FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fulton, Mo. – Aug. 25, 2026: Lt. Gen. Richard C. Harding, USAF (Ret.) — who witnessed national authority decisions immediately following the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center — is the keynote speaker during a Sept. 11 Patriot Day Commemoration on Westminster’s campus. The event is a partnership with the Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society.
The commemoration begins at 8:30 a.m. on Latshaw Plaza with a reception in honor of first responders, marking the 25th anniversary of the deadliest attack on American soil in U.S. history. Harding’s talk will take place at 9 a.m. in Champ Auditorium.
About Lt. Gen. Richard C. Harding
On 9/11, Harding was the highest-ranking attorney for U.S. Strategic Command, serving as the Command’s staff judge advocate.
On that fateful day, he was stationed in an underground facility at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska, “when the phone that never rings … rang,” the retired lieutenant general recalled prior to a lecture he gave at the College in 2018. “Within an hour after the phone call, President George W. Bush arrived.”
Harding’s commentary regarding legal and national security decisions supporting the nation’s response to the attacks will be covered during his campus presentation.
“That day was an inflection point in our nation’s history,” Harding said of 9/11 in a recent email with Westminster College. “Our thoughts on national security and our way of life at home all changed on and after that day.”
Learn more about Harding on Westminster’s website.
Patriot Day Commemoration Schedule
8:30 a.m. | Latshaw Plaza
- Reception honoring first responders
- Historic display by the Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society
9 a.m. | Champ Auditorium
- Solemn processional led by Skulls of Seven, color guards and platform party
- Presentation of official proclamation
- National Anthem
- 10-minute 9/11 video
- Presentation by Lt. Gen. Richard Harding, USAF (Ret.)
- Q&A with Mark Maupin, Callaway County first responder who deployed to New York following the attacks
10:55 a.m. | The Hill
- Benediction by the Rev. Jason Buckwalter, DMin, director of the Center for Faith and Service
- Moment of silence
- First responder receiving line and vehicle display
- 21-gun salute by Callaway Post 2657, Veterans of Foreign Wars
- 2,977 Flags of Remembrance and Solemn Bell Tolling: Guests will be invited to place 2,977 small American flags, each bearing the name of a person killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, in the ground. As the flags are placed, the bells of America’s National Churchill Museum will toll in solemn remembrance of the 2,977 lives lost.
- Taps by Callaway Post 2657, Veterans of Foreign Wars
ABOUT WESTMINSTER COLLEGE: Founded in 1851 and home of Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech, Westminster College is ranked prestigiously by The Princeton Review as one of 151 “Best Colleges in the Midwest” for 2026 and is among a select group of full-participation institutions nationwide in the Civic Learning and Democracy Engagement Coalition, as recognized by the Higher Learning Commission. New graduates experience a more than 90% placement rate within six months of graduation, while Westminster alumni are in the top 16% nationwide for graduate earnings. The only National Liberal Arts college in Missouri, Westminster has long been recognized for its focus on educating and inspiring students to make an impact on the world around them. Find out more about Westminster College by visiting our website.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Sarah Backer at 573-220-9038 or Sarah.Backer@WCMO.edu.
Sarah Rummel Backer is the Director of Media Relations and Senior Writer at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. A proud Westminster graduate, Sarah has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and strategic communications in the areas of higher education, medicine, agriculture, and the private business sector.
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