Each year, the University’s Conservatives Club takes on the role of commemorating the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. American flags are placed uphill outside the Elaine Langone Center to honor the fallen.

“In this yearly student-driven tradition, we quietly pause to remember as Americans and friends of America a formative, tragic moment in our recent history, commemorating the many victims and valiant first responders; may their memory be eternal. 9/11 directly touched the lives of many Bucknellians. Today…in remembering the tragic attacks of that day, we can still resolve to stand against the use of terror that the philosopher Hannah Arendt described as a building block of totalitarianism,” Alf Siewers, associate professor of English and advisor for the club, said.

The Lewisburg community also plays a role in the annual commemoration. For the third consecutive year, the University’s wrestling team partnered with the Travis Manion Foundation (TMF) to host the 9/11 Heroes Run in downtown Lewisburg. Assistant wrestling coach Kevin LeValley acted as the race director this year, and members of the wrestling team helped with promotion, route safety, and registration on the day of the event. 156 people participated in the event, including members of the University’s softball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, and women’s rowing teams and of the Danville High School field hockey team.

“Our support from [the University] community continues to grow,” LeValley said. Currently, over $3,000 has been raised for TMF.

TMF was founded in honor of first Lt. Travis Manion. Manion sacrificed his life during the Iraq War in 2007, enabling every member of his patrol to survive the attack that left him fatally wounded.

According to LeValley, Manion was a wrestler at the Naval Academy, one of the University’s Patriot League rivals. “Because of this, [the University’s] wrestling has a unique connection with the Travis Manion Foundation,” LeValley said.

The mission of the foundation, according to its website, is to “empower veterans and families of fallen heroes to develop character in future generations” and “to create a nation of purpose-driven individuals and thriving communities that is built on character.”

“It’s essential that our student athletes understand the importance of giving back and serving something greater than themselves. Travis exemplified these characteristics with his ‘If not me, then who’ mantra. The 9/11 Heroes Run is critical in ensuring that our wrestlers, and members of the community, have a firm understanding of the sacrifices made by our fine men and women in the military,” head wrestling coach Dan Wirnsberger said.