FireWatch Magazine September 2023 - Volume 1, Issue 9

FIRE WATCH MAGAZINE

PATRIOT’S DAY and PATRIOT DAY, the Meanings

PATRIOT’S DAY

Patriot’s Day commemorates the battles of Lexington and Concord, which were fought near Boston, Mass. in 1775. Patriot’s Day is a state holiday, not Federal, and is held on the third Monday of April in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Florida.

PATRIOT DAY

Patriot Day is a United States national observance that honors the memory of those who were killed in the September 11 attacks. It was first observed in 2002 after a proclamation by President George W. Bush on December 18, 2001.

Tampa Bay Veterans need a voice and an outlet they can turn to for local information, resources, news, and events. FIREWATCH Magazine is that voice.

FIREWATCH Magazine is the only local, full-color magazine with direct mail and street distribution focused on, and distributed to veterans of all military branches.

Reach 20,000+ Veterans per month

HILLSBOROUGH | PASCO | PINELLAS

MANAGING EDITOR

Toni Hedstrom

Editor@FIREWATCHmagazine.com

813-489-4792

AD MANAGER

Ads@FIREWATCHmagazine.com

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Stefanie Burlingame

FIREWATCH MAGAZINE

108 NW 10th Ave. Williston, FL 32696

813- 489-4912

www.FIREWATCHmagazine.com

Call to request a FIREWATCH Magazine Media Kit

Copyright 2023 Eagle Island Publishing, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of, or use without written permission of the publisher, of editorial, pictorial, or design content in any manner is prohibited in the United States. Subscription rates in the Continental U.S. one year $48; Alaska and Hawaii $50; Canada and U.S. Possessions $60. Oversees $65. Single-Issue Newsstand $9.95. Back Issue $8 plus postage when available. Editorial, Advertising, and Business Offices (813) 220-1657. Periodicals postage paid at Tampa Florida and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 101 NW 10th Ave., Williston, FL 32696.

© 2023 Eagle Island Publishing, LLC All Rights Reserved

The American Legion was chartered and incorporated by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization devoted to mutual helpfulness.

If you have served at least one day of active military duty since December 7, 1941 and were honorably discharged or you are still serving active military duty honorably, you are eligible for membership with The American Legion.

The Auxiliary and The Sons provide an opportunity for children, grandchildren and spouse of veterans to honor their family members that served our country, and keep their legacy alive for years to come.

SERVICES AND PROGRAMS:

BENEFITS CENTER

CAREER CENTER

EDUCATION CENTER

HEALTH CENTER

TROOP AND FAMILY SUPPORT

USAA FINANCIAL CENTER

WOMEN VETERANS

BASEBALL

BOY STATE/NATION

NATIONAL EMERGENCY FUND

OPERATION COMFORT WARRIORS

ORATORICAL CONTEST

SCHOLARSHIPS

MEMBER DISCOUNTS

E-NEWSLETTER

PUBLICATIONS

We chose FireWatch for our magazine title because, in the military, to stand fire watch duty is to patrol the barracks at night and sound the alarm before the barracks burn down around sleeping soldiers.

I admit, #TeamFireWatch is not patrolling your barracks or lurking outside your windows to sound an alarm, but we are telling the stories that would typically go undetected. We are telling impactful stories from everyday veterans, family members, and military supporters who are in the thick of it—“it” being hard-ass life— every day.

Sure, there is a ton of military-focused content out there, mostly about conflict history, military history, and guns, and we love them all. At FireWatch, we want to dive into a different, deeper water and talk to the everyday veteran about their history, successes, challenges, and experiences. By listening to and documenting what the veteran at the corner store has to say, we will find connection.

Our content does not follow a specific emotion. FireWatch stories are sometimes funny, sometimes insightful, and occasionally graphic.

In this edition of FireWatch Magazine, we remember Sept. 11, 2001. The emotions that remembering brings forward will differ for each of us. I believe our readers can agree on one thing for certain: WE WILL NEVER FORGET.

Sincerely,

Toni Hedstrom

Firewatch Content Editor Eagle Island Publishing, LLC

REMEMBERING THE 2977 VICTIMS OF 9/11

VETERANS ADVENTURE NETWORK PARTNERS WITH LEARN AND SERVE TAMPA TO CREATE A 9/11 MEMORIAL TO HONOR THOSE WHO DIED ON SEPT. 11, 2001.

On Sept. 10, 2023, many will gather at Fowler Field Complex in Tampa to place commemorative placards for each victim of 9/11. Each placard will represent the loss of one person, and together, the 2977 placards will reveal an American flag more than 189 feet in length.

Collecting the data to prepare the placards has been a labor of love for Kristi Verdi, founder of the local non-profit organization, Learn and Serve Tampa. Verdi’s vision for this incredible monument began when a student in her class shared concern that some kids didn’t know about 9/11 (we invite you to read Verdi’s article on page 40).

From that moment, Verdi began planning, researching, and working with students to collect the names, titles, and locations of death for every victim of 9/11. Over the years, Verdi and her students have displayed the impressive monument at local schools in the Tampa area. Prior versions of the memorial were constructed with paper, stickers, and love by the hands of local students. As we approach the 22nd anniversary of 9/11, Verdi found the monument needing repair after years of being displayed, moved, and stored.

“The project’s purpose was to allow students to create the placards, research those lost, and create biographies for the fallen,” explains Verdi. “We didn’t want to have pre-printed placards because we wanted the students to be able to touch and create the placards themselves.”

The Learn and Serve Tampa 9/11 Memorial Project continues each year. The last version of the monument has been adopted by Tinker Elementary School on MacDill Air Force Base. When VAN approached Verdi to create a new memorial, the ability to share the beauty of the monument and the incredible impact it can have on students in the future swayed her.

The cost is substantial to create 2977 placards, each with different printing. When VAN shared the project idea with Toyota of Tampa Bay, they worked quickly to find resources to make it happen. Within days, Toyota of Tampa Bay marketing manager Aimy Bradley teamed up with American Visual Brands, who agreed to provide the 2977 printed placards for free.

Through the efforts of Learn and Serve Tampa, Veterans Adventure Network, Toyota of Tampa Bay, and American Visual Brands, there will now be a monument for the ages. Preparing the memorial is one thing; placing the 2977 placards is another feat entirely. On Sept. 10, 2023, the community will gather volunteers from local American Legion Posts, VFW Posts, Boy Scouts, students, and citizens to place the placards respectfully in Fowler Field.

We invite you to visit the monument in place from Sunday, Sept. 10, through Tuesday, Sept. 12, at Fowler Field Complex in Tampa.

9/11 Remembrance Event

A dedicated marker will be placed for each of the 2977 victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks

OPENING DEDICATION

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2023 • 1:00 P.M.

USF ALUMNI DRIVE @ BULL RUN DRIVE

PLACEMENT VOLUNTEER ARRIVAL

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2023 • 9:00 A.M.

Special Thanks to Toyota of Tampa Bay and American Visual Brands for the display reproduction

This memorial, originally designed by Randall Middle School students, and carried on by Franklin Boys Preparatory Academy, will be set up Sunday morning, Sept. 10, 2023, by volunteers organized through Learn and Serve Tampa, Inc., The Veterans Adventure Network (VAN), American Legion Post 108, and VFW Post 4412. If interested in assisting with placard placement, please email Toni.Hedstrom@VeteransAdventureNetwork.org.

Please join us for the Opening Dedication

Ceremony at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023.

The display will remain up until Tuesday morning, Sept. 12, 2023.

NEVER

71 Law Enforcement

David Marc Sullins

Michael Robert Horrocks

Thomas F. McGuinness, Jr.

Jeff Lyal Simpson

Carlos R. Lillo

Ricardo J. Quinn

Mychal F. Judge

Donald J. Burns

Gerard A. Barbara

William M. Feehan

Peter J. Ganci, Jr.

Ronald Paul Bucca

Matthew Lancelot Ryan

Paul Thomas Mitchell

John M. Paolillo

Frederick Claude Scheffold, Jr.

Richard Prunty

William McGovern

Faustino Apostol, Jr.

Charles Joseph Margiotta

Thomas O’Hagan

Geoffrey E. Guja

Anthony Jovic

Joseph Grzelak

Michael Leopoldo Bocchino

John Michael Moran

Lawrence T. Stack

Dennis Cross

Joseph Ross Marchbanks, Jr.

John P. Williamson

Orio J. Palmer

Philip Scott Petti

Stephen G. Harrell

Thomas Patrick DeAngelis

Thomas McCann

Dennis Lawrence Devlin

Edward F. Geraghty

Alan D. Feinberg

Carl Asaro

Charles William Garbarini

Joseph D. Farrelly

Thomas Moody

Timothy M. Stackpole

Martin J. Egan, Jr.

William O’Keefe

Thomas Theodore Haskell, Jr.

Michael T. Weinberg

Andrew Desperito

Jeffrey James Olsen

Paul J. Pansini

Gregg Arthur Atlas

Christopher Pickford

Gregory Joseph Buck

John Albert Schardt

Paul Richard Martini

Robert Francis Wallace

Karl Henry Joseph

Kevin O. Reilly

Shawn Edward Powell

FORGET

125 Military Personnel

William Francis Burke, Jr.

Steven Coakley

John Joseph Florio

Kenneth Thomas Watson

Michael Edward Roberts

Carl John Bedigian

Daniel Suhr

Neil Joseph Leavy

Philip T. Hayes

Kenneth Phelan

John Chipura

Martin E. McWilliams

Michael J. Elferis

Thomas Anthony Casoria

Vincent D. Kane

Brian McAleese

David Paul De Rubbio

Stanley S. Smagala, Jr.

Hector Luis Tirado, Jr.

James Nicholas Pappageorge

Mark P. Whitford

Robert McPadden

Edward James White III

Eugene Whelan

Frank Bonomo

Jeffrey Stark

Michael Scott Carlo

Brian G. Ahearn

Francis Esposito

Lawrence G. Veling

Lee S. Fehling

Nicholas Paul Chiofalo

Steven Bates

Anthony Rodriguez

Glenn E. Wilkenson

Ronnie Lee Henderson

Thomas Farino

Dana R Hannon

Raymond R. York

Michael Ragusa

James J. Corrigan

David Arce

Keithroy Marcellus Maynard

Michael Boyle

Robert Evans

Kevin Pfeifer

John Giordano

Calixto Anaya, Jr.

