ATHENS, WV (WVNS)– The Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success for Concord University presents “9/11 Never Forget” at University Point.

With Patriot Day coming up, many of the faculty and staff wanted to honor the fallen with a speech from a former Navy SEAL and one of the first responders of 9/11, Dr. Peter Berardi. However, Berardi didn’t just speak about the tragedy of 9/11, but also some of the things he learned from the experience.

“My whole reason for joining the military, for joining the SEAL teams, was to put America first again and help out American citizens around the world. Really, it’s a patriotic duty that every American should have… And we think about how the people flowed in accomplishing a mission, how they all came together and worked towards a strategic vision or a common purpose. No matter what their background was no one was distracted, everybody was focused, everybody made a difference.”

Peter Berardi, retired Navy SEAL and 9/11 First Responder