University of Iowa Young Americans for Freedom spent the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by remembering the day in Hubbard Park.

Young Americans for Freedom, or YAF, makes it a point to honor the 2,977 lives lost every year by placing a flag for each victim, Jasmyn Jordan, chairwoman for Iowa’s YAF chapter, said.

This year, they added a donation drive and a speaker to end the 12 hours spent tabling in the park.

Learn more: 

YAF spent a week collecting donations of non-perishable food, reading glasses, and games to benefit the Iowa City Veterans Hospital as a way of showing appreciation for veterans’ sacrifices, the group said in a press release.

The day’s events concluded with a short speech from Heath Streck, associate director for operations at VA Iowa City Health Care.

“I’m glad that we’re able to share this experience that the students and even some of the faculty members and anyone else in the Hawkeye community didn’t always learn in class or even hear about today,” Jordan said.

Streck shared his emotional speech with a crowd of approximately 20 people, all gathered around the 2,977 flags in Hubbard Park.

Streck shared that he and his wife, Melissa, had recently came off of three years of active duty in Germany and settled down in Ankeny with their four-year-old and infant children.

On Sept. 10, 2001, Streck was touring the National Guard’s Bureau headquarters in the Pentagon — the same side of the building that was struck by an airplane only one day later.

On the morning of Sept. 11, Streck and his colleagues were checking out of their hotel just down the street from the Pentagon and watched on live television as the first plane hit the towers. What only seemed like moments later, he said in his speech, they heard an explosion by the Pentagon.

Cellphone towers were shut down that day, but Streck was able to reach his wife via a 1-800 phone he owned at the time. His job was to communicate with the Iowa National Guard while everything was going on, he said.

RELATED: Young Americans for Freedom hosts Matt Walsh movie screening

Melissa Streck, who was also in attendance, recalls feeling terrified that very same morning, not knowing what had become of her husband.

“I didn’t know what was happening. I was terrified,” she said. “Knowing that my husband was at the Pentagon — I didn’t know if he was still there.”

Heath Streck concluded his speech by discussing his position at the VA, mentioning that veterans should never feel like they are taking away from one another by receiving VA assistance. The more veterans who use the VA’s resources, the more federal funding they receive, he said.

“The biggest thing I would ask from people — young and old, whatever age they are — is community engagement,” Streck said in an interview with The Daily Iowan. “I would ask people to engage in their community and be part of those agencies or those groups or those nonprofits that aid when something like this happens.”

Jordan said she hopes people who attended the event were inspired by what Heath Streck had to say.

“I’m hoping that people learn selflessness because that happens so much — with all the firefighters that passed away — so many people work to preserve others’ lives before their own, despite the danger, charging headfirst as the towers crash down,” she said. “I think that is something we really need to instill in our American citizens today.”

UI first-year Mya Sackett said she attended the event because she was interested in YAF after talking to them at the student organization fair last Wednesday.

“I really took in his emotion,” Sackett said after the speech. “It’s such an emotional day for everyone.”