BY STEVEN STEIFEL
FOR THE LAFAYETTE SUN
EAST ALABAMA — Opelika will host the 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit this fall, marking the first time the national traveling memorial has visited Alabama. The exhibit will arrive Sept. 10 with a full police escort and will remain at the Southern Union State Community College campus through Sept. 16.
James Doody, LaFayette fire chief and EMS director who lives in Opelika, shared the news during the Lee County Board of Education’s June 10 meeting. Originally from New York, Doody has a personal connection to the Sept. 11 attacks and previously served for 13 years as fire chief at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, working alongside the U.S. Army.
“The educational opportunity this has created for our region is top-notch,” Doody told the board.
He worked with the nonprofit Tunnel to Towers Foundation to bring the exhibit to Alabama. The organization, founded in honor of fallen firefighter Stephen Siller, provides mortgage-free homes to Gold Star families and severely wounded veterans. A local recipient was Auburn Police Officer William Buechner, who was killed in the line of duty in 2019.
“I reached out and gave them our story, and they agreed to bring the exhibit to us,” Doody said. “It’s never been in Alabama before, so we’re the first.”
The 83-foot trailer expands into a 1,100-square-foot walk-through museum filled with memorabilia from the 9/11 attacks. The exhibit includes presentations from high-ranking first responders who served at Ground Zero. Curriculum materials will also be available for visiting students.
This year marks the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four commercial airplanes. Two planes struck the World Trade Center in New York, another hit the Pentagon and the fourth crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers intervened. The attacks killed 2,977 people and triggered a global U.S.-led war on terrorism.
The Fire Department of New York lost 343 of its members that day. Survivors provide first-hand accounts of the day and its aftermath. The exhibit includes audio recordings of first responder radio transmissions and artifacts such as pieces of World Trade Center steel and items recovered from the rubble after the Twin Towers collapsed. The exhibit has visited 38 states and been toured by 650,000-plus visitors.
The exhibit will open to the public on Sept. 11, 13 and 14 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. School groups will have exclusive access on Sept. 12, 15 and 16. Doody said middle school students are the primary target audience for the educational programming.
“We’ve raised about $40,000 to make this happen,” he said. “I didn’t want to ask the schools for anything except help with transportation. [Superintendent Mike] Howard has already committed to providing buses.”
Doody emphasized the importance of bringing the experience to students who may never have the chance to visit the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City.
“If they can’t go see the museum, we’re bringing the museum to them,” he said.
Doody said Auburn University’s Department of History is participating in the project. They noted that many students today weren’t yet born when the attacks occurred.
“I thanked them for making me feel old,” he joked. “But that’s exactly why this exhibit matters.”
Doody said Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller has expressed his full support for the effort.
“This is going to be memorable,” Doody said. “We’ve been working on this for over a year, and now we’re just three months away.”
To learn more, visit http://t2t.org.
