A special exhibit at the Central Coast Veterans Memorial Museum in San Luis Obispo is giving the community a chance to remember and reflect on the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, 25 years later.
The free exhibit, titled “On 9/11, I Remember…,” was on display Friday, walking visitors step-by-step through events surrounding the attacks, using a series of photos and corresponding captions.
Dana Burbank, a special education teacher in Templeton, was 18-years-old when the attacks happened. She said the experience inspired her to join the U.S. Army, and she went on to serve in Iraq in 2005. On Friday, she visited the exhibit with her adult transitional class.
“I remember watching it happen on the news. I remember watching that second tower get hit in real time, and it go down. As a young person, it really shook me, just that feeling of vulnerability,” Burbank said.
Burbank said the visit was a meaningful opportunity for her students.
“We thought it was important to talk about it and come and show the clients what it’s all about and what happened,” Burbank said.
The exhibit was curated by museum volunteer Steve David, who said he was inspired in part by retired Navy officer John Krause.
David said he and Krause served together in 1980 during the Iran Hostage Crisis. Krause later rose through the enlisted ranks, earned his commission, and became the senior presidential communications advisor to both President Clinton and President Bush. He was at the White House on September 11, 2001.
David said he was moved by the reflections Krause shared when he spoke at the museum’s 2025 Veterans Day ceremony.
“So because of his service and that of the others and the loss of 2,977 individuals on that day, I felt it was important that we do need to recognize the 25th anniversary,” David said.
Museum President and Director Bart Topham said the exhibit aims to promote remembrance, reflection, and education.
“There’s a lot of people that have been born since then that don’t really know much about what happened and why, and others that maybe have forgotten a lot,” Topham said.
Topham said he also hopes the display serves as a reminder of the veterans and military families whose lives were shaped by the consequences of that day.
“I think that every American needs to think about that and be grateful for what was done for them, and to remember and appreciate the people that did it,” Topham said.
Museum officials say the exhibit will be on display for at least the next few days. The Central Coast Veterans Memorial Museum is located at 801 Grand Avenue in San Luis Obispo.