Text of Sept. 11 commemorative plaque:
“Generations that know us not, and that we know not of, heart-drawn to see where and by whom great things were suffered and done for them, shall come to this deathless field, to ponder and dream, and the shadow of a mighty presence shall wrap them in its bosom, and the power of the vision pass into their souls.”
Joshua Chamberlain
American flags swayed in the afternoon wind, Thursday, as students, faculty and visitors bowed their heads in a moment of silence.
Out of respect for lives lost in the 9/11 tragedies, GCC united together to honor the heroes and survivors. One survivor, Kevin Danni, spoke to the group in the plaza and recalled his moments in the World Trade Center as the planes crashed into the building.
“We were in the stairwell when the second plane hit our building,” Danni recalled. As the stairway went dark, he and his co-workers from Morgan Stanley, emerged from the 61st floor down the crowded stairway. “I remember going down (the stairway) and I see about 20 firefighters on their way up, without a second thought,” Danni said.
Without these brave people, Danni said he would not have made it. “We have to thank our firemen, rescue people and service people, Danni said. He ended his speech on a note that was emotional for many, including members of the ASGCC.
“There was the bombing on Pearl Harbor and John F. Kennedy’s assassination and then there was 9/11,” Henan Joof, ASGCC president said. “The mere mention of 9/11 brings a barrage of emotions.
Abeer Jaradah, senator of campus relations, and Narine Tadevosyan, senator of campus organizations, read a poem together as a deep sentiment settled over the crowd.
“On Monday, we emailed jokes/ On Tuesday, we did not/ On Monday, parents complained about their kids picking up their rooms/On Tuesday, these same parents could not get home fast enough to hug their kids/ On Monday, people went to work as usual/ On Tuesday, they died,” Jaradah and Tadevosyan read.
The poem, written by an anonymous writer, tells of the differences between life the day before the attacks and the day after.
A simple sunset changed the way we as American’s live in our lives.
Armine Hacopian, president of the Board of Trustees, reminded all present of the change that we must accept and endure.
“The entire nation has suffered and changed due to a great loss. At the college, we try to build positive relationships [from these changes],” Hacopian said. She added that these relationships are what we should honor, especially in a time of need.
For English major, Rosenda Sanchez, 20, this statement hit home.
Sanchez, who was enrolled in boot camp for the U.S. Army, was stationed in Oklahoma when the terrorists invaded our homeland. Her group was immediately pulled into a conference room where they proceeded to watch the continuous coverage of the two planes hitting the World Trade Center. Later, she had to put her education on hold, as her infantry was asked to be prepared for the front line.
“I though it was a nightmare or a movie,” Sanchez said as she signed a large banner in route to Ground Zero.
The ASGCC put together both the remembrance event speakers and the banner reading, “Glendale Community College will never forget you.” Covering the banner were signatures from the GCC community. Many of the signatures were those that lost a loved one on 9/11.
One such comment, written in a depressing color of blue, said, “Eddie Quinonez, 28th floor, I love you and miss you. You can take our towers, but you can not take our freedom.”