James C. Riches

Paul A. Tegtmeier

Thomas G. Schoales

Bruce Gary

Kevin Bracken

Michael D. D’Auria

Steven Mercado

John F. Ginley

Manuel Del Valle, Jr.

Robert W. Spear, Jr.

Christopher Santora

Jose Guadalupe

Leonard J. Ragaglia

Paul John Gill

Christopher Mozzillo

Robert Lane

Stephen P. Russell

Peter L. Freund

Robert B. Nagel

Paul Beyer

Thomas Holohan

William R. Johnston

Ruben D. Correa

Robert Parro

Dennis M. Carey

John A. Crisci

John Joseph Fanning

Dennis Scauso

Jonathan R. Hohmann

Kevin Joseph Smith

Martin N. DeMeo

Thomas Gardner

Sean Patrick Tallon

Brian Cannizzaro

Joseph Maffeo

Patrick Byrne

Salvatore B. Calabro

Terence A. McShane

Thomas J. Kennedy

Joseph Gullickson

Vincent Brunton

Dennis O’Berg

Frank Anthony Palombo

Henry Alfred Miller, Jr.

Thomas Richard Kelly

Edward James Day

John F. Heffernan

NEVER

343 Fire Fighters 8 EMT’s & Paramedics

Matthew Rogan

Michael F. Cammarata

Richard John Kelly, Jr.

Robert King, Jr.

Michael Quilty

Christopher P. Sullivan

Joseph Agnello

Leon Smith, Jr.

Peter Anthony Vega

Scott Matthew Davidson

Vernon Paul Cherry

Robert M. Regan

Angel L. Juarbe, Jr.

Michael D. Mullan

Walter G. Hynes

Dennis McHugh

Gregory Stajk

Thomas E. Sabella

Thomas Hetzel

Christian Michael Otto Regenhard

John T. Vigiano II

Andrew Jordan

Michael Kiefer

Sergio Villanueva

Thomas Mingione

Michael Joseph Cawley

Douglas E. Oelschlager

Eric T. Olsen

Richard Lanard Allen

Robert Curatolo

Scott Kopytko

Scott Larsen

Thomas W. Kelly

Joseph Gerard Leavey

Raymond E. Murphy

William X. Wren

Carl Molinaro

Daniel Edward Harlin

Denis P. Germain

Dennis Michael Mulligan

Frederick Ill, Jr.

George DiPasquale

Michael J. Clarke

John R. Fischer

David Laforge

James Michael Gray

John Patrick Burnside

Robert D. McMahon

Robert Thomas Linnane

Sean S. Hanley

Benjamin Suarez

Gerald T. Atwood

Gerard Duffy

Joseph Henry

Keith Glascoe

William E. Krukowski

Daniel J. Brethel

Stephen Elliot Belson

John Michael Collins

Joseph Rivelli

Kenneth Kumpel

Matthew Barnes

Paul G. Ruback

Robert Minara

Glenn C. Perry

John Marshall

Patrick J. Brown

Gerard Dewan

James Raymond Coyle

Jeffrey John Giordano

John Kevin McAvoy

Joseph J. Ogren

Joseph Maloney

Kevin W. Donnelly

Michael Carroll

Steven John Olson

Timothy Patrick McSweeney

Frank Callahan

FORGET

James Andrew Giberson

Michael E. Roberts

Michael Otten

Vincent S. Morello

Joseph Spor, Jr.

David Terence Wooley

John James Tipping II

Joseph Angelini, Jr.

Michael F. Lynch

Michael Haub

Peter Brennan

Samuel Oitice

Daniel O’Callaghan

Peter Alexander Bielfeld

Andrew Brunn

Gregory Thomas Saucedo

John A. Santore

Louis Arena

Paul Hanlon Keating

Thomas Hannafin

Michael Warchola

Vincent Francis Giammona

Vernon Allan Richard

Charles Mendez

George Cain

Richard Muldowney Jr

Robert Joseph Foti

Vincent Princiotta

Vincent Gerard Halloran

Gerard Baptiste

Jeffrey P. Walz

John P. Tierney

Peter C. Martin

Terence S. Hatton

Brian Edward Sweeney

David M. Weiss

Gary Geidel

Gerard Terence Nevins

Joseph Angelini, Sr.

Kenneth Joseph Marino

Michael Montesi

Patrick J. O’Keefe

William Henry

Dennis Mojica

Daniel F. Libretti

Edward Rall

John Napolitano

Kevin O’Rourke

Lincoln Quappe

William David Lake

Christopher Joseph Blackwell

Donald J. Regan

Gerard Patrick Schrang

Raymond Meisenheimer

Thomas Foley

Thomas Gambino, Jr.

Brian Hickey

Durrell V. Pearsall

Kevin Dowdell

Peter Allen Nelson

Terrence Patrick Farrell

William J. Mahoney

Louis Joseph Modafferi

Allan Tarasiewicz

Andre G. Fletcher

Carl Vincent Bini

Douglas Charles Miller

Jeffrey Matthew Palazzo

John P. Bergin

Michael Curtis Fiore

Nicholas P. Rossomando

Harvey Harrell

Charles L. Kasper

Patrick J. Waters

Raymond Mathew Downey

Michael Thomas Russo, Sr.

Timothy Higgins

James M. Amato

Brian Bilcher

David J. Fontana

Gary R. Box

Matthew David Garvey

Peter Carroll

Robert Cordice

Stephen Gerard Siller

Thomas M. Butler

Edward A. D’Atri

Michael Esposito

Michael N. Fodor

Andrew Fredericks

David Halderman

Eric Allen

Manuel Mojica

Timothy Haskell

William E. McGinn

Kevin Prior

Patrick John Lyons

Peter J. Langone

Tarel Coleman

Thomas Kuveikis

Adam David Rand

NEVER

8 Pilots

22 Flight Attendants 235 Passengers

Jonathan Lee Ielpi

Joseph Hunter

Ronnie E. Gies

Timothy Matthew Welty

Ronald T. Kerwin

Gregory Sikorsky

Michael J. Lyons

Richard B. Van Hine

Robert Hamilton

Thomas Patrick Cullen lll

Michael K. Healey

Mohammad Salman Hamdani

Arthur Thaddeus Barry

Richard Allen Pearlman

Mark Schwartz

Yamel Merino

James Nelson

Michael Craig Rothberg

Keith Roma

Kathy Nancy Mazza

Claude Daniel Richards

Brian Grady McDonnell

Glen Kerrin Pettit

James Patrick Leahy

Jerome Mark Patrick Dominguez

John D’Allara

John William Perry

Joseph Vincent Vigiano

Mark Joseph Ellis

Moira Ann Smith

Paul Talty

Ramon Suarez

Robert Fazio, Jr.

Ronald Philip Kloepfer

Santos Valentin, Jr.

Stephen Patrick Driscoll

Thomas Michael Langone

Vincent Danz

Walter Edward Weaver

John Gerard Coughlin

Michael S. Curtin

Rodney C. Gillis

Timothy Alan Roy, Sr.

Richard P. Gabriel

Wilson F. Flagg

Charles A. Droz III

Charles F. Burlingame III

John Ogonowski

Victor J. Saracini

James A. Romito

Anthony P. Infante, Jr.

Robert Dominick Cirri

Alfonse Joseph Niedermeyer

Antonio J. Rodrigues

Bruce Albert Reynolds

Christopher Charles Amoroso

Clinton Davis

David Prudencio Lemagne

Dominick Pezzulo

Donald A. Foreman

Donald James McIntyre

George Howard

Gregg J. Froehner

James Francis Lynch

James Wendell Parham

John Dennis Levi

John Joseph Lennon, Jr.

John P. Skala

Joseph Micheal Navas

FORGET

Kenneth Francis Tietjen

Liam Callahan

Maurice Vincent Barry

Michael T. Wholey

Nathaniel Webb

Paul Laszczynski

Paul William Jurgens

Richard Rodriguez

Stephen Huczko, Jr.

Thomas Edward Gorman

Uhuru G. Houston

Walter Arthur McNeil

Walwyn W. Stuart, Jr.

Robert Michael Kaulfers

Ferdinand V. Morrone

Mario L. Santoro

Keith George Fairben

Robert J. Hymel

Dennis M. Johnson

Stephen N. Hyland, Jr.

Timothy J. Maude

Stephen V. Long

Jose O. Calderon-Olmedo

Craig S. Amundson

David M. Scales

Dean E. Mattson

Jerry D. Dickerson

Karen J. Wagner

Kip P. Taylor

Clifford L. Patterson, Jr.

Dwayne Williams

Ronald D. Milam

Wallace Colonele Hogan, Jr.

Tamara C. Thurman

Lacey B. Ivory

Larry L. Strickland

Chin Sun Pak Wells

Maudlyn A. White

Ronald F. Golinski

Gary F. Smith

Willie Q. Troy

Robert E. Russell

Canfield D. Boone

William R. Ruth

Karl W. Teepe

Michael L. Selves

Max J. Beilke

Jimmie I. Holley

John J. Chada

Jonas M. Panik

Darin H. Pontell

Patrick J. Murphy

Robert R. Elseth

Ronald J. Vauk

Patrick Dunn

Daniel M. Caballero

Kris Romeo Bishundat

Eric A. Cranford

Melissa Rose Barnes

Edward T. Earhart

Matthew M. Flocco

Joseph J. Pycior, Jr.

Gerald F. DeConto

Lawrence D. Getzfred

Robert E. Dolan, Jr.

Dan F. Shanower

Robert A. Schlegel

William H. Donovan

Michael A. Noeth

Brian A. Moss

Ronald J. Hemenway

Christopher L. Burford

Johnnie Doctor, Jr.

Marsha D. Ratchford

Kevin W. Yokum

Donald M. Young

Gregg H. Smallwood

Michael S. Lamana

David L. Williams

Otis V. Tolbert

Nehamon Lyons IV

Jamie L. Fallon

Jack D. Punches

John D. Yamnicky, Sr.

