Nearly 3,000 flags and heartfelt speeches, including a keynote from Dennis Quaid, commemorate 9/11 heroes and inspire a new generation at Malibu’s Alumni Park
Less than a full day after an assassin gunned down conservative activist Charlie Kirk on a university campus in Utah, a large group of people gathered at Malibu’s local university at Pepperdine Alumni Park on Thursday, Sept. 11, for the 17th annual Waves of Flags remembrance ceremony to mark the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Chancellor Sarah Young Jackson opened the event by briefly commenting on Kirk’s killing, stating, “our hearts are broken and we pray for those he left behind, and we will honor his life as we honor the lives of civilians lost and the heroes who sacrificed their lives on 9/11.”
Jackson also recognized Ryan Sawtelle, an alum who helped to establish the Waves of Flags annual display in 2008, and she thanked active military members, veterans, and first responders at the gathering.
Attendees listened to the national anthem, sung by Seaver College senior Cokie Daniel, and participated in the pledge of allegiance, led by H.L. McCullough, also a senior. A delighted crowd joined distinguished honoree Pat Boone, co-chair of the university board and a legendary musician and entertainer, as they sang along to his recording of “God Bless America.”
Boone introduced keynote speaker Dennis Quaid, noting that the pair had both performed roles in “Reagan,” a movie where Quaid portrayed the former president. Quaid, who previously narrated the documentary, “Twin Towers: Legacy,” delivered a motivational and at times humorous speech honoring heroes of prior wars and the resilience of past generations, including the resolve and resilience of his parents and their colleagues, who were dubbed by Tom Brokaw as “the greatest generation.”
Noting that service and sacrifice by every generation, “is never chosen — it is just something that is,” Quaid also briefly reflected on turbulent times in our country’s past, including the 1960s, the Vietnam War, and the Iran Hostage Crisis — and how those events challenged, but did not overcome, our country’s fortitude.
“In dark times, America always has those who carry the torch and are guided by eternal principles,” he said as he noted, “The living icon of the greatest generation became our president and reminded us of who we are,” referring to President Ronald Reagan. “A great leader has to make hard decisions, a great leader is a disruptor, guided by common sense,” Quaid observed. “A great leader reaches out to his adversaries. A great leader can inspire others to a higher calling, and guided by his principles, he means business.”
Quaid characterized those who answered the call on 9/11, those who ran into collapsing buildings as panicked others ran out, as “America’s finest. America’s bravest.” He added, “They carry the torch that must be kept burning by each new generation.”
After the event, attendees were invited to visit a station to write messages of remembrance and attach them to the flagpoles. Some lingered amidst the Waves of Flags display featuring nearly 3,000 flags, reflecting on those who paid the ultimate price to protect our country and on President Jim Gash’s parting words, “You and I have a greater purpose. We have a rendezvous with destiny — may we do our duty — with courage, with resolve, with deep hope and with eternal joy. May we rise to meet our moment, just as those we honor here today rose to meet theirs.”
Pepperdine alumnus John Bossler, who was in the World Trade Center towers when they fell, paused to survey the gathering, a sea of flags waving in Malibu’s brisk wind with the expansive Pacific beyond. It’s been 24 years since that fateful day when all of the country was jolted by the attacks and, in those 24 years, Bossler has found ways to find peace. He noted that every year, as the anniversary approaches, he turns quiet and sad, his family giving him the space he needs to revisit and process the tumult. Since returning to California, Bossler has not missed a Pepperdine remembrance event. “This annual event has provided me with a sense of purpose and has made a big difference for me,” he said. “This matters to me and has provided me with peace and it’s wonderful to see the younger students come to plant the flags and it’s wonderful that they’re curious and want to understand what happened.”
Bossler’s observation about the impact that Pepperdine’s remembrance event has on those who are younger was embodied by Pepperdine senior Spencer Mueller, president of the Pepperdine Ambassador Council. After noting that 9/11 did not occur in his lived reality and that he has familiarity with the tragedy only because he watched documentaries and videos of it as he grew up, Mueller commented, that celebrating the freedom that those who answered the call on 9/11 helped to preserve is highly relevant to all Americans and that it is important to pause and to reflect on each anniversary lest we lose sight of their sacrifice and of the fact that no doubt, some of his generation may also be called to their rendezvous with destiny.
