The Ole Miss Reserve Officer Training Corps hosted its fifth annual 9/11 Memorial Run at 6 a.m. on Friday morning.
Christopher Hayes, senior military instructor for Ole Miss ROTC, said the memorial run will continue every year in honor of the fallen of 9/11. Hayes said it serves as a reminder to every one of the great nation in which we live.
“9/11 should be an important day for every US citizen to be grateful and appreciate the opportunities that still exist in America,” Hayes said.
A single shot from the ROTC cannon rang out from the steps of the Lyceum to indicate the beginning of the two mile run. The route began at the Lyceum, continued around the Square and reached its end at the Grove stage, where hundreds of ROTC members and participating runners reconvened.
John Powell, director of character development for Ole Miss football, was the guest speaker for the event.
Powell based his speech off of two words: “Wake up.” These words symbolized the differences in what students believe the world to be and what it actually is. The recognition of this difference, Powell said, is important to understand how hard service members work.
“There are real enemies, and there is real evil in this world,” Powell said.
Powell recognized ROTC members throughout his speech and spoke of the earned freedom many American’s enjoy. He said the US is free because of the people who choose to serve the country before they serve themselves.
“When we as a society realize the importance of putting others before ourselves, then much of America’s problems would be solved,” Powell said.
Following Powell’s speech, all runners received memorial t-shirts.
“Today is a really good reminder that no matter how hard we work, there is always someone who is serving our country working harder,” Amanda Bonner, participating runner and junior integrated marketing communications major, said.
