FERIZAJ/UROSEVAC, Kosovo, - Sept. 11 is a date that has been
ingrained in the hearts and minds of many Americans. It marks the
anniversary of that fateful morning in 2001, when terrorist attacks cut
short the lives of about 3,000 people and shook an entire nation.
Now, nine years later, the memories of that morning are still fresh in the
minds of Americans, including the Soldiers of Multinational Battle Group
East, who are deployed to Kosovo as part of the NATO peacekeeping mission
here.
On Camp Bondsteel, Soldiers stopped what they were doing, and held a moment
of silence at 2:46 p.m., to honor the victims of 9/11. It is the exact
time, 8:46 a.m., eastern standard time, when the first jet struck the North
Tower at the World Trade Center in 2001.
"You can ask any American and they can tell you exactly where they were when
that happened," said Capt. Eric Nelson, a member of the Iowa National Guard
and commander of C Company, 2-147th Aviation Battalion. "It's similar to how
other generations can tell you where they were when [President John F.
Kennedy] was shot. You never forget where you were and what you were doing
when something that tragic happens."
While the memories of Sept. 11, 2001, may never fade, Nelson and several of
his fellow Soldiers had the opportunity to form some new ones on the evening
of the ninth anniversary of the attacks.
About 75 local teenagers joined about 20 American Soldiers to hold a
memorial service in front of the municipal building in downtown
Ferizaj/Urosevac, Kosovo, Sept. 11, honoring the lives that were lost nearly
a decade ago.
Most of the Soldiers who attended are involved in an outreach program, in
which they spend several hours each week teaching English to a group of
students at the youth center in Ferizaj/Urosevac. The memorial service,
while intended to honor and remember the lives lost nine years ago, was also
a way for the students to show their appreciation for what these Soldiers
and others like them have done for the people in Kosovo.
"This is an important day for us, too," Kaltrina, a local student, told one
of the Soldiers. "It was a sad day for us as well. We wanted to show our
support. You support us and we wanted to show that we support you and that
we love America."
The Soldiers began the evening by presenting T-shirts to all of the
students. On the front, the shirts read, "Remember", with "September 11" on
the back. Following the shirt presentation, the Soldiers and students walked
together through the streets of Ferizaj/Urosevac, from the youth center to
the municipal building, where students and Soldiers gathered together to
listen to Beltine Biqmeti, a local student, sing the U.S. national anthem.
"She did such an amazing job," said Capt. Joshua Owens, a member of the
Arkansas National Guard and commander, Headquarters and Headquarters
Company, 1-114th Security and Support Aviation Battalion.
Following Biqmeti's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner", everyone lit
candles and placed them around the edge of a concrete planter. Some knelt
and prayed, while others simply reflected upon the significance of the day.
"It's with mixed feelings, being here tonight," said Owens, who heads the
English teaching program. "It's really humbling to us that the people in
Kosovo would take time out of their day to remember something so important
to us."
Nelson, who teaches English at the youth center to an advanced group of
students, echoed Owens' sentiments.
"It's really incredible that these kids came out here on a Saturday night to
do this," Nelson said. "For a bunch of teenagers to come out on a Saturday
night and show this kind of support to Soldiers from another country; it's
pretty amazing."