Hundreds of UNMC/NHS employees gathered Wednesday to remember the victims of Sept. 11 and pay tribute to its heroes.
Skies were clear as the Benson High School color guard presented the flag, marking the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks that left 3,025 people dead at the World Trade Center site in New York City, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and in a field near Shanksville, Pa. 
“We stand together today to pay our respects to those who gave their lives without warning in this great tragedy,” said UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D. “The medical center is at the forefront of preparedness for serving this state and this country. I hope you are as proud of your medical center as I am in what we can do at a moment of national need.”
In remembering the victims of Sept. 11, NHS CEO and President Glenn Fosdick acknowledged the contributions of NHS and UNMC employees who serve the country militarily, who helped the nation deal with last year’s anthrax attacks and who deal with tragedy and trauma on a daily basis. “You are heroes as well,” he said.
Following a moment of silence, Joe Todero of the Omaha Pipes and Drums played “Amazing Grace,” on the bagpipe. Todero is the husband of Catherine Todero, Ph.D., associate dean for the undergraduate programs for the UNMC College of Nursing-Omaha.
“The images of the tragedy of Sept. 11 are still so vivid in our minds and in our senses,” the Rev. Deborah Boucher-Payne told the crowd. “What we saw, how we felt, and what we said is still so very present for us. Yet with a gentle and caring hand, we have been lifted from the depths of despair and guided to this time of remembrance one year later.
“As we stand here today, we recognize that terror has not won. For out of the dust of deeds of terrorism have grown new bonds of understanding, relationship and the desire for peace. May our memories help us to move forward with renewed commitment to make this a better world in which to live, both now and for generations to come.”
Civilian ceremonies, unlike military ceremonies, do not require the flags to be retired, so as the crowd left, Todero closed the ceremony with “America the Beautiful.”