Members of the both the campus police and local sheriff's department stand at attention for the flag raising ceremony. The flag was raised at half mast at 8:45 a.m., in memorial of the time when the first plane hit the World Trade Center. Photo credit: Ash Dondeti
On the morning of September 11, guest speaker Perry Martin attended the Patriot Day ceremony to commemorate the tragedies that took place 16 years ago.
Martin is a Business professor here at Moorpark College but he is also a retired Army Sergeant Major E-9 from the 10th Mountain Division. He was part of the first ground troops that deployed in combat with the tenth mountain division in Afghanistan after 9/11 occurred. The commemoration honored and remember the people who lost their lives and fought to keep New York City and America safe.
The ceremony took place at the school flagpole and began at 8:15 a.m. with the flag being raised at the exact time the first plane hit the world trade center on September 11, 2001. It continued with the speech by Martin and ended with the Simi Valley Police Honor Guard lowering the flag to half-mast.
Martin hoped that attendees would leave with a different perspective of 9/11 and the meaning of its impact. He challenged the audience to take charge and make a difference. Martin asked that attendees make their presence at the 9/11 commemoration known through social media and to do more than just stand in silence but to post a healing message on social media using as few words as possible. He talked about seeking clarity in your message and to do research, ask questions, address wrongs, and to practice more empathy in your daily lives.
“We must get engaged,” said Martin. “We can’t keep doing what we’ve been doing, it hasn’t been working. So even at these kinds of ceremonies, more than just commemorating and just being solemn, people need to walk away committed to taking some kind of action.”
A crowd of around 50 including students, faculty, the school’s executive leadership team, two members from the Simi Valley Honor Guard, Ventura County Sheriffs, Moorpark College Police Department, and the Rolling Thunder nonprofit veteran’s organization from Simi Valley. Attendees were solemn and responded positively to the flag raising and the speech.
“I think this sets the foundation for people to go out now and say what a nice event it was and how well it respected the memory of those that were lost,” said Joe Galante, member of the Rolling Thunder in Simi Valley. “I think that hopefully it grows every year and people realize what the message is here and what the tone is.”