Mayor Matt Hayek

“We shouldn’t forget what happened,” he said. “We shouldn’t forget who did it. And we shouldn’t forget all those that we lost.”

Michael Weinstock, NY Volunteer Firefighter on 9/11

“When I hear politicians use the expression ‘the lessons we learn on 9/11,’ I cringe,” he said. “It’s obnoxious to paint with a wide brush and use an expression like that when we all have different experiences and learn different lessons. I convinced myself that no one was so evil that they would destroy an entire continent, an entire city. That day I told myself, ‘looks like you were wrong.’ It’s not just a day on the calendar. A lot of good people were killed, and the destruction resonates. It still hurts for me and a lot of other people.”

Ron McMullen, UI faculty member and former U.S. ambassador:

“Every student at the University of Iowa will remember all of their lives where they were on September 11, 2001,” he said. “It united America, and the U.S. had the entire world’s sympathy. We had a memorial service in Fiji, and when we came out of the church, every fire truck in the capital was lined up for our brothers and sisters in New York who had died trying to save others.”

Emma Husar, UI sophomore

“I remember I was in the second grade, and I heard about 9/11 at school, and I remember going home and seeing my mom and dad watching TV and seeing the whole aftermath — buildings collapsing and people running for their lives,” she said. “It was something I’ve never seen before. At the time, my sister was living in New York. She wasn’t near the site, but I remember fearing for her life, wondering if she was OK and hoping that everyone there was all right.”

Melsahn Basabe, Iowa basketball forward

“It was scary for me because my grandma, who worked for the government, was right down the street when it happened,” he said. “I was in school, across the water, when it happened. We’re not considered part of the city, but we’re connected to it. I remember seeing the towers burning, which firefighters were fighting for days after.”

Michelle Knirr, UI freshman

“I went to a Catholic school, and all the teachers gathered us up on the floor and turned on the TV, and we watched the news, and I think we said a prayer for the families,” she said. “Remember the victims, and remember that even thought it was a horrible thing we are strong, and we are growing strong still.”

Colton Payne, UI freshman

“I remember coming home, and my mom was freaking out about it,” he said. “People need to remember what happened and prepare for anything else that might happen.”

Lindsay Carr, UI junior

“I was sitting in my third-grade class, and I remember all my teachers started to freak out and turned on all of our TVs and I saw the first tower go down,” she said. “We are hated by a lot of people, and it’s scary to think about people who want to attack us.”

Karena Tsai, UI freshman

“I feel like people should keep the victims in their prayers,” she said. “These things happen, and it’s tragic when they happen, and we should just pray for them.”

Keegan Hockett, UI freshman

“I think that the main unfortunate result over the terrorist attacks was people being judgmental of Muslims in general,” he said. “There are always going to be extremist groups out there, but you can’t judge the majority based on the minority.”

Lindsey Mahair, graduate student

“I remember being in high school, and that was kind of the whole day,” she said. “Everyone was shocked, and we didn’t know what would happen next. I think it’s important to remember how everyone came together at the time and keep that in mind, try to stay together.”

Catrina Jargo, UI freshman

“I remember coming down the stairs seeing it on TV, seeing the planes crash into the buildings, and then I remember going to school and all the teachers were very serious and they were just huddled around all day talking,” she said. “I really think it’s important that everyone spends time and recalls what our nation was like and how patriotic we became after that. I feel like we’ve kind of lost it and not enough people remember the significance of that event.”