Marvin Roger Woods

EMPLOYMENT POWER The of

Veterans

Vetlign, Oplign’s Veteran Alignment Engine

The most advanced job tool available to Vets and Transitioning Military. Oplign understands veterans like no other system in the world. Oplign’s algorithms update daily. As new skills emerge in the workforce, Oplign makes the connection.

Spouses

Vetlign’s Military Spouse Alignment Tool

Military spouses bring unique perspectives and skills and are flexible and committed employees. Oplign’s military spouse alignment tool helps to match these unique characteristics with skills in the workforce.

Graduates

Gradlign, The New Graduate Breakthrough

Oplign shows new graduates their aligned opportunities. Oplign begins with your educational major, then zerosin on full- and part-time entry-level opportunities, including internships. Oplign uses the power of big data to provide complete market awareness.

Veterans, how do your skills match up in the civilian world?

Many before you have had the same problem: how to match up military skill sets with the civilian job force. No one needs to tell you how to dress for an interview, but someone needs to tell you what you are qualified for. That is where Oplign comes in. With Oplign’s Veteran Alignment Engine, you are guaranteed to be matched with well-paying jobs!

Insights on the Events Before and After 9/11

From a Special Operation Forces Veteran

Brian Halstead began his military career in January of 1984, and throughout his 21 years of service, he witnessed first-hand the before and after effects of 9/11. Halstead, who retired as a CW3 in 2005, gained insight from intimate experience derived from foreign internal defense missions as part of an Operational Detachment Alpha, or A-Team, the heart and soul of special forces.

At its core, U.S. special forces are the unconventional warriors in America’s arsenal. To be “field ready,” special forces operators require more than 18 months of specialized training focused on advanced weapons, language, demolitions, combat medicine, and advanced combat tactics. special forces combat medics have received training at inner-city hospitals in Chicago and New York, where there is never a shortage of gunshot victims.

Special forces A-Teams are 12 special forces soldiers, most often composed of 10 non-commissioned officers, a Warrant Officer, and a Captain.

“Before 9/11, deployment with a full team was unheard of,” says Halstead. “We spent our time deploying around the world running offense and defense plays, not unlike a football team. We used to call it ‘going into harm’s way.’ We were doing things of national and global importance, and these missions were very dangerous.”

For the first years of Halstead’s career, during the end of the Cold War, many special forces units were being deployed to South America. These troops performed one of the primary responsibilities of special forces, that of building rapport on a military-to-military level with America’s allies worldwide.

For example, during the late ‘80s, special forces Operators were deployed to El Salvador to train their military. Later, teams went to Columbia to aid in the fight against narcotics trafficking. In the early ‘90s, special forces became the eyes and ears of the coalition forces during the Persian Gulf War, providing outposts where Iraqi military deserters could surrender and undergo interrogation, providing valuable intelligence. Other foreign internal defense efforts had special forces units in Africa training the African Infantry.

Then, seventeen years into Halstead’s military career, 9/11 happened. While Halstead felt the pain experienced that day by every American, he did not feel the shock.

“We already knew the stranglehold Islamic governments had on their population,” Halstead explained. “We know how much you can control a populace. Not by telling them what to think, but by controlling what they hear, or, in other ways, the information they have access to.”

Halstead also provided a current example, “Did you know that, right now, there are people in Russia who think there are Nazis in charge of Ukraine? The leader of Ukraine is a Jewish guy! Could anything be further from the reality of the situation? Yet, it is what many Russians believe because it is all they know.”

Insights on the Events

Halstead went on, “I was involved in writing a book some years ago that explored how Iran broke the mold of Islamic fundamentalists being deeply involved in the government. In years prior, it was the Al Turk model. Al Turk did not dissuade Turks from being Muslims. He encouraged it. He was a Muslim himself, but he understood the idea of separating the clergy from the governments.”

Halstead explains, “The global jihadi movement had been gaining strength for my entire career. It was evident in the ‘70s with the hijackings and the attack on the Olympics, and in the ‘80s with continued radical tactics worldwide. I was not surprised things ended up the way they did on 9/11.”

Halstead remembers being asked if America could ever win the war in Afghanistan.

“I was never sure we could win, but I knew that if we lost, I could point to the date we lost as January 6, 2004, when we allowed the Taliban to sign the new constitution, which was, quite frankly, ‘Taliban Light.’”

According to Halstead, “You cannot stop the enemy from

Our name may have changed....

fighting if you don’t break his will. No matter how often you beat him on the battlefield, he will keep fighting if he still has hope.”

While breaking the enemy’s will is necessary, Halstead clarifies that this process doesn’t involve the destruction of the population by committing genocide.

“People say you can’t beat Islam or Jihadists without genocide, but I believe we can. The Jihads are confident that their political perspective is good and pre-ordained.”

Halstead gave the example of the U.S. defeat of the Japanese in World War II. While the Japanese believed their war against the Allied Powers was also “good and pre-ordained,” the Allies ultimately defeated them. The defeat was made possible by the two-fold actions of the Allies. They broke the Japanese will to fight and replaced their “pre-ordained” beliefs with a new philosophy. One that allowed Japan to prosper but not present a future danger to America or the rest of the world.

“In contrast,” says Halstead, “by allowing the Taliban to sign a constitution that was basically ‘Taliban Light,’ I knew we would never have the type of victory we hoped for.”

When you have a King Kitchen System, you have a promise. A promise that you have the strongest, longest-lasting, best-built outdoor kitchen in Florida, and simply nothing else will compare.

Before and After 9/11

Like many Americans, Halstead dealt with frustration after 9/11. He felt angry that the American government did not take the time to understand their new enemy fully.

“During World War II,” Halstead explains, “ there was plenty of in-depth study of what a Nazi was, what a Nazi thought or believed, and how to counteract that ideology. During the Global War on Terrorism, there has been almost zero attempt to understand the Jihadi mindset because people are afraid that it will come off sounding Islamaphobic.”

Halstead goes on to argue that gaining an understanding of Jihadist Muslims doesn’t need to involve prejudice.

“They have written it all down; they have a playbook they are following; they have the Quoran!”

Halstead experienced firsthand how the American government’s focus on political correctness would hamper the efforts of their troops in Afghanistan.

“My team and I hitched a ride with some guys from a Ranger regiment going in our direction. As we headed up these tight hairpin mountain roads, they would slow down and allow our team to jump out. Eventually, we all met up and began to walk for several days.”

Halstead and his team proceeded over the mountain range and prepared to set up an “anvil” to try and block the multiple goat paths that lead up from the valley far below. Their job was to prevent enemy soldiers from escaping over the mountains.

“We kept going up and up this mountain. When we started, it was 117 degrees on the valley floor; before it was over, we were getting snowed on.

“We later heard that the guy we had been chasing walked right by the Rangers who were there. The Rangers were ‘The Hammer,’ and this guy walked right past them wearing a burka.”

A burka is a garment worn by women in Afghanistan.

“At that time, they had very few women in the special forces. They didn’t have anyone to search the women. So, they dressed this guy up as a woman, and he walked right past the Rangers!”

According to Halstead, this was hardly the only incident of this kind.

“The military planners and officers would tell you, ‘Oh no, man, no great mighty Islamic warrior would dress up like a woman.’ Really? F*** you! I’ve seen it with my own eyes on many occasions.”

As Halstead puts it, “It is very hard to win when you don’t play by the same rules. They would just run into a Mosque because they knew we could never target it.

“I would yell, ‘Sir, we’re at coordinates, so and so, and taking heavy fire from the mosque. I will hold up the microphone so you can hear; we are being shot at.’

“The reply, ‘No, sorry, man. We can’t target it. Can’t target it, okay.’”

With those handicaps, it is easy to understand why Halstead believes America could never have won that war. Despite the frustrations of Afghanistan, overall, Halstead has no regrets about his time serving his country.

“Looking back on my career, though, I have such great memories. I was fortunate to be surrounded by incredible guys in a special operation forces (SOF) unit. We could do tons of impressive stuff, all because of the team.”

So the question now becomes, with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq officially over, where does that leave SOF operators and their missions going forward? No one can say they haven’t proved how necessary they are to the defense of this country and our global interests. According to information from the Defense Department, “Although U.S. Special Operations Command makes up just three percent of the joint force, it has suffered over half of all combat casualties over the past few years.” 1 No one can question their dedication or the extent of their efforts.

There can be no question that the war on terrorism is certainly not over, and so the U.S. SOFs’ fight against global terrorism will continue. Maybe not in the theatrical ways depicted by popular TV shows and movies, involving explosions and the kicking down of doors, but perhaps through the intellectual deployment of assets and military-to-military rapport missions like in the years before 9/11—a return to the Middle East and the African plains, this time with a constant eye aimed toward Russia, North Korea, and China.

1 (n.d.). Officials Describe Special Operations Forces’ Contributions to National Security. U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved August 25, 2023, from https%3A%2F%2Fwww.defense.gov%2FNews%2FNews-St ories%2FArticle%2FArticle%2F2550459%2Fofficials-describe-specialoperations-forces-contributions-to-national-security%2F

BATTLE BRIEFS & War Stories

Tyler Persons, Specialist, U.S. Army Veteran

I entered the military for the second time on May 2, 2001. My first go-around started in Oct. 1991. I was 17 years old. That is how I became the old guy in the S Shop. I had just missed deployment to Desert Storm. During those years, I was an 88M truck driver for civilians. My unit was deployed; they were a tanker unit. They hauled jet fuel and water. At that time, I recognized America’s common enemy as the Global Elite, and I still feel that way.

I hadn’t been back in the Army for long when I was sent to Fort Hood. I arrived there on Aug. 20, 2001. I was a member of the 8 BALL, the Best Combat Engineer Battalion in the 1st Cavalry Division. I was a 12B, Combat Engineer and a member of the E4 Mafia as a Specialist.

Prior to 9/11, our unit was in the field doing war game scenarios that always involved North Korea. On the morning of 9/11, we did PT as we did every morning. When I returned to the S3 Shop, we all saw what was happening on TV. Suddenly the phones started ringing, and the radios were filled with chatter. Everyone went into a mad scramble to get everybody in from the field.

