Public safety is not about being fearless. It’s about being willing to act despite fear.
Josiah Brown learned about the deadly terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, at the feet of his father, a battalion chief for the Milwaukee Fire Department.
“He and my uncle, who was also a firefighter, told me all about it,” said Brown, born nine years after the horrific events shattered and shocked the nation. “They explained to me what happened. They also helped me understand what firefighters, police officers and emergency personnel did that day and why it was important.”
Brown never forgot those talks and has continued the family legacy of service. He entered the Milwaukee Fire Department cadet program after graduating from Ronald Reagan High School in 2025 and now is in the Paramedic Technician program at Milwaukee Area Technical College.
On Friday, September 11, 2026 — the 25th anniversary of the attacks — Brown served as the student host at a 9/11 commemoration ceremony held at MATC’s Oak Creek Campus.
For the third year in a row, the college remembered the day terrorists hijacked planes and crashed them into the north and south towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, in Virginia, and honored the 2,977 people who died in the attacks. More than 340 of them were first responders who charged into the rubble, smoke, dust and confusion to save lives.
This year the college dedicated a new 9/11 memorial near the campus patio: a serviceberry tree and a bronze plaque mounted on a large granite stone.
“Today is about more than remembering a date. It’s about remembering people,” said Robert Botsch, chief of the Village of Mount Pleasant Police Department and an instructor at MATC, who delivered the event’s keynote address. “It’s about remembering the police officers, firefighters, emergency medical service personnel, dispatchers, military personnel and ordinary citizens who responded when our country needed them.”
Those first responders ran into buildings that everyone else was trying to get out of, Botsch said. “Many never came home,” he said. “They didn't know exactly what they were facing. They didn’t have a perfect plan. They didn’t have all the answers. But they had a responsibility, and they acted. That is the legacy we should remember.”
Justin Klis, associate dean of the Protective Services programs in the Community and Human Services Academic and Career Pathway, co-hosted the event along with Brown.
“Twenty-five years ago, on an ordinary morning, the world changed,” Klis said. “We are here to honor the lives taken, the bravery of first responders and the enduring spirit of resilience and unity that emerged from that tragic day.”
In the warm sunlight of a near-perfect September afternoon, a fire engine used by MATC for training flew a large American flag from its extended ladder. Red, white and blue placards bearing the names of the firefighters, police officers and emergency medical personnel killed in the attacks graced the grass near the campus’s patio.
Dr. Michael West, vice president of strategic initiatives and external affairs at MATC, welcomed guests to the ceremony. What happened on Sept. 11, 2001, was unthinkable, unimaginable and unbelievable, Dr. West said.
“We saw America attacked on its home soil,” Dr. West said. “We also saw the absolute best of humanity. Countless lives were saved that day thanks to the efforts of so many people.”
The flag colors were presented by the Oak Creek Fire Department Honor Guard and Bryanna Hatch sang the national anthem. George Papachristou, chaplain to the Big Bend police and fire departments as well as the Milwaukee Police Department, gave an invocation, urging the audience to always remember the healing power of community and cherish each moment of their lives.
With Papachristou’s words lingering in the air, Dr. John Bragle played “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes as students in MATC’s Protective Services programs — Fire Service, Criminal Justice Studies and Emergency Medical Services — stood at attention.
MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz dedicated the new memorial. The tree and the plaque were a Bright Ideas Initiative winner developed by Dr. Patrica Najera, who served as executive director of the Oak Creek Campus before retiring this summer. The Bright Ideas Initiative gives employees a direct voice in identifying innovative ways of doing things at the college.
The inscription on the plaque reads:
“Life goes on, but memory remains. Dedicated to those we lost on 9/11. This tree stands as a living tribute to the lives lost and the heroes who rose to serve. Never Forget.”
Dr. Cruz said he hoped the tree and the plaque would remind visitors of the sacrifices made that terrible day and inspire students.
“I look out and see our MATC students who are our future police officers, firefighters, emergency medical service professionals who will come to our rescue in times of trouble and who are stepping up to wear the uniform knowing all the risks that it carries,” he said.
Botsch urged the students to never stop learning, to build relationships with their fellow first responders and to always remember why they chose their career path.
“Someday there will be a moment when someone needs you. Maybe a house fire, maybe a medical emergency or a crime. Maybe a child needs help. Or maybe it will be something we don’t even predict today,” Botsch said. “You won’t have the answers. You won’t have perfect plans. You might be afraid. But you have a responsibility and a duty. Public safety is not about being fearless. It’s about being willing to act despite fear.”
Brown, for one, is ready to serve. His uncle, the one who told him about the September 11 attacks when he was young, died from cancer two years ago. “But he could tell that I cared about people,” Brown said. “He could tell probably better than anyone else that I was ready to protect and serve. That’s why I’m here today.”
See coverage of:
2025 9/11 Commemoration Event|
2024 9/11 Commemoration Event
About MATC: As Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 35,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 45 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.