Students, faculty, and staff gathered to honor and remember those who were lost on Sept. 11, 2001. The event was an opportunity to share moving and passionate memories about the day itself and consider its meaning in a larger context.
After a bugler played “Taps,” Veteran Law Students Association (VLSA) President Benjamin Rodriquez, a 2L who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, told stories of bravery and acts of human kindness performed on that day. “Today’s event is special for our student organization,” Rodriguez said. “In pausing for this remembrance, we support those who have gone before us, and those who will come after us.”
VLSA Vice President Joel Gray, also a Marine Corps veteran, spoke about embracing the courage, honor, and legacy of the soldiers who fell in the military actions that followed the attacks on Sept. 11 and other acts of violence against our nation.
Professor Matthew Festa, a retired U.S. Army Judge Advocate General (JAG) and faculty sponsor of VLSA, highlighted the law school’s long relationship with military veterans and its role in training future JAG officers. Before introducing the featured speaker, he reminded those present that “you do not need to put on a uniform to serve the nation” and encouraged those present to find ways to do so.
After accepting a U.S. Army JAG Corps Challenge Coin awarded him by Festa, Assistant Professor Thomas Hogan shared his personal experience of Sept. 11 and the career change it brought about for him. He was working as a local prosecutor, after having begun his legal career at a large law firm. “I really liked trying criminal cases and putting away bad guys,” he said. “In fact, I was mid-trial when our nation came under attack.”
After Sept. 11th, Hogan became a leader on the Department of Justice’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. He supervised four squadrons of FBI agents who were working around the clock to stop terrorism, both domestic and international, before it could happen. “We investigated and intervened, preventing multiple horrific events,” Hogan said. Proud of the job he and his team did, Hogan added that he believes in American Exceptionalism, and that we remain the greatest country on earth, in spite of our flaws. “Humility and the practice of self-examination — that’s our strength,” he said.