We set up extra radios and comms and went into lockdown. They didn’t issue weapons, though. We were there all night; we finally were able to go home sometime the next day.

I can only describe the weeks following the attacks in the words of Gunny Highway (Clint Eastwood in Heartbreak Ridge): “it was a complete cluster fuck.” It took five hours to get through security at the gate of Fort Hood on the 12th. The next day, it took about three and a half hours and two hours each day after that until the reserve units showed up. You had to be at the gate by 0500 to be on time, and we never left until way after dark. The rest of that week, we worked no less than 16 hours per day. They came up with extra guard duties to protect stupid areas and yet gave us no weapons to do anything with. It was a joke. It was probably a month before we did PT again. Being First CAV, everyone was sure we would deploy any minute to the desert. In October, we had a big briefing about the upcoming deployment. Next thing you know, we were sent to NTC for training and were still training about the invasion of North Korea! WTF? By Christmas, though, everything had settled down.

In this special remembrance edition of FireWatch Magazine, we ask three prior service members to describe how the events of 9/11 impacted their lives and careers.

I don’t know where my career would have taken me without 9/11. I know the attacks screwed me pretty good. Because of Stop Loss, I wasn’t allowed out when my contract was up. I was in Iraq for a full year deployment, and while there, I basically broke my back. The ARMY said I wasn’t disabled but unfit for duty medically (you’re guess is as good as mine). I also had some bad reactions to the Anthrax vaccines and have suffered from daily headaches since 2008.

Marvin Hedstrom, LTC, US ARMY (ret.)

I entered the U.S. Army on Oct. 15, 1988, at Ft. Belvoir, Va., reporting for duty at the Engineer Officer Basic Course (EOBC). In those days, the U.S. Army conducted Engineer Officer Training at Ft. Belvoir and its enlisted training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. The schools combined at Ft. Leonard Wood in 1992, and I attended the Engineer Officer Advanced Course there in the fall of 1993 in the second training class to be conducted there. During Desert Sheild / Desert Storm in 1990-1991, I was assigned to the 20th Engineer Battalion at Ft. Campbell, Ky., serving as the company executive officer in the 41st Engineer Company (Medium Girder Bridge). Ironically, the 41st Engineer Company was the first unit on Ft. Campbell, home of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and ultimately, the only unit assigned at Ft. Campbell not to end up deploying. The entire 101st, 5th Special Forces Group, and the Corps Support Group all deployed between Oct. 1990 and Jan. 1991, prior to commencement of ground operations in Kuwait.

Our company provided security for Ft. Campbell, trained activated guard/ reserve units, and conducted a host of administrative services to the broader Ft. Campbell community. During that time, I served as OIC for range operations for 100-plus consecutive days rotating guard/ reserve soldiers thru their qualification and

training requirements, while later serving as a Casualty Assistance Officer multiple times. Fortunately, ground operations were less than 100 hours, and the Division suffered only a few casualties.

When I first enrolled in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) in college, the Soviet Union and potential war in Europe remained the military’s primary focus. With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and later collapse and disaggregation of the Soviet Union, the military doctrine writers struggled for years to define a clear threat to the United States. Fortunately, I spent 1994 thru 1996 in South Korea serving with the 2nd Infantry Division, and we clearly knew that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) was an existential threat to 2ID should they decide to move south across the border by force.

I found myself at Fort Hood, Texas, with the 1st Cavalry Division, working as the Chief G3 Plans, having graduated from the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) in June 2001. I reported for duty at Ft. Hood on July 5th 2001, just a few months prior to 9/11. Although I was an Engineer Officer, 21B, I was serving a utilization tour in the 1D, G3 Plans Shop, as Chief, G3 Plans, effectively in a O1A, Branch Immaterial billet. At the time, I was a Major.

During the summer of 2001, G3 Plans Shop had two main focus areas. The first was updating the Division’s support plan to reinforce South Korea in the event of conflict on the Korean peninsula. The second was integrating and training the Division’s Plans Team to conduct rapid crisis action planning in support of III Corps and 3rd Army (ARCENT) preparations for rapid deployment in response to crisis in the Middle East.

I remember everything about the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 as if it were yesterday.

Physical training with the G3 at 0600, rushed home to

BATTLE BRIEFS & War Stories

shower and was back in the office just after 0800 to prep for a training class and table top exercise we were leading with the staff focused on Division level river crossing scenarios. As an Engineer Officer, I was very comfortable with the scenarios and the planning requirements. I was excited to show my stuff. Unfortunately, we never conducted the exercise.

Everything began to change at 0845 when word began to spread within the Headquarters about a plane flying into the World Trade Center. It started with the Division staff duty NCO alerting us as they had the news on in the Division’s operation center. We had a little 19-inch color TV in the plans shop that we never used—except for that day. It was on all day. And there was a constant stream of folks checking in for updates.

I realized immediately that we were under attack when the second plane hit. We all had a sense that it wasn’t an accident. This was a terror attack and probably originated from the Middle East.

The rest of that day was long and surreal. The Division leadership wanted to do something, but we had yet to receive any guidance from III Corps or ARCENT. Not that anyone expected them to move that fast. The situation was unclear. No one knew. There were lots of briefings on Division readiness and status for imminent deployment, just in case. That first night, I think I got home around 0200, slept for a couple of hours, and

FROM PAGE 19

was back in the office by 0500 on Sept. 12. Post- 9/11, everything from Sept. 2001 thru April 2002 is a blur. During that period, we worked every day with only an occasional Sunday off. That felt weird. Like you should be at work doing more, preparing just a little more. I spent the early days after 9/11 at ARCENT, which was located in Atlanta at that time, trying to gain insight into their planning and keeping Division up to date on possible deployment scenarios.

In Oct. 2001, we prepared and deployed a BCT to Kuwait as a deterrent to Iraq not to invade Kuwait again. We were also working on a variety of contingency plans that got elements of the Division involved in the invasion of Afghanistan. It’s very difficult for a heavy division to both get to and sustain combat operations in that part of the world. After a while, we shifted to planning for the invasion of Iraq—only to be left out of that as well. Ultimately, the Division deployed to Iraq for OIF-2 in March 2004.

I don’t believe the trajectory of my career changed because of 9/11. I moved on to be the S3 and XO of the 8th Engineer Battalion which was a dream job for me. Eventually, I was selected for Battalion Command, and deployed to Iraq a second time in Oct. 2006, and then made the decision to retire in 2009.

More significantly, what changed was we were no longer peacetime soldiers. We were at war and remained at war for over 20-plus years. And I would submit it’s not over yet.

Scott Gould, CSM U.S. ARMY (ret.)

I joined the Army in Oct. 1984. I didn’t deploy in Desert Storm. Instead, I was at the Joint Readiness Training Center training the National Guard to deploy.

On Sept. 11, 2001, I was assigned to the Military District of Washington Engineer Company at Fort Belvoir, Va., later flagged as the 911th Engineer Company. I had been at this assignment for two and half years before the 9/11 attacks. At that time, I was the company First Sergeant (1SG/E8) working as a Combat Engineer. We were the Army’s only Technical Rescue company focused on confined space and collapsed structure rescue operations.

On the morning of 9/11, we had just finished our physical training and were preparing for the day’s scheduled rescue training. I was in my office with the news on when reports started coming in about an airplane hitting the World Trade Center. At first, I thought it was just an accident, but when I saw the second plane hit the second tower, I knew we were under attack.

Then I saw news that the Pentagon had been struck.

Immediately after the Pentagon was hit, the Military District of Washington Operations Center called my office to initiate our alert and response sequence. We quickly sent our Initial Response Team by helicopter

to the Pentagon, and the remainder of the company convoyed with our equipment to the Pentagon Site.

When we arrived, the scene outside the building was complete chaos. Inside the building was horrific.

Once on-site at the Pentagon I worked for 24-hours continuously. I didn’t sleep again until the night of the 12th. Eventually, we were set to 12-hour shifts.

We shifted to victim recovery for 10days, and then returned to Fort Belvoir and immediately assumed armed security of the entrances. Heightened security meant placing barriers around all of the gates.

On 9/11, I had served 17-years in a peacetime Army, now we were on a war footing and sending troops into harms way across the globe. I was promoted to Command Sergeant Major and deployed to fight the insurgency in Iraq, and to help rebuild the country. After returning from Iraq I retired from service. After retirement, I went to work at Booz Allen Hamilton managing several training programs to prepare soldiers for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

While the experience on 9/11, and in Iraq changed my outlook on humanity and left me with PTSD, I managed 2 successful careers. I now spend my time as a volunteer working with disabled veterans so they recieve the benefits they’ve earned from the Veterans Administration.

MESSAGES FROM THE HEART 9/11

One Year

One year since our lives changed, the awakening. Has it really been a year?

The images are so near.

The falling, burning, crying, anger, and fear. What have we done? Yes, you and I, with this year, we’ve been given that they were deprived?

Though they live in our hearts

It is not the same.

Our Broken American Hearts carry sorrow and pain. For our citizens and soldiers the grief still smolders.

One year may have passed but remembrance will last For an eternity of ‘one year.’

T. Oneill September

2002

Heroes

I believe that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

Anonymous

after September 11, 2001

Talk it Over with God

You’re worried and troubled about everything. Wondering and fearing what tomorrow may bring. You long to tell someone

For you feel so alone, but Your friends are all burdened With cares of their own

There’s only one place and, There’s only one friend

Who is never too busy and, You can always depend

That He will be waiting with arms open wide

To hear all your troubles that you came to confide

For the Heavenly Father will always be there

When you seek Him and find Him at the Alter of Prayer

Francis Van Diem

NEVER FORGET MESSAGES

The Day that Changed Everything

Just a typical day

The streets of New York City were drying out from a series of thunderstorms the prior evening. Storms had moved through the city as late as 11:00 pm local time on September 10th. But on the morning of September 11th, the weather was perfect, with recorded temperatures of 64 degrees in Boston, 63 degrees at JFK Airport, and 64 degrees at Reagan National in Washington, DC. Most of the U.S. northeast was cloud free—perfect flying weather. American skies were speckled with more than 4,500 aircraft carrying passengers to planned destinations. Among them were four flights destined for tragedy.

