Exhibit on 9/11, its aftermath coming to MSU

Mark Fischenich, The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.
·3 min read

Aug. 23—MANKATO — On the 21st anniversary of the history-altering 9/11 terrorist attacks, a traveling museum exhibit and a series of related events will be hosted at Minnesota State University to provide a broader look at the repercussions on the state.

"Minnesotans were in the towers, planes and Pentagon on that fateful morning and on the frontlines of the war that followed," according to an announcement from MSU's College of Arts and Humanities, which is the host of event. "The traveling exhibit — packed with testimonials, archives and artifacts — traces the experiences of fellow Minnesotans and places their service into the wider context of America's long war."

Created by the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum, the exhibit will be supplemented with a forum, a professional development seminar for school teachers and a screening of a well-regarded Hollywood film about a fierce battle during the war in Afghanistan.

"I was kind of amazed with all of the different connections this showed off," said MSU associate professor Kyle Ward, who visited the exhibit in May when it was in Duluth and worked to bring it to Mankato just in time for the 21st anniversary.

Ward, the director of social studies education and an instructor in military history and 20th-century American history, had worked in the past with the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum at Camp Ripley.

"I reached out to them. I reached out to our student union," he said. "Especially with it being 9/11, it worked out well to be here."

MSU's traditional college students will be too young to have direct memory of Sept. 11, 2001. But the exhibit and related events — which are free and open to the public — should be meaningful even to older people in the Mankato area who have strong memories of 21 years ago.

Personal memories are just one way of understanding history.

"But I'm not seeing it from all these other vantage points," Ward said in describing the exhibit's ability to convey the perspectives of others.

Along with viewpoints provided by the exhibit, more will be offered the afternoon of Sept. 8 through a symposium sponsored by the Minnesota Humanities Center called "The Legacy of 9/11: Four Perspectives."

The event will offer four people's "reflections, memories and personal stories" of how the event has influenced their lives, followed by a moderated discussion. One of the four is scheduled to be Mariah Jacobsen, daughter of Minnesota native Tom Burnett, who was on United Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers rose up against the hijackers.

That night at Ostrander Auditorium, the movie "The Outpost" will be shown. The 2020 film, based on a 2012 book by Jake Tapper, is an R-rated film about the Battle of Kamdesh that received strong reviews from film critics, including the Saturday Evening Post's conclusion it was "one of the most important war films of the past decade." Among the real soldiers portrayed in the film is 1st Lt. Andrew Bunderman of Bovey, Minnesota.

In addition to the public events, high school and even elementary school teachers will be learning strategies later this week on how to educate students about the terrorist attacks and their ongoing repercussions. "September 11, 2001: The Day That Changed the World" is to be offered in two sessions on Aug. 25.

More information about the entire slate of activities can found at:

https://hss.mnsu.edu/news-and-events/news/2022/resolute-mn-stories-of-911—the-war/