Wichita marks 9/11 with ceremonies, service across city

Wichita residents are gathering across the city Sept. 11 to mark 25 years since the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.

Ceremonies, volunteer projects and moments of silence are scheduled from early morning into the evening, spanning Veterans Memorial Park, McConnell Air Force Base, the American Red Cross and the Wichita State University campus.

Gov. Laura Kelly ordered flags statewide flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset. In a statement Sept. 10, Kelly said the state remains committed to remembering those whose lives were permanently changed by the attacks, according to the Derby Informer. She also honored the more than 400 first responders who died that day.

Ceremonies and remembrance

Wichita's annual 9/11 commemoration runs from 8 a.m. to noon at Veterans Memorial Park, 339 Veterans Parkway, KWCH reported. Volunteers are helping set up the site, welcome visitors and assist staff throughout the morning.

At McConnell Air Force Base, a Patriot Day ceremony begins at 8:46 a.m. at Building 1200 Fire Station 1. That time marks the moment of first impact on the World Trade Center's North Tower. A bell ringing will honor the first responders who lost their lives, followed by a remembrance walk.

The American Red Cross is hosting a panel of disaster services volunteers at 8 a.m. at 707 N. Main. The volunteers will speak about their experiences responding to the attacks, with moments of silence and a presentation of historical photos.

WSU Day of Service

Wichita State University organized a full day of volunteer projects across the city. Opportunities include:

Sorting donated items at the United Way GIV Warehouse, 432 N. Washington, from 9 to 11:30 a.m.
Making fleece blankets in room 240 of the Rhatigan Student Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with one- and two-hour shifts available
Assembling dental hygiene kits in room 216 of the Rhatigan Student Center from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. The kits will be distributed through the Wichita State Dental Hygiene Clinic.
Helping the Urban League of Kansas build shelving at 2418 E. Ninth Street North from 1 to 3 p.m.
Cleaning up Fairmount Park near campus from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Assembling feminine hygiene kits for Simply Hygiene from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in room 216 of the Rhatigan Student Center
Supporting a Touch-a-Truck family event at the Wichita State Child Development Center, 3026 E. 21st Street North, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Maize South High School students are also joining the effort, making fleece blankets from 9 to 11:30 a.m. in the Woolsey Hall ballroom on the WSU campus.

A local veteran's reflection

Sedgwick County native Matt Amos knows the weight of this anniversary. Amos, who grew up near Mt. Hope, enlisted in the military after the attacks, deployed to Iraq twice and lost both legs to an IED during a 2011 deployment to Afghanistan.

In a KSN interview published Thursday, Sept. 10, Amos urged the community to rediscover the unity that followed the attacks: "Everybody was there for everybody else, and you'd say 'hi' to people that you normally wouldn't say hi to on the street … It would be really nice if we could get back to that, and maybe let's not make it a national tragedy for that to happen."

He is one of many. The U.S.O. estimates 181,000 Americans enlisted in active-duty service after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, with nearly 73,000 more joining the reserves.