Wednesday marks the 23rd anniversary of the terrorist attacks that took place Sept. 11, 2001, and Georgia Military College has several events scheduled throughout the week to serve as a solemn reminder of the lives lost that day and in the ensuing Global War on Terror. The prep school will hold its traditional Patriot Day ceremony at 7:40 a.m. Wednesday during morning formation on Grant Parade Field. The observance includes a moment of silence, the playing of Taps and remarks from GMC leaders as well as Baldwin County Commissioner Henry Craig.
The public is invited to attend. The annual practice of writing the 10,000 names of those who perished in the 9/11 attacks and the war that followed will be carried out Thursday to coincide with a special visitor coming to campus. Former U.S. Secretary of Defense, Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis will be in attendance to give the keynote address at the grand opening for GMC’s NewDay USA Center of Leadership. He’ll join GMC leaders and NewDay USA officials in cutting the ribbon on the 29,000-square foot facility that hosted its first fine arts performance last October. Mattis was the 26th United States Secretary of Defense for nearly two years of Donald Trump’s presidency. Mattis resigned in late 2018. The Marine general was the first of six either full-time or acting defense secretaries during Trump’s four years in office. A native of Richland, Washington, Mattis enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve at 18 years old. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant after graduating from Central Washington University in 1971 and commanded Marines at all levels during his more than four decades in uniform. Thirty years into his military career, Mattis led a task force in the southern part of Afghanistan during the initial planning for the war there. He later led Marines during the Iraq War as well. While in town Thursday, he’ll witness the GMC Prep students, faculty, and staff getting on their hands and knees to create a real-time monument as they write the 10,000 names of the 9/11 victims and servicemen and women who died in the war that followed on the brick walkway leading to the Old Capitol Building. It’s something the school has done for more than a decade to impress upon the young people the significance of what happened when the World Trade Center towers fell. For a few years now, the date of the 9/11 terrorist attacks has preceded the birth of any prep school student, making the need to remember as important as ever. Mattis will be the second in the NewDay USA Center of Leadership Speaker Series, which allows GMC Prep and junior college cadets to hear from renowned leaders. The first was in May with U.S. Navy Admiral Michael G. Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Pres. Barack Obama. Later in the week on Saturday, GMC will also have a home junior college football game against Central Georgia Technical College. It will be First Responders Day at Davenport Field as all first responders will receive free admission to watch the game that kicks off at 1 p.m.
Read more at: https://unionrecorder.com/2024/09/10/gmc-to-host-multiple-events-to-commemorate-9-11/