Soldiers, Department of Defense civilians and family members gathered Tuesday morning in Fort Stewart’s Main Post Chapel for a Sept. 11, 2001, memorial service.
Following the national anthem, an invocation and music by Sgt. 1st Class Jody Manford, Installation Chaplain Col. Terry Meek told guests to remember where they were on the day America was attacked.
“There is a date that each generation has etched into their hearts,” he said, mentioning the Dec. 7, 1941 attacks on Pearl Harbor; the Nov. 22, 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy; and the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., and the crash into a field in Shanksville, Pa.
“We saw evil upfront and close,” he said.
Meek paused and then spoke directly to the soldiers in the pews, telling them they since have helped “to repress that evil.”
“You stand for what is right,” he said.
Meek thanked soldiers for their service and their families for the sacrifices they make.
After the ceremony, Meek talked about the generation of soldiers serving during this period of persistent conflict. He said it is right to commemorate the events of 9/11 and grieve for the victims and their families.
Command Sgt. Maj. Louis Felicioni, U.S. Army Garrison command sergeant major for Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield, echoed the chaplain’s sentiment. He spoke with reporters during a reception in the chapel activity center.
“We know that what happened on 9/11 changed everybody’s life forever,” he said. “We’ll do our best to ensure something like this never happens again. It’s important to get on with our life, but we must be thoughtful and watch what’s going on around us. ... People need to understand it can happen again.”