9/11 Memorial Recalls Promises Kept

The 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony held on the Academic Quad at CU-Bloomsburg on Friday recalled sacrifices made and promises and commitments kept. 

The setting of the event, sponsored by the Student Veterans Association (BUSVA), featured 2,977 flags placed on the quad lawn, one for each victim of the attacks 25 years ago. The featured speakers were Hakeem Thomas ’17, a U.S. veteran and current president of the CU-Bloomsburg Alumni Association, and Lt. Col. Ted Batzel ’96.

Thomas reflected on his own arrival at Bloomsburg as an older veteran blending in with traditional students, and how the campus community supported him and his peers. Through dedicated spaces like the Military Veterans Resource Office, the university didn’t just educate them; it helped heal and bridge the gap back into civilian life.

“The university gave us credits for the experience that we served in the military. They had military resources, such as mental health specialists, to help us cope with the things we saw.

And they helped us, piece by piece, build up our confidence, and then help us reintegrate into society and into the university,” said Thomas. “That work made a big difference. It led to some of us getting degrees, some of us as teachers, engineers, cyber professionals. More than anything, it changed lives because it opened the door and let the light flow.”

“We cannot undo what happened 25 years ago. Those losses are permanent, carried down in every generation,” continued Thomas. “Bloomsburg kept a promise to help us and help those of our dependents reach our milestone of graduating, but also reintegrating into society. So with that, I want to thank the university for keeping that promise and allowing people like me to still be here today.”

Lt. Col. Ted Batzel ’96 spoke of the immediate aftermath of the attacks, recalling President George W. Bush standing atop the rubble at Ground Zero through a megaphone, declaring to the world that those who knocked down the buildings would soon hear from them. For Batzel and his peers, it was a personal call to action.

Batzel completed three combat tours as a Marine Corps pilot in Iraq, noting that the uniform is only worn by one, but service is by an entire family. He spoke of his wife’s steadfast patriotism and support. His son is now leaving for basic school as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, and his daughter will soon graduate from Bloomsburg and commission into the Army.

“Those of you entering the military will serve beside people from every part of that America. Whether you serve for four years or 34, you will experience a kind of unity and camaraderie that I wish our entire country could share more often,” said Batzel. “You do not have to agree on everything to serve together, or to live together for that matter. You do not have to come from the same place to defend the same principles. Unity does not require uniformity. It requires recognizing that something greater than ourselves is worthy of our effort and sacrifice.”