At 8:45 a.m. Eastern time, the first news flashes were broadcast that a plane had crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. There was a sense of pity and bewilderment. How could that happen? Did the pilot have a heart attack? Did anyone survive? How innocent we were. Americans across the country were waking into their morning routines, expecting just another Tuesday morning. Little did we all know, we only had 18 minutes of innocence left. As we stood plastered to our TVs and radios, a collective shock was felt around the world as a second airliner, United Flight 175, slammed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. This shock reverberated in living rooms, restaurants, and workplace breakrooms across the country and beyond. It was 9:03 a.m. Eastern time when the second plane hit, and we had to face these horrific realizations. This was purposeful. We were under attack. No place was safe anymore. While trying to comprehend what was unfolding before our eyes, the attack persisted, with American Airlines 77 crashing

into the Pentagon. A horrific and seemingly endless string of tragedies slammed into our brains again and again, with only moments between each travesty.

And as we reeled from the shock, we were bombarded by questions. Who would be next? How many more will die? How can this be happening? Where is United Flight 93? Are there any more airplanes not accounted for? Please, God, make it stop!

And then, it fell. The South Tower actually fell. How could it fall? Oh, God, how many people were in there?! Beyond that is a blur of devastation, destruction, and death. United 93 crashes into a farmer’s field; the north tower falls, and the world darkens.

Then humanity leaps into action. Lines at blood donation centers wrapped around buildings, but there was no one to give the blood to. Doctors and nurses waited outside emergency rooms throughout New York, but there were no patients to attend. They were gone. Thousands of people were just gone.

The Airplanes

Most of us have boarded a plane to one place or another in our lifetime. On the morning of September 11, 2001, there were 265 people that boarded their flights, never to return home again. For most of the passengers, there was practically no time to react to what was happening to them.

On American Airlines Flight 11, hijackers breached the cockpit only 15 minutes into the flight and crashed the jetliner into the north tower of the World Trade Center just 32 minutes later. Meanwhile, United Flight 175, airborne for only twentyeight minutes, was hijacked and ultimately flown into the World

It has been 22 years since that typical morning in September. The world was moving along as it always had, with people getting up and going to work and school, boarding airplanes for long-awaited vacations, grabbing coffee in the shadows of the World Trade Center before heading up the elevators, having breakfast in the fire station, catching a taxi…

Staff Writer

Trade Center’s south tower just 61 minutes later. American Airlines Flight 77 was airborne for only 31 minutes when attackers stormed the cockpit of the airliner and crashed it into the Pentagon 86 minutes after seizing control. United Flight 93 had experienced a 42-minute delay leaving Newark International Airport. The flight left the runway at 8:42 am Eastern time, just four minutes before Flight 11 would crash into the north tower. It is unknown why the hijackers of United Flight 93 waited more than 45 minutes to launch their attack, but this delay allowed the passengers on board to learn the fate of the World Trade Center and the hijacked Flight 77. For six minutes, passengers of United Flight 93 fought to gain control of the aircraft and their fates. Through an incredible act of heroism, the brave souls of Flight 93 saved countless lives by sacrificing their own.

The Towers

At 8:46 am Eastern time, American Airlines Flight 11 tore into the north tower of the World Trade Center between floors 92 and 110, making escape impossible for anyone above the 91st floor. Just 17 minutes later, at 9:03 am, United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the south tower between floors 77 and 85, effectively blocking escape for everyone above the 76th floor. Flight 175 is reported to have had more than 9,000 gallons of jet fuel on board. Upon impact, blazing jet fuel traveled through the elevator shafts, exploding onto the 78th-floor Sky Lobby. The wingtip of United Flight 175 had grazed through the entire lobby, instantly killing everyone present. When the towers began to fall, collapse took only 12 seconds, and the fires burned for 99 days.

The Falling

We can’t even imagine how horrible conditions in the towers must have been to make an estimated 200 people decide to jump from the doomed structures. These people were seen falling from the upper levels of the burning skyscrapers by multiple witnesses, some caught on camera. It is believed that some deliberately jumped, while others appear to have fallen or lost their grip while attempting to hang on to the exterior of the building.

While there could have been many contributing factors to making an escape by any means preferable to waiting, it has been estimated that some areas of the buildings would have exceeded 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, making it unbearable to stay. To this day, not one of the ‘jumpers’ has ever been identified. Medical examiners could not differentiate the jumpers from other tower casualties after the collapse of the buildings. .

The 2,977

Out of the 2,977 lives lost on September 11, 2001, eight were children who died on the doomed airline flights. American Airlines Flight 77 had five passengers under the age of 12: Asia (11), Rodney (11), Bernard (11), Zoe (8), and Dana (3). United Airlines Flight 175 had three passengers under the age of five: Juliana (4), David (3), and Christine (2).

Other losses included:

● 8 Airline Pilots (most of whom were American Veterans)

● 22 Flight Attendants

● 265 Airline Passengers (including the eight children)

● 343 New York City Firefighters

● 23 New York City Police Officers

● 37 Port Authority Officers

● 125 Military Personnel

● 8 Emergency Medical Technicians

● ~1600 lives in the North Tower

● ~1000 lives in the South Tower

Surreal Blessings Within the Enormity of Loss

In his article published in the American Journal of Public Health 1, Mr. Joe Murphy, MA, applied the capture-recapture method to estimate the number of people present in the World Trade Center towers on the morning of September 11th, 2001. Utilizing the World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR), Mr. Murphy confirmed that follow-up interviews were conducted with 8,965 individuals who were in the World Trade Center towers at 8:46 a.m. local time on September 11th. Then, using his capture-recapture model, he estimated

that approximately 15,552 people were actually on site that morning. With confirmed Trade Center casualties numbering 2,152, and the towers having enough office space to accommodate about 35,000 people, there is no denying that many more lives could have been lost.

Likewise, on the hijacked flights, each airliner had an average capacity of 174 passengers. But on that September morning, American Airlines Flight 11 was at 58% capacity, United Flight 175 was at 39% capacity, American Airlines Flight 77 was at 34% capacity, and United Flight 93 was at 24% capacity.

People working at the Pentagon were also blessed as an estimated 800 people were working in the area of impact that day versus the estimated 4,500 that would have been there if not for a recent renovation that forced area offices to be temporarily moved.

Although we know the losses could have been much higher, it does nothing to lessen the horror of losing nearly 3,000 lives of civilians and emergency services personnel in one day on American soil.

But it didn’t stop there.

Beyond 9/11

Since that fateful day in September 2001, many more have been lost as a direct result of the actions taken by those 19 hijackers. More than 7,000 U.S. troops have been lost in the war against terror. It is reported that 52,802 service members have been wounded, and an unimaginable 30,177 military suicides have occurred since September 11th. According to Nancy Cutler in an article published by USA Today, “Deaths from 9/11 diseases will soon outnumber those lost on that fateful day.” 2

As of December 2022, Karen Selby, RN, on behalf of www.asbestos.com, reports that 4,343 survivors and first responders have died from toxic asbestos exposure during the events of September 11th. These numbers continue to grow with no end in sight.

Call to Action

According to the USO.org article Why 9/11 Inspired These Service Members to Join the Military,3 in response to the attacks of September 11th, 181,510 Americans enlisted in the ranks of active duty service, and 72,908 joined the enlisted reserves in 2002, the year after the tragedy. We had no way of knowing that the war in Afghanistan would last longer than World War I, Word War II, and Vietnam combined.

With troop deployment lasting an average of six to twelve months, service members and their families were either dealing with deployment or training to re-deploy throughout their post-9/11 military career. The Washington Post reports

at least 28,267 U.S. troops have deployed five or more times to the war zone. Service members in this 5+ group report traumatic brain injury in 27% of returning troops.4

22 Years Later

Today the average age of the U.S. Service Member is 23, and 9/11 is just a subject covered in American History class.

Those who witnessed the horror of September 11, 2001, must be responsible for keeping the memory alive, no matter how painful, to help future generations understand the enormity of the loss, pain, and bravery America experienced on that day. For many, there is a clear distinction between life before and after September 11th, 2001. The world changed in a matter of minutes, and it will never, ever be the same.

1 Murphy, Joe, M. A. (2009). Estimating the World Trade Center Tower Population on September 11, 2001: A Capture-Recapture Approach. American Journal of Public Health (AJPH), August 30, 2011. https://ajph. aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2007.124768

2 Cutler, Nancy (2018). Deaths from 9/11 diseases will soon outnumber those lost on that fateful day. The Journal News, USA Today, September 6, 2018. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/09/06/9-11deaths-aftermath-soon-outnumber-killed-sept-11/1209605002/

3 DeSimone, Danielle (2021). Why 9/11 Inspired These Service Members to Join the Military, September 7, 2021. https://www.uso.org/stories/2849why-9-11-inspired-these-patriots-to-join-the-military

4 Kline, A., Falca-Dodson, M., Sussner, B., Ciccone, D. S., Chandler, H., Callahan, L., & Losonczy, M. (2010). Effects of Repeated Deployment to Iraq

https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2009.162925

and Afghanistan on the Health of New Jersey Army National Guard Troops: Implications for Military Readiness. American Journal of Public Health, 100(2), 276-283.

WITHOUT GLORY

A SLIGHT BREEZE SWEEPS ACROSS THE VALLEY OF SWAYING GRASS IN A RELAXING TEMPO. THE RHYTHM BROKEN ONLY BY THE SOUNDS OF CRICKETS CHIRPING AND THE LIZARDS THAT SOUND LIKE THEY’RE SCREAMING, “FUCK YOU!” BACK AND FORTH AT EACH OTHER. MY FOXHOLE COMPANION IS A QUIET MAN WHO APPEARS DEEPLY LOST IN DELIBERATION. I CAN TELL BY THE CHEVRONS ON HIS COLLAR THAT HE IS A SECURITY POLICEMAN, AIRMAN 1ST CLASS. I TRY TO GET HIM TO TALK, BUT ALL I GET FROM HIM IS THAT HE HAS BEEN IN VIETNAM FOR NINE MONTHS. MAYBE HE DOESN’T LIKE PULLING DUTY WITH NON-SECURITY POLICE PERSONNEL. AFTER ALL, WE DIDN’T HAVE THE COMBAT TRAINING HE HAD. WHO KNOWS? SO HERE WE SIT IN OUR FOXHOLE POSITION, TOGETHER BUT ALONE.

