The Richmond community remembers
University News
Senior Michael Lansing walked for six hours during last year’s September 11 Memorial Walk. As a member of the Richmond Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, Lansing helped plan and organize the event. The Richmond community was encouraged to establish a new tradition to walk 2,977 laps in memory of those who lost their lives. For each lap, participants placed a gold star next to a name displayed on a memorial list.
Lansing’s father, Capt. (retired) Brian Lansing, a career U.S. Navy officer and 1989 UR alum, often spoke about friends he lost on that tragic day 24 years ago. Two were on Flight 77 when it crashed into the Pentagon, and a friend’s brother was the first New York City firefighter killed at the World Trade Center.
“Placing a gold star beside the names of those my father knew who lost their lives that day felt deeply personal,” said Lansing. “Though I wasn't born yet, the act gave me a sense of reaching back through time, even if just for a moment, to honor their memory and keep alive who they were.”
Last year, a few walkers tried on the heavy protective gear of firefighters. “The gear served as a tangible reminder of the sacrifice and dedication of numerous first responders on 9/11,” said Lt. Col. Jake Turner, department chair of military science & leadership.
Second annual September 11 Memorial Walk
Tomorrow, the University of Richmond ROTC will remember those lost in the World Trade Center attacks by holding the second annual September 11 Memorial Walk.
The Spider community is invited to join anytime between 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. to walk laps for the lives taken in the attacks.
“The Memorial Walk is important because it’s an opportunity for current Richmond students to honor the four Richmond graduates and others lost on 9/11,” Turner said. “It’s also important for our cadets to remember because they are going to serve and protect the nation from events like 9/11.”
The University of Richmond Police Department will also take part in the event, which will open with a memorial ceremony.
Lansing said the most memorable moment from the walk last year was having his professors — who all excused him from class that day — and other members of the Spider community stop by. Some shared memories of where they were that day or loved ones they had lost.
“The September 11 Memorial Walk allowed me to connect with my professors, other students, and my Cadre in a way that other events hadn’t,” Lansing said. “You see a deeply vulnerable and emotional side of people at these types of events, which takes courage.”