It is hard to believe 25 years have passed since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Idahoans Brady Kay Howell, of Sugar City, and Ronald J. Vauk, of Nampa, were among those killed at the Pentagon that morning. Both are honored at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial. Shining a light on who they were is a key part of reflecting on this solemn anniversary.
The following are descriptions of these two Idahoans included on the Memorial’s website, at tinyurl.com/mr4v5fda.
Brady Kay Howell, 26, was born April 4, 1975, in Rexburg, Idaho. He was a student-body president of Sugar-Salem High School and received his Eagle Scout award. He received a master’s degree in public administration from Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University in New York, while working for the Office of National Security Studies. He received undergraduate degrees in political science from Utah State University in Logan, Utah, and Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho. Brady’s intellect, character and integrity resulted in his selection to the presidential management internship program in Washington. Upon graduation, he managed to secure a very competitive position with the Chief of Naval Operations.
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Ronald James Vauk earned an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating with a commission and a Bachelor of Science degree in political science in 1987. After nuclear power school training, Ron served on the submarines USS Glenard P. Lipscomb and the USS Oklahoma City, attaining the rank of lieutenant commander. He left active duty for the Navy Reserve in 1993. He was serving the second day of his annual reserve duty at the Pentagon when the terrorists’ plane hit. Ron worked for several years as a project manager at Delex Systems and RSIS Inc. before joining the submarine technology department of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory outside Columbia, Maryland. While there, he earned a master’s degree in business from the University of Maryland and rose quickly to become an assistant group supervisor and task leader for a number of diverse projects…