The University’s Department of Veteran Services hosted a 9/11 Remembrance ceremony on the Quad outside of Morrill Hall on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, 25 years after a day that changed the nation forever. The event began at 8:46 a.m., corresponding with the time the first plane crashed into the north tower of World Trade Center, with the ringing of the Morrill Hall bells. The bells rang at other significant moments throughout the ceremony. The program also featured speeches, poetry readings and musical performances from the student brass quartet, the University wind ensemble and vocalist Beth Gibbs.

Standing in front of 2,977 American flags thathonored the victims of the tragedy, representatives spanning different University departments, community connections and areas of veteran services delivered speeches that invited audience members to recall the events of the day and the national unity that followed.

Chai Glenn-Cook, director of Veteran Services at the University, recalled her experience as a young professional working in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. She watched as the towers were struck and explained her desperation to contact loved ones and understand what was happening. Glenn-Cook's recollection of the day was interrupted at 9:03 a.m. by the Morrill Hall bells ringing to signify the striking of the south World Trade Center tower.

Despite the terror and confusion she felt, she was able to find unity with fellow New Yorkers and described feeling the same way standing on the University campus.

“Today, I stand here 25 years later in a community that I can never repay,” Glenn-Cook said. “I didn’t realize until last week what an incredible full-circle moment this was going to be for me.”

Though not a veteran herself, she explained the transformative work she has taken part in over the past 13 years to support student veterans on campus.

“This is an honor and a privilege of my lifetime to be welcomed into this veteran community,” she said. “Because I serve and support the finest men and women who chose to right the wrong that young 31-year-old Chai could not process.”

Another speaker was a veteran who chose to serve because of the tragedy. Michael Sitton, originally from Reno and a 2026 University of Nevada, Reno MBA graduate, now serves as the Vast Program Manager for the Nevada Department of Veteran Services. He explained how the events of Sept. 11 shaped his life early on and led him to take his Oath of Service right on campus at Mackay Stadium at the age of 17 during a football game.

“May no day erase our responsibility to one another.”

Sitton explained that while he felt called to serve, “ ... you do not have to wear a uniform to serve this country.” He emphasized the ongoing importance of unity and showing empathy to each other, a lasting takeaway to gain from the tragedy. “May no day erase our responsibility to one another,” he said.

Executive Vice President and Provost Jeff Thompson also spoke, highlighting the story of current student and Army veteran Brian Kelley, who left for Army basic training at age 17 and witnessed the events of Sept. 11 unfold while there. Thompson noted that Kelley considers the greatest achievement of his military career to be the fact that every soldier he led into combat returned home alive.

“That is a powerful testament to leadership, sacrifice and service,” Thompson said. “Student veterans like Kelley bring extraordinary experiences, perspectives and leadership that enrich our entire University community.”

Veteran speakers from different areas of service also included director of the VA Hospital Thomas Talamante; Holly Underwood, a University disability coordinator and Jay Baker, program manager of Work for Warriors.

It was through these stories that the Quad became a place to honor and continue the unity and strength that rebuilt the nation. Community members drove up to campus, University staff stepped out of their offices and students stopped on their way back from class to listen to and reflect on the powerful stories shared by the speakers.

The wind ensemble concluded the ceremony with a powerful rendition of “America the Beautiful”, and attendants were invited to quietly reflect until the Morrill Hall bells rang once again at 9:37 a.m., signaling both the time that Flight 77 crashed into the western side of the Pentagon and the conclusion of the ceremony.

The Department of Veteran Services hosts programs around campus as well as provides a wide range of support services for all undergraduate and graduate students who are veterans, currently serving either on active duty or in the Reserve or National Guard.