{"id":433219,"date":"2026-09-11T21:38:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T21:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/433219\/"},"modified":"2026-09-11T21:38:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T21:38:09","slug":"tcu-reflects-on-the-25th-anniversary-of-9-11-tcu-360","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/433219\/","title":{"rendered":"TCU reflects on the 25th anniversary of 9\/11 \u2013 TCU 360"},"content":{"rendered":"

Content note: This video contains elements from 9\/11 that could be triggering for some viewers. <\/p>\n

Twenty-five years ago, TCU students found themselves struggling with the aftermath of the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Today, TCU students recognize the 25th anniversary of an event that most were not yet old enough to witness.<\/p>\n

For many, Sept. 11 is a story told by family members, teachers or those who experienced the horrors of that day firsthand. Their perspectives, alongside those of TCU police officers and local first responders, show how the memory of 9\/11 continues to be passed from one generation to the next.<\/p>\n

For students like TCU senior finance major Brody Campbell, 9\/11 is something he has come to understand through its long-term effect rather than a firsthand experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough I didn\u2019t grow up when Sept. 11 happened, the aftermath and the impact it had on the country are among the most substantial things that have ever happened to the United States,\u201d Campbell said.<\/p>\n

The way students understand 9\/11 has changed over the past 25 years. For professors who remember the day firsthand, however, 9\/11 is more than a history lesson.<\/p>\n

For TCU English professor David Colon, 9\/11 is a day he will never forget. Colon, a Brooklyn native, could see the twin towers from his family\u2019s apartment in Sheepshead Bay. During his undergraduate years at Brooklyn College, Colon worked several jobs only a few blocks from the World Trade Center, spending summers at financial firms in lower Manhattan.<\/p>\n

On the morning of Sept. 11, Colon was in graduate school in California when a family member messaged him to turn on the television. He watched as the first building burned, then saw the second plane hit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very concerned,\u201d Colon said, recalling how many places that had been part of his life were suddenly gone.<\/p>\n

The attacks were personal for Colon, who knew several people connected to the World Trade Center.<\/p>\n

Colon\u2019s best friend from Brooklyn College, Joseph Solomon, was a burglary detective with the New York Police Department. On Sept. 11, however, Solomon was working as a uniformed police officer and was later stationed at ground zero for six months.<\/p>\n

Solomon later developed a brain tumor that was understood to be a byproduct of his exposure to materials at ground zero, Colon said. The New York Police Benevolent Association<\/a> recognized Solomon as having died in the line of duty, and his family received compensation through a class-action fund.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was stationed there every day for six months,\u201d Colon said, describing the lasting impact of Solomon\u2019s time at ground zero.<\/p>\n

For Colon, remembering 9\/11 means more than remembering the attacks. He believes younger generations should understand the importance of diplomacy and what led to the tragedy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the way is to do it is for students to study the factors that led up to it,\u201d Colon said. \u201cBefore the pot is boiling, we can see it steaming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joseph M. Solomon<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

For TCU Police Chief Robert Rangel, the morning of Sept. 11 began at the gym. Rangel had spent 30 to 40 years with the Fort Worth Police Department<\/a> before working at TCU. When he learned about the attacks, one of his first thoughts was about a friend who was preparing to board a flight out of Florida. That friend would later become his wife.<\/p>\n

The attacks also changed the way Rangel viewed the world around him. He said he became more aware of his surroundings, hyperaware of situations and more likely to consider every possible outcome.<\/p>\n

Rangel believes that awareness is something the next generation should carry forward. He said younger generations should not only learn about what happened on Sept. 11, but also understand the events that led up to the attacks and remember the people who sacrificed their lives to help others during the tragedy.<\/p>\n

For Rangel, being a first responder means continuing the legacy of those who lost their lives that day.<\/p>\n

\"\"2,977 American flags were placed in front of the Clark Brothers Statue to honor the lives lost on 9\/11. (Sam Bruton\/TCU 360)<\/p>\n

For Campbell, remembering 9\/11 is about remembering the unity that followed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn times of turmoil and political division, I think that people need to remember that we\u2019re more unified than anything else,\u201d Campbell said.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Content note: This video contains elements from 9\/11 that could be triggering for some viewers. Twenty-five years ago,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":433220,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-433219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth-headlines","tag-fort-worth-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=433219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/433220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=433219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=433219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=433219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}