Duke University Police Department officers and their guests gathered at police headquarters Wednesday morning to dedicate their new flagpole to the victims of Sept. 11.
"We are honoring the memory of our fallen colleagues during the tragic [events of Sept. 11]," Duke University Police Chief Clarence Birkhead said before the ceremony.
The DUPD staff collectively decided to dedicate the flagpole and to commemorate the people who were affected by Sept. 11 in a small, intimate ceremony instead of publicizing the event to attract more people.
"There are so many different activities today, and we didn't want to cause people to be overextended," police spokesperson Maj. Robert Dean said. "People have other commitments."
Birkhead began the ceremony by discussing the meaning of the American flag, saying it represents the values and traditions of "freedom, equality and opportunity."
"We assemble here today on 9/11, a day we will all remember when 70 law enforcement [officers died]," he said. "We all hold the flag dear and see the cost if it is not protected, served and guarded."
After Rev. Anne Hodges-Copple gave the invocation, the DUPD honor guard presented the colors. The flag was solemnly raised and then lowered to half-mast to commemorate those who died Sept. 11. Birkhead then dedicated the flag to the "courage, service and unselfishness of the law officers."
Maj. James Schwab shared a tribute to the victims of Sept. 11 after the singing of the national anthem and the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.
"We salute the heroes who returned, and we remember those who did not return," Schwab said. "[The officers] serve, protect and defend democracy and the principles and values we live for.... We honor those who cherish liberty greater than life."
Birkhead made the final remarks. "We have a renewed sense of dedication and devotion," he said. "[We want to] preserve the peace."
Hodges-Copple ended the ceremony with a benediction.
Veronica Parker, whose husband Maj. Burnice Parker sang the national anthem, called Wednesday's ceremony "heartwarming."
"Basically, what happened on 9/11 was senseless," Parker said. "[The ceremony] is a way to help."
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