OHIO to Host National Remembering Our Fallen Tribute Towers Exhibit honoring post-9/11 Fallen from The War on Terror

Since our founding over 215 years ago, Ohio University has been committed to providing service members, veterans and their families with a collaborative, supportive educational environment to help prepare them for future success.

To honor the dedication and sacrifice of military members who made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan while wearing our country’s uniform, OHIO will display the Remembering Our Fallen war memorial from Sept. 18-22, 2019 on our Athens campus.

Community members are invited to attend an opening ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 10 a.m. in the Walter Hall Rotunda.

“We are honored that Ohio University has been selected to host the national Remembering Our Fallen exhibit in September,” said Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis. “We are grateful for the sacrifices our service members make each day, and especially for the ultimate sacrifice made by these brave men and women and their loved ones.”

Assistant Dean of Students for Campus Involvement, Char Kopchick, explained the significance of this exhibit to the Ohio University community. Particularly, to many first-year students for whom 2001 was a landmark year. 

"2001 was the year that many of our first year students were born," Kopchick said. "But, for many families it marked the beginnning of losing of loved ones to the war on terror. It is our hope that the Remember Our Fallen Tribute Towers will provide all of us, students, faculty, staff and community members the opportunity to reflect, remember and honor the many soliders and first responders since 9/11, who sacrificed their lives defending the freedoms we enjoy in our nation."

The memorial includes 32 Tribute Towers with military and personal photos of over 5,000 of our nation’s military Fallen since 9/11/2001. This memorial was unveiled nationally at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. in late 2017.

Community members are encouraged to visit the tribute memorial, which will be located in the green space between Margaret M. Walter Hall and the Aquatics Center.

“Just as it was important to bring The Wall That Heals to our community in 2017, it is important for us to pay tribute and honor our service men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the Global War on Terrorism so we can continue to enjoy the freedoms we have today,” said David W. Edwards, Sr., Director of Ohio University’s Brigadier General James M. Abraham-Colonel Arlene F. Greenfield Veterans and Military Student Services Center. “Ohio University, and the Athens community, has a rich history in supporting our military members and we want to say THANK YOU to those who cannot be here with us.”

This national memorial also includes Tribute Towers to recognize our service men and women who died from training accidents or attacks while stationed stateside or on our overseas bases. Those who return from war with the invisible wounds of Post-Traumatic Stress(PTS) and succumb to suicide are also included on Tribute Towers to recognize the tragedy of PTS.

“We can never forget those who sacrificed everything for our freedom. We must remember these American Heroes and speak their names when we see their family members,” said Bill Williams, Vice President and co-founder of Patriotic Productions, the non-profit responsible for this memorial. “This memorial is created to travel, stopping in cities and communities all across the nation so more people will have the opportunity to honor and remember our Fallen from one of the longest wars in our nation’s history.  We are thankful to Ohio University for hosting this beautiful and somber memorial.”

Organizers are still asking for help in contacting Gold Star families to include every single American who has died since 9/11/2001 in The War on Terror. There is no fee to families. They are asked to visit www.RememberingOurFallen.org and provide basic information and two photos for their Fallen loved one.

The tour schedule and additional information are available at: www.RememberingOurFallen.org. Ohio University would like to thank the following sponsoring departments for their efforts: the Campus Involvement Center, the Brigadier General James M. Abraham-Colonel Arlene F. Greenfield Veterans and Military Student Services Center, and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. 

Disclaimer: It is not the intent of Ohio University to imply an endorsement by any service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.