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DoDEA’s Antilles High School commemorates 9/11 anniversary

By David HernandezSeptember 11, 2024

DoDEA’s Antilles High School commemorates 9/11 anniversary
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Students, teachers, and staff members from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Antilles High School (AHS) conducted a remembrance ceremony at the school gym Sept. 11 to honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 innocent victims who died in the terrorist attacks 23 years ago. (Photo Credit: David Hernandez) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fort Buchanan's Antilles High School commemorates 9/11 anniversary
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Students, teachers, and staff members from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Antilles High School (AHS) conducted a remembrance ceremony at the school gym Sept. 11 to honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 innocent victims who died in the terrorist attacks 23 years ago. (Photo Credit: David Hernandez) VIEW ORIGINAL
DoDEA’s Antilles High School commemorates 9/11 anniversary
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Students, teachers, and staff members from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Antilles High School (AHS) conducted a remembrance ceremony at the school gym Sept. 11 to honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 innocent victims who died in the terrorist attacks 23 years ago. (Photo Credit: David Hernandez) VIEW ORIGINAL
DoDEA’s Antilles High School commemorates 9/11 anniversary
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Students, teachers, and staff members from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Antilles High School (AHS) conducted a remembrance ceremony at the school gym Sept. 11 to honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 innocent victims who died in the terrorist attacks 23 years ago. (Photo Credit: David Hernandez) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT BUCHANAN, PUERTO RICO- Students, teachers, and staff members from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Antilles High School (AHS) conducted a remembrance ceremony at the school gym Sept. 11 to honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 innocent victims who died in the terrorist attacks 23 years ago.

Col John D. Samples, Fort Buchanan, commanding officer; Command Sergeant Major Kimberly D. Bergman Gándara, the installation command sergeant major; Lt. Col. Sean K. Cook, the installation Deputy Commander; Ulises Marrero, Deputy to the Garrison Commander; and Niels Mateo, AHS principal, presided over the ceremony, which was led by Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) cadets.

"This ceremony commemorates all those people who died in the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center and the attack on the Pentagon. We are trying to make our young students understand what happened that day and that the world changed after that terrible event," said Lt. Col. (Ret) Carlos G. Rivera Torres, senior JROTC instructor, a school program with 197 cadets.

For Mateo, the September 11 anniversary has a special meaning because he was on active duty working at the Pentagon on the day of the terrorist attacks.

"The only way that my family knew that I was okay that day was because I could use a line phone that afternoon," said Mateo.

During his remarks, Mateo not only shared aspects of his experience but also encouraged students to focus on what they can control.

"We are all joined by invisible forces, powerful, strong, beautiful forces that mend together service members, people, first responders, the federal government, and everyone in this room. We are all joined by that force. It is powerful. Even though when we talk about events like 9/11, we may sometimes feel powerless, I want you to remember to start small, control what you can, and create a great environment around you," added Mateo, who is a retired Navy Commander.

For students, the ceremony served as a testament to the resilience and unity of the American spirit.

"To me, this day represents the human spirit that helps us recover after terrible events like the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. It brings us together, remembering the good and the bad, and helps us improve from our past mistakes. This ceremony helps us tie together what makes the United States of America the United States of America," expressed Idrian A. Malave-Torres, cadet brigade commander of the JROTC at AHS.

AHS is a nonsectarian, co-educational high school under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Americas Mid Atlantic district. DoDEA operates as a field activity of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. It is responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade educational programs for the Department of Defense. DoDEA operates 160 accredited schools in 8 districts in 11 foreign countries, seven states, Guam, and Puerto Rico. DoDEA Americas operates 50 accredited schools across two districts, located on 16 military installations, including Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard bases in seven states, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. Committed to excellence in education, DoDEA fosters well-rounded, lifelong learners, equipping them to succeed in a dynamic world.

Fort Buchanan's mission is to serve as a readiness enhancement platform and facilitate the deployment of military personnel to any place at any time. With an annual investment in the local economy of over $500 million, Fort Buchanan serves a diverse military community of approximately 15,000 active-duty Reserve, National Guard, Marine Corps Reserve, and Navy Reserve members.