On September 6th, Furman University Conservative Society (FCS) held their first Annual Flag Planting Ceremony to honor the lives lost on the September 11th 2001 terrorists attacks on the World Trade Center, a time at which many members of our student body were not born yet. Groups outside of the Furman community, including various members the Greenville County Republican Women and Greenville Young Republicans, helped mobilize the on-campus event. Other esteemed guests included 4 members of the South Carolina Guard’s 2nd Battalion lead by Lieutenant Colonel Jason Ross, Colonel Mike Stahl, a retired navy seal, and Bobby Cox, the District #21 (Greenville) representative for the State House of South Carolina. Along with these notable guests were many Furman students and the Grill Club who provided food for the event.
At the commencement of the event, Furman student Genevieve Mahoney ’24 gave a speech in which she explained not only the importance of the event, but also why Furman Conservative Society decided it was important that it be done this year.
“This year is the 21st anniversary, and with the amount of time passed, a minority of Furman student will have been alive or even recall the occurrence of the attacks. The FCS executive team agreed that it was paramount that we hold this event. Though 9/11 was a time of great tragedy and loss, it was also a time where this country experienced the greatest amount of love and unity I can recall.”
The event itself was organized in such a way that members of the community could get involved with students. As flags were planted, various individuals introduced themselves and took pictures throughout their time together. FCS decided to host the event a few days out from 9/11 as to have substantial time to plant all 2,977 flags to honor each life lost during 9/11. Instead, because of the support from Furman and the greater community, they were able to get it done in the one evening. Starting at the 9/11 Memorial located on the Furman Mall side of Furman Hall, the flags were planted down the path and around the main entrance roundabout.
President of the Organization, Katherine McCann, wrote a Letter of Invitation to President Davis, whom unfortunately could not attend due to her flight back from New York. In this letter she highlighted to importance of students attending this event in writing that:
“By encouraging those students to honor their fellow Americans without knowing who they were, we continue to uphold the value of good citizenship in our organization and across our Furman Community.”
She also talked with me about how important this event was for the greater community outside of Furman University.
“Most of our parents and neighbors in the community remember 9/11 vividly, and it plays an important role in how they view the U.S. and the world, whether they know it or not. We want to show respect to the families of those killed and of those who served by demonstrating that through our remembrance.”