Soon, control is alerting all units of reported contact. Visual contact has been made with groups of five-to-eight VC, all heavily armed, carrying satchels and weapons. We are ordered only to engage the VC if they engage first. Soon other security posts begin reporting sightings of similar size enemy units. The small groups of VC are heading to a central assembly location, so we hold fire.

The small groups of VC units assemble off to our right and grow to about forty or fifty men. They carry Kalashnikov AK47 assault rifles, two RPG-7 portable rocket launchers, and two 7.62 PK general-purpose machine guns. This is a hard-core, well-equipped unit, not some local VC group. They appear to be setting up for a major assault on the flight line and our aircraft tucked away in protected bunkers.

We are told to hold fire and instructed that the tower will call for the mortar and artillery fire mission. Back-up security teams are moving

into our sector while other teams are moving into place to set up counterambush positions. The security team is an eleven-man mobile team traveling in V-100 Commando Armored vehicles with turret-mounted 7.62-millimeter coaxial machine guns. I see two of them moving into place beside the tower. Control informs us that the ROK Korean Marines, White Horse Division, is deploying a blocking force to trap the VC as they break contact and withdraw. On the ground, mortars and howitzers stand by, while high in the black, star-filled sky, a Spooky gunship circles. The guns on the Spooky have a fire rate of six thousand rounds per minute.

Our position has an M60 machine gun, my M16 assault rifle, four hand grenades, and two claymore mines in front of us. The tower to our right has two M16s and a starlight scope.

The stage is set.

I focus on the cove from which the VC are preparing their attack. The cove is cast in black shadows and hides the enemy from view. My finger caresses the M16’s trigger.

Suddenly, Barrooommm! Barrooommm! Barrooommm!

The deafening explosions and blinding flashes raise the hairs on the back of my neck. Full-blown hell pours down on the cove.

Karbaroomm! Barrooommm!

BY KEN SMITS

Karbaroomm! Barrooommm!

The incoming U.S. mortar and artillery rounds rain down like a hailstorm of steel.

“Ho-ly shit!” my mind screams, but the words roll out of my mouth as a gasping whisper.

Brrr! Brrr! Brrr! Brrr!

Twenty-millimeter ball ammunition merged with red tracer rounds hits the earth, then ricochets in a thousand directions bouncing high in the flairilluminated night. The rounds walk from one side of the cove to the other, then back again in the other direction, a round hitting every six inches.

Within seconds, the second salvo of U.S. mortar and artillery rounds impact the cove of hell. They boom thunderously, flashing enormous fireballs, sending huge clumps of earth, broken trees, and little bits of human bodies soaring into the night.

“In-fuckin’-credible,” I murmered to myself. I feel like I’m gazing at a million-dollar pyrotechnics show. My eyes couldn’t possibly open any further without popping out of their sockets. I feel shock waves of rushing hot air crammed with the smell of burning wood, freshly turned earth, gunpowder, and blood hitting my face. Screams follow. Horrible, revolting screams mix with the hot air, and the ground shakes violently as if I’m in the middle of an earthquake.

FOXHOLE

“Here they come!” my foxhole mate screams.

“Fire at will! Fire! Fire! Fire!”

Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!

My M16 jumps and jerks in my hand, spraying deadly 5.56-millimeter rounds down range as if it has a mind of its own.

Ta-tow! Tow! Tow! Tow!

The M60 machine gun at my position sends a furious stream of 7.62-millimeter rounds guided by red tracers in the direction of the charging VC, tearing through bodies as they advance. High above, flares are launched by the Spooky. They float to the ground, swaying from side to side under their parachutes. Their glittering light provides a haunting glow like a slow-moving strobe light. High above, the gunship fire is so intense that red tracer rounds look like uninterrupted arches of red lines. Incredibly, the VC charge forward through the hellish firestorm. They have no other choice.

Barrooomm! Barrooomm!

As some VC mortar rounds strike targets, several deafening explosions

ring through the night air. I turn to look behind me. A fireball thirty feet high billows into the sky as one of the aviation fuel tanks explodes, blazing in a white inferno.

Many of the VC that miraculously escaped the onslaught rush our position. The hammering of weapons is near deafening in the close confines of the foxhole.

Whamp! Whamp! Whamp!

The sprinting VC open fire with their AK47’s on our position.

Ziipp! Ziipp! Ziipp!

Several rounds fly by like angry hornets, but mostly over our heads. Whoomph! Whoomph!

The detonation of the two claymore mines in front of the foxhole sends an ear-shattering blast into the darkness. Both claymore mines send hundreds of steel balls searching for something to rip into pieces.

I hear a Whoosh! Hisss! Whoosh! noise, then see the trail of gray smoke as one of the VC fires an RPG-7 rocket at the tower.

“Whoa! Oh shit!” My vision follows the gray smoking trail as it zooms toward the tower. The rocket slams into the bottom of the tower penetrating the plywood floor before exploding against the back wall. I see Sergeant Mears thrown from the tower with a large sliver of wood driven through his heart. He comes to rest twenty-five feet from the tower remnants.

VC run on the right and left of our position as we continue to fire.

The Spooky gunship picks up ground movement of the fleeing enemy force and fires for a short time before the VC run head-on into the Korean ROK’s waiting claw. For us, the firefight has ended. Howls from the wounded and dying fill the cool, damp air. The clatter of battle is frightening, but the

aftermath, filled with the cries of dying men, is the most eerie sound on earth. I look to my comrade. In the flare’s eerie illumination, he also appears to be hiding his head from the sounds.

“Psst. Hey, buddy, you all right?” He doesn’t respond. I move closer, my feet slipping on the slick, sticky surface of the bottom of the foxhole. Empty magazines clink together as I kick them. The bottom of our fighting position is pitch black; even the flares don’t light it up. His head is resting on the butt-stock of his M60. When I shake him, he tumbles sideways against the side of the foxhole. The flare’s light glimmers across the upper portion of his body. It takes several moments for me to contain myself. He’d been hit during the firefight. It looks like a bullet entered the back upper part of his head, making a hole about the size of a Bic pen. Then, having grown to the size of a softball, the bullet exited through the place where his face should be. Now he doesn’t have one. No eyes, no nose, no mouth. Just a hole where a face should be.

Something’s wrong. I never heard him stop firing. How did he get hit from behind? Why not me? I belch and become nauseous. My body shakes violently as everything I had eaten the day before forces its way out of my mouth. There are no words to describe the loneliness of sitting in a hole with a dead man. … I didn’t even know his name.

The deafening explosions and blinding flashes stand the hairs on the back of my neck. Full-blown hell pours down on the cove.

VETERAN VOICES

Love Letter from Baghdad

MAY 4, 2004

Good Morning Sweetheart! How are you today? I am missing you as always—wishing I was not over here in the middle of all this mess. Being away from you is getting harder each and every day. I am struggling with my emotions, my personal thoughts, and beliefs on why we are here; frustrated by the number of U.S. servicemen and women sacrificing their lives, and disgusted by recent news of events at Abu Ghraib Prison. That has set the effort back a lot. Costing a lot of good will between the common Iraqi people and the coalition. I will never understand why, if they felt driven to such actions why they would photograph it—stupid, plain and simple.

I feel really bad for the next U.S. soldiers taken prisoner.

From a Veteran to His Daughter

SEPTEMBER 21, 2001

As you know, I have wrapped the bodies of my friends and heroes in the flag we so adore. I have bled, shed tears, and torn the fibers of my heart and soul for the love of this country, our flag, and the God that stands over us all. I have felt the pride of my heroes and the shame of our defeat. But, through it all, the flag has always waved high and proud in my heart. I love this country, and what it stands for, and above all else, I would give my life so it will always be the way it has been for the past two hundred years. Yes, there will be blood spilled. Yes, innocent people will die. Yes, buildings will be tumbled to the ground, and terror like Americans have never seen. You ask why we suffer this horrid fate. Because, for far too long, we have had it all. We have been the land of the free and plenty. We have been given the right to choose our own destinies. In doing so, we have left the door open for those around the world who want the same thing but cannot have it. There are those who wish to take it away from us. The time has come, and if we are to keep our freedoms, we must be willing to stand up and protect what we have taken for granted. Who do we make pay for the crimes and horror of the past week? Not a simple question. You knew Germans when we lived in Germany. Did you hate them for what Hitler did in World War II? No. Why? Because, like the Afghans, they have no freedom or power to stop the horror of people like Bin Laden or the Taliban. Should you hate all peoples of the Middle East or who are of a religion that does not follow our faith in God? No, but you must search down deep inside yourself for understanding. Like Hitler, Osama Bin Laden will pay the price for his actions. But many will pay the highest price for that to happen. If we do not handle this now, many more will die because of our inaction. So, one way or the other, there will be death in great numbers and untold horror for some time to come. My heroes, and all those who have died to give us what we have, did not die in vain. They gave us what we had until Sept. 11, 2001. Now, new heroes will give their all to give it back to us and to keep our flag flying higher and with more pride than ever before.

How do I know this? Because we are Americans, that is the simple truth. We will take on the evil of this world and bring it to its knees no matter the cost. Because we are the only ones who can do it. The world depends on us to set it right.

What can you do? Pray and trust in God. Live your life in the manner those who gave their all intended. Stand tall. It will take people like you to keep the country going while the war rages on. The country must live on day to day. Only some people can pick up the sword and fight evil. Some of us must keep living the way Americans are born to live to prove to the Bin Ladens of the world that we cannot be deterred. We do not cower in fear. We will not tremble at the hands of evil. We are Americans, and we are here to stay.

Stand fast and stay the course!

Love you always and forever, Dad

Trust in God! Trust in your Country! Salute the flag with pride! You are an American!

