Air Force ROTC members mark anniversary of 9/11

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A. Sue Weisler

Members of the Col. Andrew J. Dougherty squadron have been asking for $1 donations to plant flags in the area in front of Carey Hall, near Global Village. Half of the donations will benefit a 9/11 charity.

Today marks the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. To honor the 2,996 victims, the Col. Andrew J. Dougherty Squadron of the Air Force ROTC at Rochester Institute of Technology has been collecting donations to plant small flags in the grassy area outside of Hugh Carey Hall.

Taps was played at 8:46 a.m., signaling the time that the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City was hit by an airplane, marking the start of the attacks. Taps was also played at each of the other times that airplanes hit the South Tower and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. Finally, taps was played at 10:03 a.m. commemorating the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania after a thwarted terrorist hijacking.

The flags, which were donated to the squadron by Servpro of NW Monroe County, cost a $1 donation each and were available to faculty, staff and students from Sept. 4 to Sept. 11. The flags will remain planted until the end of the day. Donations will go toward a 9/11 charity that is yet to be determined, and will help to support the squadron.

Jared Sangiorgi, the public affairs officer of the squadron, cited the tireless work of the members as one of the keys to the fundraising of the memorial. “We really wanted an opportunity to give back to the community,” Sangiorgi says.

Sangiorgi says that the squadron won’t stop here. “Our squadron isn’t just about the military. It’s about service to the community and we have future plans for similar types of events.”