The U.S. Naval War College held a solemn ceremony Thursday to honor 11 students and alumni killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The remembrance took place at the college’s 9/11 Patriot Memorial in Newport, R.I.
Rear Adm. Darryl Walker, the college’s president, reflected on the attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives. “As we gather here, those old enough to recall that fateful day can vividly remember where we were and what we were doing when the attacks unfolded,” said Walker, who was a student at the college when the planes struck.
“To ensure that our nation never forgets those who lost their lives, we must continue to recount their stories and keep the light shining as we honor the sacrifices made on that day and in the years since,” Walker said.
Family members of Navy Capt. Gerald F. DeConto, a 1998 graduate who was killed in the Pentagon’s Navy Command Center when American Airlines Flight 77 hit the building, attended the ceremony. He was among 124 killed at the Pentagon. Retired Capt. John Yamnicky, 71, another alum, was a passenger on Flight 77.
Others remembered were Navy Lt. Cmdr. Robert R. Elseth, Navy Capt. Lawrence D. Getzfred, Navy civilian Angela Marie Houtz, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Jude Murphy, Navy Lt. Jonas Martin Panik, retired Capt. Jack D. Punches, Navy Cmdr. Robert A. Schlegel, Navy Cmdr. Dan F. Shanower, and Army Lt. Col. Kip P. Taylor.
NWC professor and retired Navy Capt. John Jackson read each name, followed by a bell toll. The ceremony concluded with a wreath-laying by Walker and Command Master Chief Abel Griego.
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