‘Lady Liberty has scars’: Picatinny’s Commanding General reflects on 9/11’s enduring impact on freedom

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. - Members of the Picatinny community gathered Friday to honor the victims, survivors and heroes of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks during a solemn 25th anniversary memorial ceremony.

The ceremony brought together military personnel, civilian employees, first responders, veterans, family members and community leaders to remember the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives that day and reflect on the lasting impact of the attacks on the nation and its Armed Forces.

Twenty-five years after the attacks, the anniversary served as both a moment of remembrance and a reminder of the courage displayed by ordinary Americans during one of the darkest days in the nation's history.

While the attacks of September 11 were a tragic assault on the nation that claimed thousands of innocent lives, the commanding general’s remarks at the 25th anniversary commemoration emphasized America’s enduring strength.

“Lady Liberty has scars,” said Maj. Gen. Christopher D. Schneider, Picatinny Arsenal’s Commanding General and Portfolio Acquisition Executive Agile Sustainment and Ammunition. “You can’t see them from far away, but 9/11 is one of our deepest, ugliest, most enduring scars. And unfortunately, it will not be the last one."

The general honored those who were lost, the first responders who acted without hesitation, and the service members and civilians who answered the call in the years that followed. The commemoration served not only as a time of remembrance, but also as a reminder of the resilience demonstrated by communities across the country.

“We are the land of the brave,” Schneider said. “We cannot forget that. They tried to scare us, intimidate us, and change the way that we live. But we showed the world what home of the free and the land of the brave is all about.”

Schneider underscored that the enemy failed to achieve its broader objective of breaking the American spirit. Instead, the attacks strengthened the nation’s resolve, reinforced the importance of unity, and inspired generations of Americans to serve something greater than themselves.

“This is the Arsenal from which freedom is supported,” Schneider said as he continued to address the audience at Picatinny. “We develop many of the systems that are necessary when it is time to demonstrate what the home of the brave means, and we do it better than anybody else.”

Following the wreath laying by Schneider and Picatinny Arsenal Garrison Commander Lt. Col. John A. Meier, Marines assigned to 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines (2/25), Golf Company, at Picatinny, remembered the fallen with a 21-gun salute, followed by a Marine bugler playing “Taps.”

Capt. Nolan Rampulla of the Picatinny Arsenal Fire Department played “Amazing Grace,” on the bagpipes.

Additionally, four members of the Picatinny Arsenal workforce tolled bells, a solemn tradition of remembrance, in tribute to those civilians, servicemembers, and fire responders who made the ultimate sacrifice 25 years ago.

After the remembrance ceremony, and comments from Assistant Fire Chief William Erichsen, the Picatinny Arsenal Fire Department hosted a moving flag tribute where the American flag will be carried continuously for 24 hours over a 1.3-mile course by Picatinny Arsenal employees, service members, and families.