Uniformed Services University marked the 25th anniversary of 9/11 in Bethesda, and its Class of 2028 added observances at five more sites.
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| Class of 2028 students set out on a 9.11-kilometer memorial run in Honolulu, September 11, 2026. Participants wore wristbands carrying the names of people they were remembering. (Courtesy photo) |
September 16, 2026 by Sharon Holland
Before sunrise on September 11, members of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) community gathered on the track in Bethesda, in the dark and pouring rain, for the September 11 Memorial Brigade Ruck/Run — the first of two events the university held to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks and the 2,977 lives lost. But many members of the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine (SOM) Class of 2028 were away on clinical rotations and could not attend.
So they created their own.
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| Members of the Uniformed Services University community set off in the dark and pouring rain for the September 11 Memorial Brigade Ruck/Run in Bethesda, Maryland, September 11, 2026. Participants from the Army, Navy, and U.S. Public Health Service chose a one-mile, two-mile, or 5K distance. (Photo credit: Tom Balfour, Uniformed Services University) |
Before Sunrise on the Track
Participants chose their own distance and their own effort: one mile, two miles, or a 5K, some of them rucking the course in uniform under a weighted pack. Navy Ensign Stephen Eicher, a SOM student, opened the event with remarks encouraging students, faculty, and staff to reflect with every step. Some ran, some walked, and two service dogs kept pace. The rain held for most of the course. By the finish it had cleared, the sun was up, and the group closed with a photo at the finish line.
Later that morning, USU held a memorial ceremony that opened with the Presentation of the Colors by the Joint Base Andrews Honor Guard, the National Anthem performed by The Dermatones, and an invocation from Navy Lt. Cmdr. Moyna Stubbs. Dr. Lindsey B. Borgia, Faculty Senate president, welcomed the audience and traced USU's commitment to educating providers who respond to crisis back to that morning.
The planning committee was chaired by Dr. Christina Faherty, an assistant professor of Microbiology and Immunology who was an emergency medical technician and a Rutgers University undergraduate in 2001. She worked a triage station at 1 Liberty Plaza from the evening of the attacks until the following afternoon, and later completed her graduate studies at USU.
USU President Dr. Jonathan Woodson, who responded to the World Trade Center as a medical officer with the National Disaster Medical System, told the audience that the anniversary called for recommitment as much as grief. “We gather today not simply to look back and grieve, but to honor the 2,977 innocent lives stolen from us, to remember the courage of those who ran toward the fire, to reflect on 25 years of sacrifice of our military, and to recommit ourselves to the sacred oath that binds us to the defense of this nation,” Woodson said.
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| Dr. Jonathan Woodson, president of the Uniformed Services University, delivers remarks at the university's September 11 Memorial Ceremony in Bethesda, Maryland, September 11, 2026. Woodson responded to the World Trade Center as a medical officer with the National Disaster Medical System in 2001. (Photo credit: Tom Balfour, Uniformed Services University) |
Remembering Through Movement and Conversation
Inspired by the observances at USU, students at five clinical rotation sites organized memorial runs, walks, dinners, and conversations to honor the day and reflect on its lasting impact on military medicine, their profession, and their lives. Wellness representatives and classmates helped coordinate the efforts, ensuring that distance did not prevent the class from standing together.
At Madigan, Army 2nd Lts. Nigel Park and Alex Barret participated in the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb Challenge. Navy Ensign Sam Nakagawa, the class wellness representative, organized a dinner where classmates gathered to remember and honor those affected by September 11.
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| Army 2nd Lts. Nigel Park and Alex Barret at the 25th Anniversary 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb Challenge, Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, September 11, 2026. (Courtesy photo) |
In San Antonio, Army 2nd Lt. Nam Tran organized a walk to the Alamo. Navy Ensign Lorraine Rowe, Army 2nd Lt. Mihai Fratian, and Air Force 2nd Lt. Daniel Schleif joined him, using the time together to discuss how 9/11 has reshaped medicine.
At Portsmouth, Navy Ensign Anne Fisher, the class wellness representative, joined Navy Ensign Brian He and Army 2nd Lt. Miguel Pantano for a 2.5-mile memorial run.
In San Diego, Navy Ensign Arianna Chase, the class wellness representative, hosted a beach bonfire where students gathered to discuss how 9/11 has affected their lives.
And in Hawaii, students at Tripler organized one of the class's most extensive observances.
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| Army 2nd Lt. Nam Tran, Navy Ensign Lorraine Rowe, Army 2nd Lt. Mihai Fratian, and Air Force 2nd Lt. Daniel Schleif after a walk to the Alamo in San Antonio, September 11, 2026. The group used the walk to discuss how 9/11 reshaped medicine. (Courtesy photo) |
A Run to Remember in Hawaii
At Tripler, Army 2nd Lt. Michael Kim organized a 9.11-kilometer memorial run. Students built a memorial board telling the stories of eight people who died in connection with the attacks.
Participants wrote the names of those they were remembering on wristbands and wore them during the run.
Kim was joined by Army 2nd Lts. Kate Weathersby, Amy Castellano, Diego Duklis, Jake Glass, Patrick McManamon, and William Blumberg; Air Force 2nd Lts. Claire Sharp, Nicolas Dimauro, and Kevin Karlick; and Navy Ensign Aja Mckeython.
Following the run, Duklis, the class wellness representative, organized a dinner discussion where students reflected on the stories they had encountered and on which ones had affected them most.
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| Members of the Class of 2028 with the memorial board they built for their 9.11-kilometer run in Honolulu, September 11, 2026. Each panel tells the story of one of eight people who died in connection with the attacks. (Courtesy photo) |
One Class, Many Locations, A Shared Commitment to Remember
While the Class of 2028 was separated by thousands of miles and the demands of clinical training, its observances reflected a shared commitment to remembering September 11 and the people whose lives were forever changed.
Each observance began the same way: one student organizing a run, a walk, a dinner, or a conversation, and classmates choosing to show up.
At USU, where students are educated to care for those who serve, the Class of 2028 marked the anniversary on its own terms, at the sites where its members were training.
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| Class of 2028 students at a Patriot Day display marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, September 11, 2026. (Courtesy photo) |