The Legacy of 9/11 for Military Students
Thoughts from Jason Dempsey, the director of The Helen Diller Center for Veterans of U.S. Military Service at Golden Gate University to our student veterans.
As we all take a moment to reflect on the twentieth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 — our Diller Center team wanted to also recognize the unique importance this day holds for members of our military community here at GGU. Hear from Jason Dempsey, our center director and 22-year Army veteran, on the legacy of that day.
Transcript
Hi everyone. For those of you who haven't met me yet, my name is Jason Dempsey, and I'm the director of the Diller Center for Veterans at Golden Gate University. I wanted to take a quick moment as we approach this weekend and the 20th anniversary of 9/11 to say that I'm with you in thinking about the legacy of that day and everything we've experienced in the last two decades.
A lot has happened in those 20 years. And there's a lot for all of us, really all Americans, to consider and reflect upon. There's additional importance, of course, of this moment for the military community. After all, it probably inspired a lot of you to join. Many of you may have served in Afghanistan, but your journeys were undoubtedly shaped by 9/11 and what we did afterward.
And so, first and foremost, thank you for your service. On 9/11, I was an Army captain in New York City, attending school on my way to a teaching assignment at West Point. I was ready that morning to take a break from the military for a bit. But of course, the events of that morning not only shaped my time in New York City, but also the rest of my military career.
And, of course, mine is only one story among many. Each of you has your 9/11 stories. Each of you probably has stories of your journeys after that, both in the military and beyond. And it's important to note that there's no right way to think about 9/11. There's no right way to think about what America did in the years afterward.
There are also many different ways to interpret our service. And everybody has their journey that they need to process. And there probably isn't a consensus on the events and the implications of 9/ 11 in the decades after, other than we collectively need to do better.
But there is one thing, a positive for sure, out of all of this. And that is that you're here, you're attending school, and many of you are attending school because you've volunteered to serve your country. And when you did that, the country turned around and said, we believe in you and want to invest in you enough to give you the Post 9/11 GI Bill®.
The Post 9/11 GI Bill®, as you know, isn't a reward. If we wanted to reward you for your service Uncle Sam would have just written you another check. But really, it's an investment. And it's an investment in making America and the world better. So while of course, I hope you take a moment this weekend or reflect on where we've all been since that day 20 years ago.
More importantly, I hope you spend some time thinking about the next 20 years and how you, particularly with your experience and investment of the American people, can use this moment at Golden Gate to make the next 20 years a lot better.
Thank you.
