Master Sgt. Tara Wichtowski shares her memories of the September 11 terrorist attacks during a remembrance ceremony at Niagara University. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tate G. Pollock)

Niagara University’s Veteran Services Office hosted a 9/11 remembrance ceremony to honor area first responders and those impacted by the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. The ceremony began at 9 a.m. at the flag pole between Alumni Chapel and Glynn Hall (formerly St. Vincent’s Hall) on the Niagara University campus.

Keynote speaker Master Sgt. Tara Wichtowski, 914th Security Forces Squadron, shared her experience as part of search and rescue with the Army National Guard in New York City, and Niagara University’s president, the Rev. James J. Maher, paid tribute to NU alumna Moira Reddy Smith, a member of the New York Police Department who lost her life helping hundreds of people exit the World Trade Center as it collapsed. A moment of silence was held to remember all those lost in the attacks.