For the fourth year in a row, the Arsenal held a 9-11 Flag Walk to mark the anniversary of the terrorist attacks that took place on Sept. 11, 2001. Soldiers and members of the Army's sister services, civilian employees, contractors, Family Members, and members of the local Quad Cities community carried bundles containing 25 American flags. Each flag represented a life lost in the 9-11 terrorist attacks, and in the wars that followed.

The Flag Walk ended at the Arsenal's 9-11 Memorial, located on Rodman Avenue -- the installation's main thoroughfare -- across from Memorial Field. There, Flag Walk participants planted their flags in a field behind a replica built of bricks of the World Trade Center's twin towers, which fell during the 9-11 attacks, and a marble replica of the Pentagon, which was severely damaged after being struck by a hijacked passenger airplane.

The field was filled with 9,777 flags, 74 more than last year. At a remembrance ceremony held at the 9-11 Memorial later that day, the names of all 74 individuals who gave their lives in the War on Terrorism in the past 12 months were read aloud.

The reading was followed by a performance of the "National Anthem," sung by Jereen Phillips-Hardin and Everline Barnard. Soldiers from the U.S. Army Sustainment Command then joined local Gold Star family members Annie Cox, Teri Johnson and Brenda Luxmore -- all of whom lost a loved one killed in action during the War on Terrorism -- in laying and dedicating a wreath placed before the 9-11 Memorial.

Later in the ceremony, two buglers played "Taps," a moment of silence was held, and Soldiers assigned to Rock Island Arsenal fired rifles in a ceremonial volley. Near the conclusion of the ceremony, all in attendance joined in the singing of "America the Beautiful."

In keynote remarks given at the ceremony, Col. William Krahling, commander, U.S. Army Sustainment Command's Distribution Management Center, noted that the ceremony was a solemn event that evoked the feelings of sadness and loss experienced on Sept. 11, 2001. But he said that, while those attending might begin singing "America the Beautiful" with heavy hearts, they should end the song and leave the ceremony in the spirit of hope.

"When we listen to the lyrics of the song, our spirits should be lifted," he said. "America is still beautiful -- is still strong - is still united -- is still a land of opportunity -- is still a beacon of freedom for all the world's people. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, did not change that -- could not change that -- nor have the losses we experienced since."

Krahling said that, on the night of the attacks, President George W. Bush gave an address in which he told the nation that, while the terrorists may have shaken the foundation of tall buildings and dented the steel of their structures, they had not shaken America's foundation of freedom nor the steel of its resolve.

"That resolve has been strengthened and hardened in the heat of battle," Krahling said. "We saw it immediately on 9-11, in the first responders who rushed into burning buildings to save others, hundreds of them giving their own lives in the process.

"I saw it in the faces of my fellow Soldiers, all of whom knew we were a nation at war," he said. "We immediately stepped up and were ready for battle."

Krahling said that the same resolve and spirit were found in the young men and women who entered military service after the 9-11 attacks.

"All of them were volunteers," he said, "and all of them knew that they could be deployed to a place of danger."

Krahling remarked that the young recruits now entering the military had only vague memories of the 9-11 attacks and that, in a few more years, most of those will have been born after the attacks.

"History tells us that freedom is not free," Krahling said, "so the post-9-11 generation will eventually face a test -- just as we were tested on that day 13 years ago -- and will be called on to sacrifice.

"I am confident that they will pass that test," he continued, "because I am confident that our nation's resolve will always remain strong."

Krahling said that the replica of the World Trade Center he stood in front of was a symbol of that resolve, since it had been built four years ago by bricks carried on a long road march by Soldiers who were then assigned to the Arsenal.

"The way this monument was built makes a bold statement," he said. "We will carry on in place of our fallen comrades, we will rebuild, we will sacrifice, and we will do what is necessary to defend our freedom."

Krahling praised all who had taken part in the Flag Walk that morning.

"Thank you for taking the time to be part of such a solemn and meaningful event," he said. "It heartens me to know that so many of you care about those who gave their lives in service to our nation."

Along with the placement of flags, a police officer's hat and a firefighter's helmet had been placed atop the twin towers replica, symbolizing the first responders who died in the 9-11 attacks. That spirit of sacrifice lives on in first responders today, Krahling said.

"Thank you for choosing a career of service to others," he said, "and thank you for always answering the call of duty despite the danger to yourselves, just as your fellow first responders did on 9-11."

Krahling said that he hoped that the Gold Star family members in attendance at the ceremony had been comforted by what they had seen and heard there.

"Please know that we will never forget their sacrifices, that we will never leave our fallen comrades, and that we will never leave the sides of those who mourn the fallen.

"I love this country with all my heart," Krahling said. "America truly is beautiful, and it's beautiful because of those who paid the price for our nation in the past, and those who are still willing to pay that price today."