It’s 9:11 p.m. A slight breeze flutters through thousands of miniature American flags in the grass. 75 faces, illuminated by the yellow glow of candle light, watch in reverence as excerpts from George W. Bush’s September 11, 2001 address are read to the crowd. After a moment of silence, the lofty notes of a flute and the soft strumming of a guitar accompany 75 voices, singing the National Anthem in unison.

“I felt like I was contributing to something,” Suzanne Brennan, the flutist for the 9/11 vigil,” said.

She said the vigil, which took place in the grass outside D.H. Hill Library, “brought her back” to the attacks of six years ago.

“Even though it was six years ago, it’s still fresh in my memory,” Brennan, a sophomore in biological sciences, said.

Brittany Farrell, the chair of the Committee for a Better University, had the leading role in the organization of the event. She said the College Democrats and College Republicans also helped.

It was she who read the excerpts from Bush’s speech, recounting the “disbelief” and “terrible sadness” of the 9/11 tragedy. As she read, she reminded students of the need to “defend freedom and all that is good and just in the world.”

Farrell, a senior in political science and engineering, said she was pleased with both the turn out and the atmosphere of the vigil — the second of its kind on campus.

“It was really nice to do it with the flags this year,” she said.

The atmosphere was “good for reflection,” according to Emma Wahab, a sophomore in history who attended the vigil.

Also, Wahab said the readings were well-chosen.

“They were very appropriate,” she said. “[They] reminded us of what we were feeling at that time [of the attacks.]”

For Alex Manasa, a freshman in physics, the vigil provoked thoughts of patriotism.

“It made me think about my values as an American,” said Manasa.

Manasa said he came to the vigil when a friend invited him. He said Sept. 11, 2001 will “definitely be remembered.”

“It’s just a day that I try not to forget about,” Teddy Mazzei, a junior in meteorology said.

Mazzei said he expected a larger crowd at the vigil than turned out.

During the short ceremony, Mazzei said it caused him to “flash back to Spanish class” in his freshman year of high school.

“9/11 really reassured everybody how great we should be to be living in the country,” he said.

For Amber Harvey, the tragedy of 2001 hit close to home.

The freshman in textile and apparel management said she used to live on a naval base in Virginia, and her dad is a naval officer.

“[September 11] reminded me how safe we really are,” she said.

Harvey said the memorial of the day should not be forgotten.

“It means a lot. It’s very important we remember this,” she said.