VETERAN Think, “Better” A Brain Injury Recovery Program

Health

&

Treating Root Causes vs Medicating!

If you are like me, you hate taking medications, especially those that make you feel like you are in a “fog” or have other negative impacts on your day-to-day life. Unfortunately, much of the medical community tends to treat your symptoms rather than dealing with the root cause.

Can’t sleep? Here take this pill. Feeling anxious all the time? Here’s another pill. Back hurts? Another pill. Anger issues? Sure, why not, take another pill.

Sound familiar? Like many of you, I was taking at least five different medications to deal with issues. In some cases, you have to take another pill to counter the effects of one or more of the other pills.

What’s wrong with this picture?

STOP! There’s hope for dealing with issues many veterans face without taking more pills!

Studies are showing amazing results and benefits of “alternative therapies” such as Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments (HBOT), Skeletal Energetic Therapy (SET), Physical Therapy (PT), Cognitive Brain Training (CBT), and psychological counseling.

I was fortunate to be introduced to retired U.S.

Navy CDR Dr. Joseph Dituri, Ph.D., developer of Think, “Better” – A Brain Injury Recovery Program, combining all the above therapies for treatment of PTSD, TBI, and other brain related issues.

I recently completed this program at the Undersea Oxygen Clinic here in Tampa, Florida, under the direction of Dr. Dituri.

The program includes hyperbaric oxygen treatments (HBOT) twice a day for an hour each, infra-red treatments, brain tap therapy, cognitive brain training, ice baths, and working with specialists to include a psychologist, life coach, physical therapist, and a skeletal energetic therapist (SET). This holistic approach addressed the root causes of my issues— versus giving me more pills—with amazing results.

&Wellness

By Rich Corson, Veteran Health & Wellness Contributor

Subjective Results

I did pre- and post-program subjective evaluations utilizing multiple recognized questionnaires. See the impressive results below:

Generalized Anxiety level (GAD-7) which was not high to begin with but dropped to zero.

Head Injury Rating (HIQ) dropped by 59% Depression (ZSDS) was minimal to start with but still reduced by 50% Sleep Quality (PSQI) improved by 58% PTSD (PCL) improved by 86%

Overall, I feel more energized and sleep better thOverall, I feel more energized and sleep

better than prior to the program. My nightmares have subsided significantly, and in fact I have more positive dreams that tend to be slightly more vivid. My outlook on life is even better than it was before (which was never bad). My attitude is better, and I can more quickly control potential triggers. I still slip once in a while but I am improving each day. And each day I am reminded that this is a journey, not a quick fix. The great part about it is that I no longer take medication for this nor do I feel like I’m in a stupor from them.

Objective Results

Prior to the program my blood pressure averaged 131/85, and I was taking five different medications to “treat” my sleep issues, anxiety dreams, hyper- alertness, pain, headaches, etc., all typical of PTSD and TBI. My blood pressure now averages 116/76.

Like most of us, I do not like taking medications that “help” by merely dulling the issue without treating the underlying problem. The graphic on the left of the following page was when I started the program and was still on my medications. I call it, “my brain on drugs”!

Through this program I was able to come off all my medications* but one, for back pain, thus allowing my body to begin healing itself as it is intended to do. The graphic on the right of the following page is after concluding the program. I call it “my brain NOT on drugs”!

THINK. “BETTER, FROM PG 33

*Everyone should check with their doctor before coming off any prescribed medication.

(See footnotes for explanation of brainwaves)

Phase Coherence is the top row of images in each graphic above and in simple terms, shows my brain network is now operating in a significantly improved manner.

Phase Lag is the bottom row of images and in simple terms, shows my brain fog is greatly reduced at all levels of brain activity.

Impressions

I am extremely pleased that I had the opportunity to participate in this program and wish to thank the Special Forces Charitable Trust for sponsoring me. Without their support I would not have been able to partake in this program.

www.specialforcescharitabletrust.org

I found Dr. Dituri, his entire staff, and all the specialists to be true professionals, a pleasure to work with each day, and miss our conversations now that the program is over. Not only did they help me to heal and improve myself, but I also made some new friends.

I feel this is an alternative therapy that the Veterans Administration and the medical community as a whole need to approve and authorize use of.

The Way Ahead

This is an excellent alternative to “standard” treatments of PTSD, TBI, and other issues. As such, I am advocating with Dr. Dituri, Senator Jay Collins and Congressman Danny Alvarez to help push for VA recognition and acceptance of such alternative treatments.

Additionally, Dr. Dituri and I are looking at the possibility of the Tampa Green Beret Association being a conduit for donations to allow other special operators/veterans suffering from PTSD, TBI and other brain related issues to be treated thru this program which costs under $25,000 per patient. Watch for more information regarding this effort in future articles.

Footnotes:

• Delta: Slowest brain functions; unconscious bodily functions, sleep, dreaming

• Theta: Intuition and creativity, camaraderie, communion, connection, drowsiness

• Alpha: Conscious, reflective, restful

• Beta: cognitive processes in waking state, task oriented, focus, solve problems

• HI Beta: multi purposed interaction…With people not known to you and outward of your position, fight, or flight response.

EDITOR’S NOTE: LTC (R) Richard Corson (Ret.) is President of the Special Forces Association Chapter LX, and Vice President of the Tampa Green Beret Association. Photos provided by Richard Corson

MY BRAIN ON DRUGS! PRE-PROGRAM MY BRAIN NOT ON DRUGS! POST PROGRAM

SEPTEMBER 10 WHERE WE WERE

In the News….

Donald Rumsfeld, US Secretary of Defense, called a meeting of hundreds of Pentagon senior staff members and gave a speech in which he called Pentagon bureaucracy an enemy to security.

An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the UK, causes crisis in the British agriculture and tourism sectors. Authorities are killing cows and sheep in an effort to halt the disease.

Entertainment News…

Michael Jackson Performed in front of thousands at Madison Square Garden for his 30th Anniversary Celebration in honor of Jackson’s thirtieth year as a solo entertainer.

“Band of Brothers” based on the book by Stephen E. Ambrose, created by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks premiers.

Top Box Office

• The Musketeer

• American Pie 2

• Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

Billboard Hot 100

• I’m Real - Jennifer Lopez

Featuring Ja Rule

• Fallin’ - Alicia Keys

• Someone To Call My LoverJanet Jackson

Top TV

• Celebrity Deathmatch

• The West Wing

• Malcolm in the Middle

Top Games

• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2

• Gran Turismo

What’s Hot

Text Messaging, only recently had cell providers allowed users to send SMS messages to people on different networks.

Music companies began releasing MP3 players. The new MP3 format means that music listeners are able to listen to multiple albums on the go.

Interesting Facts….

Sept 10. John O’Neill, former Special Agent in charge of the FBI’s national security division in New York, celebrates his retirement at Windows on the World at the World Trade Center. On that night, he is said to have stated, “We are due for a terrorist attack. Something is coming, and it’s going to be big.” (John O’Neill died in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001)

If you were born on this day, September 10, 2001, you are turning 21 in 2023

Approximately 1 in 5 Americans were born after September 11, 2001

21st Century

Since 9/11

• Smartphones

Modern smartphones like the iPhone would not be released for another 6.5 years. Only 45% of people owned a cell phone

• Social Media

• Tokenization

• GPS Navigation GPS navigation for vehicles began officially in 2001 by private companies

• Streaming

• E-Readers

• Complete Human Genome Map

• Cryptocurrency

Common Item Cost

• Gas $1.83

• Loaf of Bread $1.82

• Dozen Eggs $0.90

Vehicle Costs

• 2001 Jeep Wrangler SE 4x4 $14,995

• 2001 Plymouth Voyager $11,995

• 2001 Toyota Corolla CE $10,995

Housing Costs

• Average Home Cost $175,200

• Median Mortgage Interest Rate 7.24%

BY TONI HEDSTROM

NEW YORK CITY September 2000

Wehad been planning this trip for some time. My mom and I would travel to New Jersey every two years or so to visit family, drive by our childhood homes and neighborhoods, and eat the most amazing food in the country. Call us biased, but nothing is better than New York Pizza or North Jersey Bagels with 2 inches of cream cheese.

I had a strange sense of home mixed with the feelings of an outsider when I visited New Jersey. It was where my Grandparents were, as well as my Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins. It was where my parents were born. I suppose you could call it home, but, being a military child, I wasn’t really from there—or anywhere.

Each visit to New Jersey had criteria. There were places we must go to every single time. 1. As many diners as we could handle, 2. the track to bet on the horses, 3. that incredible ice cream shop, 4. Atlantic City, and, of course, 5. New York City.

My Uncle Bob was our host for every visit. I loved being in North Jersey where he lived. It was just fantastic! The way you could walk down the streets of Hawthorne, N.J. and visit the butcher shop, the deli, the bakery—we didn’t live that way in Texas. We had HEB Grocery. You could literally live in Hawthorne and not own a car. That just blew my mind.

It was Sept. 2000 when we landed in Newark. Sept. 2, to be exact. Like any flight into Newark, the New York City skyline welcomed you with its wonder, magic, and those twin towers. They were like an exclamation point at the end of a sentence. They were New York!

I don’t remember the exact timeline of our vacation that year. What I do remember most of all is being in New York City on Monday, Sept. 11, 2000.

We hopped on a train, a subway, and a boat, and Wallah! We’re in NYC! And, since Hawthorne was just over the Hudson from NYC, we didn’t have to spend the night there.

I just loved the city. I loved the smells, the noise, the action. My uncle wasn’t too thrilled to be there, but he humored me just the same.

THIS PHOTO WAS INNOCENT WHEN PUBLISHED IN NEW YORK CITY IN SEPTEMBER 2000.

LITTLE DID WE KNOW THE SIGNIFICANCE ‘THE FALLING MAN’ WOULD HAVE IN JUST ONE YEAR.

