News

Ground Zero 360 brings 9/11 exhibit to Texas A&M University-San Antonio

At a glance:
• Texas A&M University-San Antonio will host a public opening of the Ground Zero 360, 9/11 Retrospective - 15 Years Later exhibit on Friday, September 9 from 9 a.m. at the University’s Patriots’ Casa.
• The University will also host a Survivor Tree dedication ceremony on September, 11, 2016 at 8 a.m., where three survivor families from New York will be present.

SAN ANTONIO (August 29, 2016)—On September 9, Texas A&M University-San Antonio will unveil an
on-campus Ground Zero 360, 9/11 Retrospective - 15 Years Later exhibit in recognition of the 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The exhibit will include numerous artifacts such as heartbreaking “missing poster” ads, fragmented twisted steel and broken granite from the World Trade Center, the flag that flew over Ground Zero and other harrowing visuals.

On the 15th anniversary of the attacks, September 11, 2016, the exhibit will be open as three survivor families from the 9/11 attacks will be on-campus to participate in a public Survivor Tree dedication ceremony. The ceremony will include the planting of a seedling from the 9/11 Survivor Tree, the sole tree that remained after the destruction of the World Trade Center buildings. The ceremony will take place at 8 a.m. on September 11 in the Healing Garden adjacent to the University’s Patriots’ Casa—an academic home for the brave that provides academic, life and career skills support for military-affiliated students. The Patriots’ Casa opened in 2014 and is the first of its kind in the nation.

As a Military Embracing™ University, A&M-San Antonio’s goal in hosting the exhibit and planting the tree is to commemorate the victims of 9/11, with a special emphasis on military victims. The University has a strong connection with the military with nearly 18% of its student body identifying as military affiliated. A&M-San Antonio is also the only designated Purple Heart University in San Antonio.

A&M-San Antonio‘s director of Military Affairs, Richard Delgado Jr., served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He wants people to remember the impact September 11, 2001 had on the military. "We will never forget,” he said. “We are tying this effort into A&M-San Antonio’s Military Embracing™ culture and we want to highlight the military involvement during the horrific moments of 9/11 and how it forever changed military operations.”

In mid-September, the majority of the Ground Zero 360 artifacts will be transported to the former Federal Reserve Building at 126 E. Nueva, San Antonio, TX 78205, after a recently signed cooperative agreement with Bexar County provided the University nearly 10,000 square feet of operating space in the facility. The centrally located building will allow for public accessibility and the exhibit will remain open during the former Federal Reserve Building’s normal operating hours of Monday - Friday 8 a.m.– 5 p.m. until December 14, 2016.

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About Texas A&M University-San Antonio
With a nearly 700-acre Main Campus the military-embracing university recently welcomed freshman and sophomores and became a comprehensive four-year university. Currently enrolling more than 5,000 students, Texas A&M University-San Antonio is the fastest-growing university in the state. Undergraduate and graduate degrees are available for the lowest university tuition in San Antonio for a variety of in-demand fields, including teacher preparation, business, information technology, and cyber security. To learn more, visit www.tamusa.edu.