VFW Post No. 5136 will host its second annual Remembering 9/11 concert Sept. 12 at the Veterans Pavilion in Kirkpatrick Park.
The free event is intended to encourage unity while honoring those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, said Matt Marshall, commander of Dawson County VFW Post 5136 and a lifetime member of the American Legion.
“Regardless of whether you lived in New York or you didn’t, it hurt us as a nation,” Marshall said. “It’s kind of like in 1941. Pearl Harbor was attacked, and it hurt the nation.”
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Marshall recalled being a high school senior at the time. He had skipped school to help a classmate and friend who had learned he would not be graduating find a job.
As they drove around in Marshall’s car filling out job applications, Marshall heard that a plane had struck one of the World Trade Center towers.
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“I thought that was a lot of damage for one little plane,” Marshall recalled. “Every place we went, it was on TV. I remember we were at the Beatrice Manor, and he was filling out an application. I said, ‘Oh, crap, another plane hit the second tower. That’s no single-prop plane. I think that’s intentional.’”
Marshall said 9/11 affected his graduating class because many young people made the same choice he did: They passed up sports scholarships and college to enlist in the military.
“We ended up going to war with a lot of countries, but the good news is we had a lot of help from our allies,” Marshall said. “For me, the most important thing is not to forget. If we don’t talk about the names of the people who have been lost from it, they’ll be lost forever.”
Marshall served in Iraq in 2003 and 2005 and completed a tour in South Korea in 2008. After returning home, he enlisted in the Nebraska National Guard. During his military service, Marshall attained the rank of corporal and served as a combat engineer.
Although this year’s Remembering 9/11 event will take place Sept. 12 because that date worked best with the community calendar, Marshall said Sept. 12, 2001, also holds significance. It demonstrated the unity that could emerge from tragedy.
Food vendors will begin serving at 5 p.m. and continue through the end of the show. The concert is free and open to the public.
Seating at the pavilion is limited, but attendees may bring blankets and lawn chairs. This year’s featured performer will be the Chad Lee Band, whose music blends patriotic classic rock with country elements.
Marshall said the VFW is grateful to the local sponsors whose contributions helped cover the event’s cost.
“We’re humbled,” Marshall said. “Even with Tyson being closed down, sponsors were able to come forward and help us bring this concert to the community.”
Marshall said everyone from Lexington, Dawson County and the broader veterans community is welcome.
“Not only are you supporting the Legion and VFW in this area, you’re supporting our sponsors while coming together and uniting to celebrate—not the attack, but what happened afterward,” he said.
