The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 shook Americans across the nation including those within the the Gothic walls of Duke. To date, Duke has lost eight alumni to the 9/11 attacks and the war efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. As the U.S. presence in these countries persist, so will the University's tie exist—in personnel as well as student and faculty activism and remembrance.
Students and faculty have responded in many ways to the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent conflict in Afghanistan, launched Oct. 7, 2001, and the Iraq War, which began March 20, 2003. After the 2001 terrorist attacks, professors adjusted courses to include current events and background on areas newly spotlighted by the attacks. Several areas of campus have come together since fall of 2001 together to offer panel discussions about the attacks and their potential consequences the possibility of and need for war, and the war efforts themselves. In the last eight years, many speakers have come to Duke discussing the fight against terror including Brig. Gen. H.R. McMaster, Stephen Hadley, who was national security adviser from 2005 to 2009, Meghan O’Sullivan, the former deputy national security adviser on Iraq and Afghanistan, and Karl Rove, the former deputy White House chief of staff.
Rove's visit drew protests from students, faculty and Durham residents, but those are certainly not the only protesters Duke's campus has seen. Before the war in Iraq began, about 20 students camped on the Chapel Quadrangle in protest, about 400 people protested the start of the Iraq war with a walk-out and in 2005 a protest march ended with a rally on East Campus. Along with other protest efforts, students and faculty have participated in multiple peace rallies and efforts to support the troops as well as marked the 9/11 attacks with an annual memorial.
President Barack Obama has announced new strategies for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. In his Dec. 2, 2009 speech at West Point, Obama announced he would send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan before beginning a draw down in 2011. Obama has said he hopes to begin withdrawing troops in Iraq in May 2010. But on campus, Duke continues to discuss the wars and their effects, and to remember those who have served in them. The University rededicated its war memorial Oct. 23, 2009 and added the 54 names of fallen soldiers. U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, Grad ’76 and a retired four-star general who is a Vietnam War veteran, delivered the keynote address.
Duke lost six alumni in 9/11:
John "Rob" Lenoir, Trinity '84, worked on the 104th floor of the south tower as an executive for Sandler O'Neill & Partners. He played football at Duke from 1981 to 1983. Peter Ortale, Trinity '87, worked in the second tower and was an all-conference lacrosse player. Christopher Pitman, Trinity '93 lived in New York City. Todd Rancke, Trinity '81 worked at Sandler O'Neill & Partners, an investment bank, on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center. Frederick Rimmele, Medicine '94, was on United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston to Los Angeles when it crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center. Michael Morgan Taylor, Trinity '81, worked for Cantor & Fitzgerald in the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
Two alumni have died in combat in Iraq:
First Lt. Matthew Lynch, Trinity '01, lettered in baseball and swimming while at Duke and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps shortly after graduating. He died Aug. 31, 2004 in Iraq from injuries he sustained from a roadside bomb. James Regan, Trinity '02, became an Army Ranger after graduation, turning down a scholarship to law school and a job offer at a financial company. Regan played lacrosse at Duke from 1999-2002 and was selected to the All-ACC Tournament team during his senior year. He was killed by a roadside bomb Feb. 9, 2007 during his second tour in Iraq. First Lieutenant Charles Bies, Pratt '04, was wounded March 7, 2006 by a roadside bomb in Iraq. A cadet in the Army ROTC at Duke, Bies survived his injuries.
The terrorist attacks and wars on terror were number 6 on our stories of the decade list. These are the issues and events that made headlines for weeks at a time over the last ten years, those that sparked the most debate on campus and beyond, and the ones that we believe will continue to shape our coverage in the years to come.
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