DALLAS TOWNSHIP -- To mark the 16th year since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Misericordia University students took turns carrying an American flag across campus.
Many of the students who carried the flag were toddlers when the attacks happened, like Misericordia freshman Michael Raineri. He was just three years old in 2001.
"(I don't remember) much, but my mom and my family is originally from New York and all of my family lives in New York and I just remember my mom being very upset," Raineri said.
Misericordia faculty say a lot of their students, like Raineri, are from New York and New Jersey.
"They have family members or they're familiar, but they don't actually have any memories of that day but they're still so willing to participate and honor the lives lost," Misericordia Community Outreach Coordinator Lindsey Riddell said.
For seven straight hours, several groups of students spent 15 minutes each carrying the flag across campus. About 500 students participated in all.
"The response was immediate," Riddell said. "They actually were more prepared for it than I was. They want to be involved and they want to help remember."
For Raineri, carrying the flag is his way to remember the importance of 9/11 and the impact it had on his friends and family.
"Family is everything to me and I think that in order for me to pay my respects to those who lost their life, this is the most I can do," Raineri said.
The students who carried the flag across campus were all members of various Misericordia University sports teams and organizations. They say they were doing their best to send the message that even those who don't remember 9/11 won't forget it.