SAN MARCOS — Veterans Services welcomed Palomar students, staff and the surrounding community to gather in solidarity on Sept. 11. Visuals were arranged by Veterans Services as a reminder of the events that transpired 24 years ago.
A cascade of small American flags covered the Veterans’ Memorial Lawn near the Palomar clock tower. A total of 2,977 flags symbolizing each life lost during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
The flags waved silently in the breeze, but the message of the moment was loud and clear to those in attendance.
“I think the whole point is to remember and pay your respects to these people and what that day meant to their families,” Sarah Carr, a student employee with the Veterans Resource Center said. “It makes you think about how do we make a better world for everybody else to live in, especially for vets who go through so much.”
A vertical banner bearing the names of the victims was placed in front of the Veterans Services’ booth with a summary of the events of 9/11 on the banner’s opposite side. Photos of first responders and a timeline of the day sat on the booth’s table and provided a visual gateway into the experiences of first responders at ground zero.
Another goal of today’s event was to show that the impact of 9/11 continues to affect citizens and military service members to this day.
As a veteran herself, Palomar Veterans Affairs Supervisor Jessica Horn recognizes Patriot Day as a call to remember the sacrifices made by service members in order to protect the freedoms of American citizens in the aftermath of 9/11.
“For the Veterans at Palomar College and in our surrounding community, it’s deeply personal, it connects to their service, their sense of duty, and their lived experiences of defending our country. It provides a shared space to reflect, to honor, and to feel connected to something larger than themselves,” Horn said.
Many students at Palomar College were not yet born when 9/11 took place, so Veterans Services aspires to keep this moment in history and its importance rooted in Palomar’s student body.
“Hearing younger students ask questions and engage in conversations about the significance of the day was powerful. It showed that the legacy of remembrance is being carried forward by a new generation,” Horn said. “While today’s students may not have lived through 9/11, the values of resilience, unity, and sacrifice are timeless.”
Sept. 13 2025 @ 4:35 p.m. — a correction has been made to this story, this is the most current version.