WesternU holds Sept. 11 memorial service

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While we are now 23 years removed from Sept. 11, 2001, Western University of Health Sciences continues to keep the memories of the bravery, tragedy and humanity of that day alive in the hearts and minds of our students, staff, faculty and community.

Western University of Health Sciences' Military Medical Student Association (MMSA) held its annual memorial service on the WesternU California campus to honor those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The ceremony, held Sept. 11, 2024, opened with College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) student Mika Lundberg singing the "Star-Spangled Banner."

Pomona Police Department Deputy Chief Christian Hsu speaks at the WesternU MMSA Sept. 11 memorial service. (Jeff Malet, WesternU)

Pomona Police Department Deputy Chief Christian Hsu said Patriot Day will always be a significant day of remembrance for our country, where we commemorate those who died on Sept. 11, 2001 in New York City, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon. Hsu said he recently received a photograph depicting FDNY Ladder 118 crossing over the Brooklyn Bridge on their way to the World Trade Center. All six firefighters on that truck perished hours later.

A man who was rescued by a member of Ladder 118 said, "They knew what was going on and they went down though their ship. They weren't going to leave until everyone got out. They must have saved a couple of hundred people that day. I know they saved my life."

Hsu paid respect to the FDNY firefighters as well as the local firefighters battling massive wildfires raging throughout Southern California, with smoke from some of the fires visible from the Pomona campus.

"In Pomona, in the mountains behind us, throughout the United States and places far away, there are men and women who know what they are going into and they have and will go down with their ship," Hsu said. "So it will always be an honor to serve this city and to serve our country, and thank you for having us."

COMP and COMP-Northwest Vice Dean Dr. Edward Barnes II, (left) with members of the WesternU Military Medical Student Association. (Jeff Malet, WesternU)

COMP and COMP-Northwest Vice Dean Edward Barnes II, MD, FACP, noted that as Sept. 11, 2001 recedes into the past, more and more students who matriculate to WesternU were either very young or not born yet.

"So to have events like this in memory of that catastrophic day is an important endeavor. Because when we say statements like 'Never Forget,' and the further out we get, it seems we sometimes forget," Barnes said. "I'm glad I'm part of a university that continues to seek and lean into the remembrance of days like this. The loss of life on that day was humongous, the way it impacted the days after have been monumental."

As we think about a lot of the things we do differently because of that day, it somewhat makes us feel like this becomes the norm, but we don't want loss of life to be the norm, Barnes said.

"As a health sciences university, we want to preserve life. And with our tenet of humanism, we want to make sure that we spread kindness, joy, love, care and compassion," he said. "So as you spend this day in remembrance, take those tenets with you and remember the people who lost their lives that day, and the brave men and women who rushed in to save them."

WesternU President Robin Farias-Eisner, MD, PhD, MBA, thanked the unsung heroes for their contributions during the Sept. 11 memorial service. (Jeff Malet, WesternU)

WesternU President Robin Farias-Eisner, MD, PhD, MBA, thanked our extraordinary unsung heroes - firefighters, police, those serving in the Armed Forces, and veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice and who continue to do so much.

"Also a heartfelt thank you to all of you - faculty, staff, students - who every day sacrifice for this institution, for the community, and for all that we hold dear to us. You must also accept that credit and we're grateful to all of you for being a part of this WesternU family," Farias-Eisner said.

"So I ask you how can we ever express adequate gratitude to those who did make the ultimate sacrifice on that day, on 9/11," he added. "There really is not sufficient superlatives to adequately convey the level of appreciation that we all share for them and for what they have done for us. So may they be forever remembered in our hearts and minds."

The ceremony closed with "Taps," performed by Karl Wegner with Bugles Across America, followed by a moment of silence for those who lost their lives. COMP student, MMSA President and Navy Ensign Lan Tran served as the master of ceremonies and thanked everyone for attending.

"On behalf of the Military Medical Student Association here at WesternU, we thank you for joining us in our annual memorial ceremony," Tran said. "We hope this ceremony stirs in you a remembrance of the sacredness of this day. Today and every day let us reflect on the ways we have been served and pay it forward in any way we can and at every opportunity."

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