The events of September 11, 2001 were remembered Wednesday morning at a ceremony at Eastern Michigan University. Like the many others taking place across Michigan and the nation, EMU's ceremony honored those who died and the first responders.
The event began with a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., the time when the first plane hit the north tower of the World Trade Center.
The ceremony included taps played by two EMU students and a performance of "God Bless America" by Lisa Harrell, an alumna of the EMU Gospel Choir.
Christine Kleimola, a retired special education teacher, attended the remembrance ceremony. She recalled someone entering her classroom 18 years ago on the morning of September 11 to whisper to her what had just happened.
Kleimola said she wanted to attend the 9/11 ceremony "because it's a day that changed our lives forever."
"I pray for the people who gave their lives," said Kleimola. "And I think especially of their families, how they're still impacted to this day and how we need to continue to support those families, especially those who are fighting illness."
Elizabeth Horn, 21, is a senior at EMU and a member of ROTC.
She said this is her fourth time at EMU's 9/11 remembrance ceremony; the first three times she was part of EMU's Color Guard.
"The unity of being a part of something like this in remembering - even though I don't remember it myself - is extremely important to move forward, not only to not repeat history, but to improve it for the future," said Horn.
The scores of people in attendance placed carnations on EMU's 9/11 Memorial, located behind Pease Auditorium. The Memorial is a 14 foot steel support beam from the south tower of the World Trade Center.
