It was 8:46 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, and American Airlines Flight 11 struck the first World Trade Center (WTC) tower.
“I was getting ready that day when I heard the first tower was hit, but it wasn’t clicking with me yet what had happened,” recalled Andee Swick ’03, administrative assistant for the Office of Advancement at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC), while reflecting on this week’s 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Swick was an SMWC sophomore commuter student from Illinois on Sept. 11, 2001 – the date of the deadliest foreign attack on U.S. soil since Pearl Harbor. She was crossing the Indiana-Illinois state line at 9:03 a.m. when United Airlines Flight 175 hit the second WTC tower.
“I couldn’t believe that would happen,” Swick said. “My first class that day was supposed to be Father Bernie’s theology class, but we were notified that class would be canceled and there would be a prayer vigil in the church.”
At 9:37 a.m. and 10:03 a.m., respectively, American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., and United Airlines Flight 93 went down in a field near Shanksville, Pa. In less than two hours, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists had hijacked four U.S. commercial airplanes and killed nearly 3,000 people.
“There was a lot of information coming out on the news – who was on the planes, about the rescues and images of the crash sites,” Swick said. “For days and weeks after the attacks, I remember hearing about the victims who were accounted for and those who were still missing.”
Soon after the attacks, the public witnessed heightened security, major shifts in U.S. foreign policy, expanded surveillance and lasting social and cultural impacts, including stricter airport screening, global counterterrorism campaigns and changes in public attitudes toward safety and identity that persist to this day.
Luann Malone, now SMWC’s assistant registrar for academic records, was serving as records manager for the Women’s External Degree Office on 9/11. She remembers the shock, disbelief and grief she felt sitting in her office on the morning of the attacks.
“I feared that our country would never be the same,” Malone said. “The campus was united in grief after the events of 9/11, and folks longed to gather to support each other and our country. We learned of heroic efforts to save lives and witnessed national unity for a time. I became aware that peace should not be taken for granted.”
When the first plane hit, no one was quite sure what was happening, but one thing was clear to DJ Wasmer, DBA, MBA, who was serving as chair for the College’s now-Department of Business and Leadership.
“I just knew it was going to be a different kind of day,” said Wasmer, who spoke to his faculty soon after and told them he thought they needed to be on campus. “I came in and taught my classes, though we talked more about world events. I think the overwhelming feelings on campus, and probably across the whole world, were complete shock and confusion.”
The one bright spot for Wasmer was then soccer coach Mike Aycock’s decision to continue with the scheduled match against Anderson University that afternoon.
“I think it was good for the team and the College community,” Wasmer said. “It added a sense of normalcy to what was a very abnormal day.
Former SMWC women’s soccer player Sarah Greensberg Dean ’04, of Terre Haute, played in the match that day and said she was surprised by the decision to continue with the game but is glad the team did.
“I don’t remember the outcome of the game or who we played, but when something like that happens that is so devastating, I think it’s always good to stay busy and keep going like it was just another day,” she said. “When you were in the moment, at least for me, I didn’t think about what was happening in our nation and just wanted to compete and play the game. I felt like campus was very quiet, and not many people came to the game or were walking around campus. It felt like a ghost town. It was a day to pray and respect those who lost their life or had a loved one lose their life that day, so I assume that was what my colleagues were doing.”
Then-commuter student Sarah Stultz Mahady ’05, SMWC’s community partnerships and advancement officer, was watching the events unfold with her grandma on 9/11.
“As a 19-year-old college student that day, I never could have imagined that 25 years later I would find myself back at the College as an employee. It feels like a full-circle moment,” she said. “I still remember that morning – where I was, who I was with and the uncertainty we all felt. But I also remember what followed: seeing people come together, helping one another and standing united during an incredibly difficult time. In the midst of such tragedy, we saw strength, compassion, courage and a sense of unity that will always be part of the story of Sept. 11.”