Written by Amanda Marie Hourt
Harding’s American Studies Instituteparticipated in the 9/11 Never Forget Project this year by lining the front lawn with 2,977 American flags for the weekend of Sept. 11.
Laura Beth brown, administration assistant to the ASI, said this was the first year Harding participated in the 9/11 Never Forget Project. According to theYoung America’s Foundationwebsite, the project was started in 2003 because “most” schools were ignoring the anniversary of September 11, 2001.
Brown said the Young America’s Foundation co-sponsors some of the events that the ASI organizes. The Young America’s Foundation promotes “ideas of individual freedom, a strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values,” according to its website.
“(Placing the flags) was very uplifting to me for one thing,” Brown said, “because we had almost 3,000 flags to put out, and we were done in about half an hour because so many students came out and helped.”
Furthermore, Constance Lents, a sophomore biochemistry and molecular biology major, as well as a member of the ASI, was surprised by the number of flags that surrounded the front lawn.
“Thousands of people killed, you get the initial reaction of ‘Oh, that’s a lot,'” said Lents, who could not help put out the flags this year due to scheduled surgery. “But when you see all the individual flags, you realize just how many people that is.”
Likewise, Adam Yarbrough, a junior history major, was pleased that Harding was doing something to remember 9/11 this year.
“The thing about reminders is they have to be emotion and thought evoking, because that is what a good memorial can do,” Yarbrough said. “You look at a memorial, you see not only what it is commemorating, you know, the lives lost or the battle won or whatever, but you also remember the emotions.”
Also, Ashley Shelton, a junior public administration major, said the 9/11 Never Forget Project shows that after nine years people still have not forgotten.
“I prayed. Prayed for the families,” Shelton said, “I’m not able to wave a flag outside my dorm, but I still just try to be a good American, and remember.”
TVNZhas also found that Americans are remembering 9/11, which was surveyed to be the biggest news event in the past 50 years, with results much higher than the next highest two: Princess Diana’s death and the lunar landing.
A 2007Gallup Pollsurveyed why people who favored the Iraq war agreed with it. The poll found that a much higher percentage supported the war because of 9/11 than any other individual cause. See the graphic below for more details on that survey.
