Rising From the Rubble

Rising From the Rubble: Reflections on 9/11 and the Need to Remember

“Where were you on 9/11?” A question that has resounded throughout society over the past two decades is quickly becoming more and more obsolete. As the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, drastically changed the American way of life and its tragic legacy continues to endure, the rising generation has only ever known a post-9/11 America. They did not witness that fateful day in real time, and the collective memory is beginning to fade.

Join the Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University for a conversation about what happened on that day in September 2001 and how America’s response changed the lives of millions of Americans and others around the world. With backgrounds in military and intelligence, Dr. David Murphy and Dr. Tom Copeland will unpack 9/11, its aftermath, and the need to remember.

CCU Undergraduate students are encouraged to also attend the documentary screening on Tuesday, September 10. For more information, please check CCU Connect.

free event, registration Required

Event Speakers

Dr. David Murphy

Dean of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Dr. David Murphy joined the CCU team in 2021, after retiring in 2014 after 25 years of Air Force (AF) service and then completing his Ph.D. in Leadership Philosophy from Dallas Baptist University in 2019.

Murphy hails from Whittier, California. He received his commission and bachelor of science from the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) in 1990. After earning his pilot wings at Sheppard Air Force Base (AFB), Texas, he had multiple assignments worldwide flying the F-16. He is a command pilot with over 2,300 flying hours, including 274 in combat, and served as an F-16 flight lead, instructor pilot, and flight examiner.

In 2003, Colonel Murphy joined the USAFA Air Officer Commander training program and attended the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. After earning a second master’s degree, he served two years on the USAFA faculty. Murphy then served as the Mission Support Group Deputy Commander at Andrews AFB, Maryland before attending the U.S. Army War College (USAWC) in 2012. At the USAWC, he was Seminar Chair of the Advanced Strategic Arts Program. He concluded his career as the 782nd Training Group Commander at Sheppard AFB with oversight of the AF’s most diverse training and educational group.

Dr. Tom Copeland

Dr. Tom Copeland serves as Director of Research, coordinating and advancing the research objectives of the Centennial Institute. He writes and edits op-eds, articles, and white papers, in coordination with our Policy Fellows and Faculty Fellows, and provides testimony on legislation in Colorado.

Dr. Copeland was previously a professor at CCU, teaching a wide range of courses in public policy, national security, international relations, terrorism, and American government. Dr. Copeland formerly served as Chief of Staff in the Government Services Division of LexisNexis, working with the FBI, DEA, INS, SEC, DOJ, and TSA. He was Director of Admissions at The Institute of World Politics and spent three summers at the Office of Naval Research.

Dr. Copeland previously taught at Biola University and at Geneva College. He is the editor of Drawing a Line in the Sea: The 2010 Gaza Flotilla Incident and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (Lexington Books, 2011); author of Fool Me Twice: Intelligence Failure and Mass Casualty Terrorism (Brill/Martinus Nijhoff, 2007); and editor and author of other books articles. He received his Ph.D. in Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh.