Annual memorial event set for morning of Sept. 11 at City College
MSU BILLINGS NEWS – A quarter century after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, thousands of Montanans are too young to remember the day that changed our state and our nation forever.
But thanks to a shared commitment by Montana State University Billings and various community partners to educating others about that day, the tragic event — and its aftermath — have not been forgotten. With a salute to first responders as well as military veterans who answered the call to serve, the public is invited to attend this year's 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony.
The ceremony, held each Sept. 11 at City College at MSU Billings since 2011, is scheduled for this year at 8:30 a.m. just outside the Health Science Building at the City College campus, 3803 Central Ave. The event is free and open to the public and will also feature static displays of emergency response vehicles and a HELP Flight helicopter.
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Rekindling a collaboration with the Exchange Clubs of Billings, the Healing Field display of 1,000 American flags will be on display at City College from Sept. 7-13. The flags are set up to honor 9/11 victims, first responders and servicemen and women.
Guest speakers
Guest speakers this year are Dallas Knight and Justin Jagers.
Dallas Knight is an Army combat veteran, author and nonprofit founder who is a bold, informed voice for change as it relates to female veterans.
Knight's journey spans military service, law enforcement intelligence, corporate technology and national-level advocacy. She enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 17, serving as a Military Police officer and deploying to Iraq in 2003 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. By the age of 20, she was a combat veteran — forever changed by her experiences on the ground and the invisible wounds she brought home. Following her military service, Knight served nearly a decade as an intelligence analyst with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and was appointed to the Nevada High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (NV HIDTA) under the DEA. There, she helped dismantle complex narcotic and organized crime networks, gaining deep insight into the criminal justice system and the strategic gaps within it.
In 2023, she published her memoir, Shattered Reflections: A Female Soldier's Unveiled Truth, offering an unfiltered look at her deployment and her two-decade journey of survival, silence and healing. She also launched the (not so) Average Jane podcast to provide a platform for other female combat veterans to share their own stories and foster community, awareness and resilience.
Moved by the widespread lack of gender-specific resources in the Veterans Affairs system, Knight founded Operation Juliet in 2024, a nonprofit dedicated to the holistic healing and empowerment of female veterans. Through retreats, community gatherings and peer leadership development, the organization offers women a path to reconnect, reset and rise.
Justin Jagers has dedicated more than 30 years to military service, emergency medicine, law enforcement and public safety. He served 14 years in the Navy as a Fleet Marine Force Corpsman, serving alongside Marines and developing a lifelong commitment to service, teamwork and caring for others in demanding environments.
During his military service, Jagers served in Fallujah, Iraq, with 2nd Marine Reconnaissance Battalion in support of Operation Phantom Fury, serving as a Fleet Marine Force Corpsman during combat operations.
He was a nationally registered paramedic for 20 years and served 21 years as an officer with the Billings Police Department. During his law enforcement career, he held a variety of specialized assignments, including service with the SWAT Team and Detective Division, as well as serving as the HIDTA Task Force Commander and Master Firearms Instructor.
Today, Jagers is the manager of the Billings City/County 9-1-1 Communications Center, where he leads the public safety professionals responsible for answering the community's calls for help and coordinating emergency response throughout Billings and Yellowstone County.
"We are honored to recognize the commitment of first responders and servicemen and women at this year's 9/11 Memorial event," said Vern Gagnon, City College dean and emcee of the event. "Whether they are fighting fires, helping people in distress or meeting other emergency needs, first responders in our communities keep us all safe. Their dedication – like that tragically demonstrated in 2001 – is a testament to their courage and commitment."
Montana's 9/11 Memorial
The terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, killed 2,976 people and injured thousands more, mainly at the former World Trade Center, known as "Ground Zero." Today, many first responders are still dealing with adverse health effects from working in toxic conditions. Among the first responders at Ground Zero, 343 members of the New York City Fire Department and New York Fire Patrol perished that day as well as 71 law enforcement officers. Recent reports show that more than 370 New York firefighters have died from illness and cancers related to toxic exposure at the World Trade Center site since 9/11.
Montana's 9/11 Memorial stands as a steadfast, silent witness to the memory of those who lost their lives at the hands of terrorism on that landmark day 24 years ago. It also provides a place of reflection and honor for those who serve others, whether in the armed services, police, fire or emergency response.
The centerpiece of the memorial is a 600-pound piece of steel I-beam recovered from the rubble of the World Trade Center, which collapsed after the attacks. It was formally dedicated on Sept. 11, 2011.
Volunteers from across the community worked together through the spring and summer of 2011 to make the project a reality. City College faculty members developed the idea for the memorial and secured the piece of iron. Representatives from MSU Billings, Exchange Clubs of Billings, the Billings Fire Department and various businesses worked on development of the physical space that is home to the memorial.
Set on a 40-foot-diameter concrete pad, the 4,150-square-foot memorial features benches for personal reflection. At the center is a 12-foot-diameter raised platform on which the I-beam rests. Rising above the I-beam are two 16-foot tube steel towers, a scaled-down visual replica of the World Trade Center towers that fell on Sept. 11, 2001.
The memorial is open to the public. Montana's 9/11 Memorial web page has historic information and other data.
For more information on the annual event, call 406-657-2243.
