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JACKSONVILLE, Alabama — The nation commemorated 25 years since the September 11 attacks, which claimed nearly 3,000 lives, including several from Alabama, among them Army Maj. Dwayne Williams.
Maj. Williams, a Jacksonville native, was working as a joint officer distribution manager at the Pentagon when it was struck by a hijacked plane. He was one of 184 people who died there.
At his memorial, flowers and coins were left as part of a silent tradition to honor the sacrifice of fallen soldiers. A ceremony held in his memory celebrated his life and the impact he continues to have.
Army Major Dwayne Williams, died Sept. 11, 2001, at the Pentagon. (Provided)“It makes me realize that my brother was special not only to me and my family, but to teammates, to people I don’t even know from all over this world,” said Roy Williams, Maj. Williams’ brother.
Roy shared that this year marked a personal milestone for him.
“I had my tough moment at 3:00 this morning when I woke up. Vivid memories of what happened on 9/11, and I cried,” he said. “I’m more at peace this year because I adopted a new mantra of taking the day back and celebrating how Dwayne lived, instead of how Dwayne died.”
The ceremony included music and memories of Major Williams, with heartfelt tributes from those who knew him.
“Dwayne was slow to speak, but quick with a smile. The consensus was he didn’t say a lot, but his words carried a lot of weight. It was also unanimous that Dwayne was absolutely the coolest dude to ever walk the campus of the University of North Alabama,” said Chris Yeager, Mountain Brook High School football coach and former teammate of Major Williams at UNA.
Yeager reflected on how his time with Major Williams continues to influence him decades later.
“He was a hero to me,” Yeager said. “Through the years, it’s not just sharing the memories about Dwayne, it’s sharing the lessons that I learned from him that are generational. They’ll be passed on to these young men. Dwayne has indirectly influenced the life of every player that I’ve ever coached, because I’ve told his story.”
Roy Williams is also committed to sharing his brother’s story, often with younger generations who were not alive during the attacks.
“You have to remember that 25 years ago, high school students and the vast majority of college students, except for those older adults, were not even born when 9/11 happened. They’ve all read about it in textbooks or seen it on TV. My goal is to bring those pages to life and let them know that the freedoms that we have today were bought with the blood, sweat and tears of people like my brother, Army Major Dwayne Williams,” Roy said.
On this 25th anniversary, Roy announced the establishment of the Take the Day Back Williams Legacy Foundation, which will support families of veterans who have lost their lives.
His legacy remains alive. There are two books in his honor, two buildings named after Williams at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina and Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. There are scholarships in his name at Jacksonville State University and the University of North Alabama.
