Today at Westwood Regional High School we take this time to acknowledge the 23rd anniversary of the September 11th Attacks.
Tuesday, September 11, 2001 started off as a glorious autumn morning, but by the end of the day the trajectory of American History would be dramatically altered. On September 11th, 2,977 innocent people would be killed as a result of the coordinated actions of a violent international organization known as Al Qaeda. Included in the deaths were many local mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters who went to work on 9/11 not knowing they would never see their loved ones again.
As a result of the 9/11 Attacks, the United States entered the war in Afghanistan –a conflict that has proved to be our longest lasting war. Over 2,000 Americans have died fighting overseas in Afghanistan, including a 2002 graduate of Westwood Regional High School, Christopher Hrbek. Chris was 25 years old.
We will now offer a moment of silence for the people killed on 9/11 and the men and women who served in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that followed the 9/11 Attacks.