Today marks 25 years since September 11, 2001. I'm stepping away from market updates and PCS guides today — this one is just about remembering, and about a community that does that better than almost anywhere I've lived.
As a veteran's spouse, September 11 has never been an abstract date for our family. It's personal, and I know it's personal for so many of the military families I work with here in Killeen and around Fort Cavazos.
Freedom Walk: 25 Years Strong
Today, Killeen ISD is holding its annual Freedom Walk at Killeen High School and adjoining Leo Buckley Stadium — doors open at 8:45 a.m., the program begins at 9:30 a.m., and the walk itself starts at 10:45 a.m. It's one of the most moving traditions in this community: first responders, JROTC cadets, Gold Star families, veterans, and Fort Cavazos leadership all walking a lap around the track together, closing with the tolling of a bell — eleven rings, marking the date the nation changed.
In years past, Fort Cavazos leadership has stood alongside the community for this event, with the Army garrison commander speaking directly to what the day means for the installation and the families who call it home. Firefighters have stood atop their trucks in salute as walkers passed beneath a ladder arch. It's the kind of ceremony that reminds you this community doesn't just observe September 11 — it carries it.
Why This Day Matters Here
Killeen, Harker Heights, and the whole Fort Cavazos community exist because of service. So many of the families I help relocate here are living the direct legacy of September 11 — the deployments, the assignments, the sacrifices that followed in the years after the attacks. That's part of what makes this community different, and it's part of why I do the work I do.
Congress designated September 11 as Patriot Day back in 2001, and in 2009 it also became the National Day of Service and Remembrance — one of only two federally recognized days of service in the country, alongside Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
If You're Able Today
Come out to the Freedom Walk if your schedule allows. Thank a service member or first responder. Or simply take a moment, wherever you are, to remember the nearly 3,000 people we lost and the military and first-responder community that has carried this day's meaning for 25 years.
To everyone who serves, and everyone who loves someone who does — thank you.
— Sujin
