WASHINGTON, D.C. — Veritas Collegiate Academy’s Washington, D.C. Campus began the new school year with a powerful two-day commemoration marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, giving students an opportunity not simply to study history, but to hear it, experience it, and reflect upon its enduring lessons.
The commemoration began Thursday with a special Upper School Chapel devoted to September 11. For today’s Veritas students, 9/11 is an event that occurred before they were born. But for those who experienced that day, its images, fear, heroism, sacrifice, and loss remain vivid.
Students were privileged to hear firsthand testimonies from those who lived through the events of September 11, including longtime Veritas host father Mr. Steve Coleman, who was serving as an Associated Press reporter in Washington, D.C., when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon, and Veritas parent Melissa Henson, as well as faculty, Dr. Steve Gertz and Mr. Tris Vaughan.
For the Veritas community, the history of September 11 is especially close to home. Our Washington, D.C. Campus is located just blocks from the Pentagon, and many Veritas families have personal connections to the Pentagon, the military, and public service.
The commemoration continued the following day as students and faculty traveled to Arlington National Cemetery, where Veritas participated in a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Students also visited Arlington House, further connecting them with the stories of sacrifice, service, and the history of our nation.
Together, the two days reflected something central to a Veritas classical Christian education: history should be more than names and dates memorized from a textbook. Students should encounter the people, places, ideas, sacrifices, and moral questions that have shaped our civilization.
Firsthand testimony gives history a human voice. Standing at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier gives sacrifice a tangible meaning. And remembering September 11 challenges a new generation to consider the reality of evil, the meaning of courage, the cost of freedom, and the importance of faith, service, citizenship, and gratitude.
As Scripture reminds us:
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13
Twenty-five years later, we believe we have a responsibility to ensure that September 11 never becomes merely another page in a history book.
We remember those who were lost.
We honor those who ran toward danger.
We give thanks for those who served and sacrificed.
And we teach the next generation why their courage must never be forgotten.
We remember. We teach. We honor. We will never forget.
We invite our Veritas families and friends to watch and share Mr. Steve Coleman’s powerful firsthand testimony, helping preserve the memory and lessons of September 11 for a new generation.
