Focus of Glynn’s 9-11 Ceremony: What we became on 9-12
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Brunswick High School NJROTC and Glynn Academy MCJROTC Cadets lower the flag to half staff. (Islander staff photo)
Glynn County Police Dept. Captain Shawn Srohl and Glynn County Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Vera Morrison place the wreath during the 9-11 ceremony. (Islander staff photo)
By Pamela Permar-Shierling
We all remember where we were on 9-11 when the planes hit the Twin Towers. But what we became for a brief period on Sept. 12 is what Glynn’s 9-11 keynote speaker chose to focus on.
Today, Sept. 11, 2026, 25 years later Glynn County and the City of Brunswick held a ceremony remembering and honoring those who lost their lives that day as well as those who died later from the effects of being around the devastation.
Larry Thompson, Former United States Deputy Attorney General under the George Bush administration, was the keynote speaker, remembered exactly where he was on 9-11.
His boss, John Ashcroft who was the Attorney General of the United States at that time, was out of the office.
“I was the highest ranking person in the Department of Justice in D.C. at that time,” Thompson said.
“Condoleezza Rice, who was the Secretary of State under Bush, called me and told me to stay in my office. Five U.S. Marshals took me to the undisclosed location,” Thompson said.
“What I saw there were cabinet members, judges, and members of congress in a daze,” he said. “Almost 3,000 people had been killed in a brutal attack.”
“But on September 12,” Thompson continued, “we found out who we could be in response to evil. We proved to be a great nation.”
“My focus changed to prevention. My department had to find a balance between civil liberty and safety,” he said.
“I met with the Attorney General of Israel who warned me not to ignore the rule of law or we would be changed as a nation,” Thompson said.
“Ashcroft charged us to think outside the box to prevent another attack but not to think outside the Constitution. We remained devoted to the rule of law and the Constitution,” he said.
“We were kind to each other on Sept. 12. Republicans and Democrats stood on the Capitol steps and sang patriotic songs. The Paris daily newspaper Le Monde Sept. 12 headline was Nous sommes tous américains — We Are All Americans,” he said.
“We knew that spirit would not last long, and we have become divided especially over the Iraq war and civil liberty versus safety,” Thompson continued.
“But what began on Sept. 12 remains. We admire the work of all our First Responders and Veterans and appreciate their sacrifice.”
“Scholarship funds and memorial foundations have been created, and we have been taught the true meaning of choice.
“We chose to help each other. No one told us to do what we did and we need to never forget what we did for each other,” Thompson said.
