EIU to commemorate 25th anniversary of 9/11 with campus flag display and remembrance
Sep-04-2026(Charleston, IL) -- Eastern Illinois University will mark the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001, with a campus flag display and a brief remembrance ceremony honoring those who lost their lives and those who responded with courage and service in the aftermath of the tragedy.
Beginning at 4 p.m. Thursday, September 10, the Student Veterans of Eastern student organization, along with veteran faculty and staff supporters, will place approximately 300 American flags on the front lawn of the University. The display will serve as a visual tribute to the lives lost during the events of September 11, 2001, with each flag representing approximately 10 lives. The flag display will remain in place for the 25th anniversary observance on Friday, September 11.
At 9 a.m. Friday, members of the EIU and Charleston communities, along with others wishing to participate, will be invited to gather near the University flagpole for a brief remembrance. The observance will include remarks reflecting on the events of September 11, a moment of silence, and an opportunity for attendees to reflect on the lives lost and the courage demonstrated by first responders, service members and ordinary citizens during and after the attacks.
A photo from the top of Old Main at Eastern Illinois University during EIU’s 9/11 memorial in 2011, 10 years after the events of September 11, 2001.
The September 11, 2001, attacks killed nearly 3,000 people in New York City, at the Pentagon and aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania. The 25th anniversary memorial service at EIU provides an opportunity to remember those individuals the world lost on that tragic day and to recognize the firefighters, police officers, emergency personnel, military personnel and civilians who directly responded to the attacks and assisted others in the immediate aftermath.
The EIU flag display and remembrance are intended to provide a respectful opportunity for members of the University and surrounding communities to pause, reflect and remember 25 years after a day that profoundly affected the nation and the world.
Eastern Illinois University would like to publicly thank the members of its on-campus community—active duty, veterans and University student and employee volunteers—for assisting with the 9/11 memorial event in honoring those whose lives were lost or impacted.
