‘Lest We Forget’ ceremony held at College of the Ozarks on September 11
On Friday, September 11, at 9 a.m., College of the Ozarks hosted a ceremony to commemorate the lives of those who perished in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The ceremony, well-attended by the public along with C of O and S of O students and area first responders, was held at the Lest We Forget 9/11 Memorial, located next to the Point Lookout Fire Department on the C of O campus.
The College of the Ozarks Concert Band, directed by Dr. Kevin Powers, opened with prelude music, “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.” C of O President Dr. Brad Johnson welcomed those gathered; Dr. Justin Carswell, VP for Christian Ministries and Student Development, gave the invocation; and the colors were presented by C of O Bobcat Gold. The band provided the National Anthem, and junior Alayna Royal led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Gen. James Schreffler, VP for Patriotic Programs at the College of the Ozarks, introduced the featured speaker, Rear Admiral Hank Molinengo, USN (Ret). While serving as Executive Assistant to the Judge Advocate General of the Navy, Rear Adm. Molinengo was in the Pentagon during the events of September 11, 2001, and participated in planning the nation’s military response. Following his naval career, he and his wife, Fran, moved to Springfield, Missouri, to be near family, where he remains an active volunteer in the community.
In his remarks, Rear Adm. Molinengo was humbly honest in reviewing the history leading up to the attacks. During a time of apparent peace after the earlier Gulf conflicts, some smaller incidents were not viewed as consequential and military drawdown was under discussion. Molinengo shared his memory of the realization that in the top-level meeting at the time the Pentagon was hit, there was only one person present who was carrying a firearm, a young Marine aide who immediately headed to help as community first responders courageously rushed to the scene. He also praised the courage of the two Andrews Air Force Base pilots sent to try to intercept Flight 93 and throw it off course, even though the jets stationed there at the time were unarmed. He also shared that top leaders felt that, although their intentions had been good, they had let the country down, and in preparing to respond to Secretary Rumsfeld’s order of “Let’s get to work,” many first went to the chapel.
Wrapping up his remarks, Rear Adm. Molinengo reviewed several lessons learned that we must not forget: First of all, Americans are courageous, and we are a nation of faith, based on scriptures like Psalm 119:105 and Joshua 1:9. Faith, love of country and work ethic got us through that tough time, and we learned that terrorists do not like those values or our freedoms. This must only increase our resolve to stick to those ideals.
Many of those present were moved to tears by the speaker’s heartfelt remarks, which were followed by the raising of the New York State 9/11 Memorial Flag by Hollister Police Chief Robert Stirewalt and C of O Public Safety Director David Kempf. School of the Ozarks fifth graders then honored the fallen with a rose petal ceremony as the band played “Sweet Hour of Prayer.”
The ceremony ended with a symbolic volley and bell toll by the Fire Chiefs of Branson and Western Taney County, Charlie Huston and Jim Furgerson; Taps played by Dr. Powers; closing prayer offered by Dr. Carswell; and the postlude, “God Bless America,” by the concert band.
As attendees dispersed, many shared their appreciation of the College of the Ozarks and its commitment to American values as well as their own renewed commitment to “Never Forget.”
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