Fort McCoy Prayer Breakfast speaker reflects on service, leadership, 25 years of remembering 9/11
Twenty-five years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Fort McCoy community gathered Sept. 11, 2026, for a Prayer Breakfast that connected remembrance of that day with the enduring values of service, sacrifice, faith and leadership.
Hosted by the Fort McCoy Religious Support Office in Building 905, the breakfast brought together military members, civilian employees, retirees, veterans and leaders for prayer, reflection and fellowship.
The 2026 Prayer Breakfast fell on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, giving special meaning to the morning's theme of remembrance. The attacks killed 2,977 people at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
Guest speaker Thomas “Tom” Thibodeau, Distinguished Professor of Servant Leadership at Viterbo University, opened his remarks by calling prayer “a school of love” and reminding those gathered that human beings are blessed with “blood, memory and hope.”
“Today is a day of sacred remembrance,” Thibodeau said.
He then asked the audience to consider a simple question:
“Where were you? Who told you? Who were you with? How did you feel on 9-11-2001?”
Thibodeau said he had been asking people those questions in the weeks leading to the anniversary and consistently saw people become solemn, reflective and quiet as they recalled their experiences.
“The Jewish Talmud teaches us that when in pain, we cry out, we sing, and we become silent,” he said.
Thibodeau asked the audience to observe a minute of silence to remember those whose lives were affected by the attacks, as well as those who responded by serving others.
He described the anniversary as a moment when Americans remember both loss and love, sorrow and sacrifice, confusion and compassion, hurt and heroism.
“Paradoxically, 9-11 was 25 years ago, and at the same time feels like only yesterday,” he said.
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum likewise marked the 25th anniversary in 2026 with a national emphasis on remembrance, reflection and ensuring that younger generations understand the significance and legacy of the attacks. The Memorial's anniversary observance included the reading of victims' names and moments of silence corresponding to key moments of the attacks.
Remembering those who serve
Thibodeau’s remarks then moved from remembering 9/11 to a broader discussion of the importance of service.
“All of our lives are predicated on the service of other people,” he said.
He shared stories about his father, who left the University of Wisconsin in 1941 to join the Army Air Corps and served during World War II in the Aleutian Islands, and his father-in-law, a Wisconsin native who joined the Navy as a teenager and was at Pearl Harbor.
Thibodeau said the service of those who came before him helped make his own life possible. “All of those people have gone before us whose service, love made visible, have made our lives possible,” he said.
He extended that message to the Soldiers and other members of the Fort McCoy community and the Retiree Appreciation Day event attending breakfast.
“You have made so many other people's lives and dreams possible because of your commitment and dedication,” Thibodeau said. “Good work, hard work, noble work, sacred work, thank you for doing it so well.”
He also recognized the families who support military service, emphasizing that when a service member deploys, the family serves alongside them.
“We send a Soldier, we send a family,” he said.
Leadership lessons from 9/11
A central part of Thibodeau's presentation focused on what he described as four leadership lessons that emerged from the experiences of people leading businesses and organizations in the aftermath of the attacks.
The first, he said, was to stay calm and be a non-anxious presence.
“Leadership sets a tone,” Thibodeau said.
He pointed to the response of leaders during the uncertainty of Sept. 11, explaining that people in positions of responsibility had to remain composed while absorbing information and making decisions.
He connected that lesson to emergency responders, saying those who arrived at crisis scenes relied on their training, developed inner strength and placed others ahead of themselves.
“That’s the goal of a leader,” he said.
Thibodeau’s second leadership lesson was to tell the truth.
“You can’t tell people what they want to hear,” he said. “You have to sit down and tell them the truth.”
He described truthfulness as a foundation of trust, respect and unity.
“If you tell the truth, people will trust you. If they trust you, they will respect you. If they respect you, we will come together,” he said.
Thibodeau then directly addressed the military members in the room.
“It is my privilege to stand in your presence because you who serve in the United States military are one of the most trusted institutions we have left in this country,” he said.
He said military members also have an important role as witnesses to history, particularly as generations who have no personal memory of Sept. 11 become increasingly numerous.
“You are witnesses to the truth,” he said. “You are witnesses because of your service and your dedication.”
A morning of prayer and remembrance
The program reflected the broad Fort McCoy community supported by the Religious Support Office.
Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Walter McCall, Fort McCoy Garrison chaplain, welcomed attendees, while Capt. Benjamin Hockman of the 181st Infantry Brigade delivered the invocation. Michelle Jones, Fort McCoy chapel pianist, performed “America, the Beautiful.”
Prayers were offered for Soldiers and Department of War civilians, retirees, and veterans, and the nation’s leaders.
Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Raymond Leach of the 88th Readiness Division offered prayer for Soldiers and civilians; Maj. Garin Forsberg of the 86th Training Division prayed for retirees and veterans; and Chaplain (Maj.) Jeremie Vore of the 181st Infantry Brigade prayed for leaders and the nation.
Staff Sgt. Conor Techentien, garrison Religious Support Office noncommissioned officer in charge, introduced Thibodeau.
The breakfast concluded with remarks from Col. Sarah Fraticelli, Fort McCoy garrison commander, bringing together the morning's themes of faith, service and leadership. For Thibodeau, however, the central message remained simple: remember.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum has emphasized that 2026 represents an important transition in remembrance because millions of Americans were born after the attacks and have no firsthand memory of that day. Its 25th-anniversary programming focuses not only on those who were lost, but also on the courage, compassion, unity and service that followed.
At Fort McCoy, the Prayer Breakfast provided another opportunity to carry that remembrance forward — from one generation to the next — while recognizing the people who continue to serve others today.
“Remember. Remember. Remember,” Thibodeau told the audience.
And on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, those words served as both the beginning and the heart of the morning’s message.
Fort McCoy’s motto beginning in 2026 is “Training the Total Force and Shaping the Future since 1909.” The installation’s mission: “Fort McCoy strengthens Total Force Readiness by serving as a training center, Mobilization Force Generation Installation, and Strategic Support Area enabling warfighter lethality to deploy, fight, and win our nation’s wars.”
And Fort McCoy’s vision is, “To be the premier training center supporting the most capable, combat-ready, and lethal armed forces.” Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin. The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online athttps://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.” Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base.
Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
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