There were so many places to see in NYC that I never made it to them all. I never made it to the World Trade Center. During that trip into the city, I picked up a weekly newspaper called The Village Voice. On the cover stood a businessman on a Fall colored leaf floating down from a tall building. At the time, that photo meant nothing. I kept that paper. I’m not sure why. But my heart sinks a little when I look at it now. The paper was full of things to do, plays to see, concerts, movies, and all the wonderfulness of NYC. Ads inside the magazine depicted the Twin Towers as a normal part of the backdrop. Just a normal, will always be there, oh, we can see them next year…yadda yadda, part of the backdrop. How could anyone have imagined what would befall this great city and those very buildings just one year later?

Back in Texas, ten pounds heavier—thanks, Jersey!—life goes on. Mom and I began planning our next visit to N.J. in April 2002.

Looking back, I can’t remember anything about the following year. I was a single mom, just going to work and home every day. I remember Bush had been elected President. That was exciting since he was the Texas Governor. Other than that, I, along with one million-plus other Americans, did what we do.

I lived and worked in Central Texas in a town called Temple that neighbored Fort Hood, now Fort Cavazos. I had ties to Fort Hood because of my dad, a medically retired army staff sergeant. I felt at home when we went to the base for groceries or the doctor. I remember, back then, anyone could drive on base. You could just drive on in—no guards, no security.

Fast forward to September 2001

I don’t have to write any more about that day. You know. You were there. As Americans, we see the images, and every moment of that morning comes flooding back, no matter where we were at the time.

After September 11th, America had come together in a patriotic fervor. For Central Texas, home of Fort Hood, residents rallied around military families, smiled at strangers, and all those other feel-good things we did on Sept. 12.

There was always a sense of pride living close to Fort Hood. The nightly boom coming from training missions of the III Armored Corps would be so loud you would feel it in your bones. It was also common to see M1 Abrams Tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles being transported along 1-90, a flight of Apache Helicopters overhead, and,

for decades, Central Texans had enjoyed the annual Draughon-Miller Airshow that would feature aerial performances by WWII Aircraft, complete with parachute jumpers.

Even though Central Texas is a collection of small towns, Fort Hood’s annual 4th of July Firework Show would out-patriotism any fireworks show in a big city—I can promise you! Central Texans loved their relationship with Fort Hood. But on Sept. 11, 2001, we had an overwhelming sense of foreboding, knowing our troops—our neighbors—would be called to the fight.

III Corps, Fort Hood, Texas

In 2001, the corps included the 1st Cavalry Division, the 4th Infantry Division, the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, and the 13th Corps Support Command. Central Texans lived and worked alongside upwards of 50,000 troops and their families. When a Division deploys, local life feels the impact.

In early 2003, Fort Hood’s 4th Infantry Division headed to Iraq; later that year, elements of the 4ID 1st Brigade Combat Team would participate in Operation Red Dawn and the capture of Saddam Hussein. Just as 4ID returned, Fort Hood’s 1st Cavalry Division deployed in the spring of 2004. It was like one of those rotating doors: one Division in, one Division out, and so on.

What didn’t stop were the weekly memorial services for the fallen.

Going Back to NYC

We did go back, Mom and me. We returned to N.J. in April 2002, just as planned. Once again, we flew to Newark, but so much had changed. Yes, the NYC skyline had changed, but so had everything else. The train ride and subway were somber. The life had been sucked out of NYC and its people. They appeared tired, worn, and sad—very sad.

We made our way to the city via the Liberty Landing Ferry that dropped its passengers at Liberty Park and Warren Street. Once on solid ground, we walked quietly along the city streets. The vibrance

of NYC was diminished with a covering of dust that lay over everything. There was a hush where you would once have heard street performers and hot dog vendors. No one smiled, and the heaviness was breathtaking.

It was only six months from that dreadful day, and you could feel the terror and sadness in the air. I remember seeing a Burger King that still had a medical emergency symbol etched into the dust of its windows. There were massive ruts in the pavement from construction vehicles along the empty streets, and the buildings near the World Trade Center that remained standing were draped in giant black veils.

I got my tickets to the World Trade Center that day. On the tickets, it read, “WTC:00 Viewing Platform”. I wasn’t headed to the 107th floor of the South Tower. Instead, I was heading to a viewing stand made of wood that overlooked the destruction. Hundreds of photos of those who had perished or were still missing were attached along the platform and many fences. There were flags, banners, keepsakes, and messages from around the world. And there were tears—many tears.

The Years that Followed

In the years that followed, I would marry a soldier. That is another story of its own.

My next visit to Ground Zero was in 2004, just months after my husband had deployed to Iraq. It was still very painful to be there. This time, there was another level to the pain. There were the losses of Sept. 11, 2001, and now, all those who had been lost since in the War on Terror. Americans were still dying because of 9/11.

I remember standing in front of FDNY Ten House, just across from the World Trade Center site, when overcome by an incredibly powerful sadness. Sorrow for the losses on that day, for the parents losing their sons and daughters at war, for everything.

During that trip in 2004, my father, my son, and I also made stops at the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United Flight 93 was lost. Visiting those sites impacted me in ways I cannot explain. The experience made me stronger and more resolute. It helped me become a better American, a better mom, and a better military spouse.

What I Remember

It’s been 19 years since my last visit to NYC. Throughout that time, I have been honored to have met and served alongside the most amazing people in this world. I call it “service” because being a military spouse, parent, or part of a Rear Detachment, is service. We were the home front. We held each other up through sadness, fear, and loss. We were a part of something.

In my reverence, I remember the people, the passion, the commitment, and the honor. I remember the losses, and I remember the wins, too. I remember the tears, and the laughter, and the hope.

And I will always remember New York.

Making ‘Never Forget’ Real: A

SCHOOL-BASED 9/11 MEMORIAL PROJECT

GROWS

By Kristy Verdi, Learn and Serve Tampa Inc.

miraculously, they do. I tell them to sit quietly while I think, but what they don’t know is that my thoughts are not about them. My thoughts are about my two boys, one just across the street and the other about a mile down the road in a daycare center. And my husband? Where is he today? Why do I never listen when he says where he is going? I need a phone. I rush to the door and open it. I look down the hall and see every other teacher in that hall doing the same thing. We are all frozen and no one knows what to do.

If I asked you where you were on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, would you remember? Would you picture your surroundings, remember the people who were with you, the noise, the silence? Did you feel a tingle on your skin, experience a moment of melancholy, or shake your head at the memories that came flooding back? Our reactions may be different, but we all have them. We all have our stories.

I think it’s important for me to tell mine. One sunny Tuesday morning, as I finished up first period, a teacher walked past my classroom and suggested I turn on the news. He said a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers. I was teaching 12th grade Government. I had never been to New York City, but I knew that the World Trade Center towers were a major part of the city’s skyline. Seeing the smoke come out of the tower was scary but I, as did most of my students, assumed it was an accident. As the camera panned in closer and closer, we began to notice the size of the hole and our conversation was about the possible size of the plane. A few kids expressed

concerns for family members that traveled, but there was no major alarm.

At 8:55, the bell rang to dismiss the first period. By 9:00, most of my students were already settled in their seats. I had posted the assignment on the overhead, but everyone was looking at the TV. I told them we would leave it on if they could also get started on the assignment. At 9:03, I had just turned to the TV.

The rest is in slow motion memory. As I replay those seconds in my mind, I see the plane enter the picture on the screen, the camera’s view is shaken, and then there is an explosion. I hear, “Oh my God! Oh my God!” and screaming. I realize that I am standing in a classroom of teens who are all pointing at the TV and looking back and forth between me and the screen, asking, “Did you see that?”

It takes about three seconds for the entire class to realize that this was no accident. The astonished look turns to fear in most, anger in others. One female student is screaming and several kids are trying to console her. Everyone is talking. I tell everyone to be quiet, and

The rest of the time at school is a complete blank to me. I remember watching the towers collapsing and openly sobbing as they fell. By this time, rumors of more planes and more targets were circulating. Parents were coming to the schools and the buses start running early to get kids home.

Once we were released, I went to get my oldest son. He was nine years old, almost ten. He immediately asked me what was wrong. He said teachers were crying and seemed scared, and he could tell I was scared. I told him that some bad people did some bad things. I explained about the planes hitting the towers and the Pentagon, but I explained that it was far away from us.

I told him not to talk about it in front of his little brother and he understood. He held his questions until we were home. He wanted to watch the news with me. I was so scared he would see another attack. I am not sure how long we sat there watching together. Occasionally, he would turn and ask me a question. I answered them as best I could.

Where is the section in the parenting book about exposing your 10-year-old to such tragedy?

I still remember each moment above like it happened yesterday. Every year, on 9/11, I experience a range of emotions: sadness, helplessness, guilt, anger, and curiosity. I know I am not the only one. Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing when they learned about or saw the events of that day unfolding.

Well, not everyone. That realization came to me in 2009, when meeting with my service-learning leadership class. A student who had moved from New Jersey the year before brought up doing some type of remembrance activity for Patriot Day. Most of the other students looked perplexed. The young man explained. Although he was only 3 or 4 years old at the time, he had seen and heard things that many of the others had not.

After more conversation, it seemed that many students knew it was a tragic event in our nation’s history, but many had little knowledge about the actual course of events. In thinking back to my own experiences of that fateful day, I recall how I protected my youngest from the news, especially the images from that horrible day. My son was a year older than these students. Sadly, the 9/11 ‘story’ had eventually faded into the background of war in Afghanistan, then Iraq, and other subsequent military involvements, all ignited by those attacks.

An event that was indelibly burned in my mind was unknown to this generation.

Many of my students are from military families and some even had parents who were currently deployed. Yet, they had no knowledge of the events that precipitated their parent’s deployment.

We spent a few minutes talking about what they knew, what they didn’t know, what they wanted and needed to know if

we were going to do a memorial project. The service, they decided, would be to honor the individual victims who died that day, since most of the students at our school may not even be aware of the sheer number of people who were lost.

They decided each victim would have a star and we would display them on our front lawn. They brainstormed many things: a pattern for the stars, where to find a list of victims, how we would stick the stars in the ground. They made a supply list that included copies of the star pattern, red and blue construction paper, colored pencils or markers, scissors, glue, and wooden skewers. Once they realized how many victims we were talking about, they knew they needed help. One student suggested that we do the project with social studies classes since it was related to history—academic connection!

I had one student prepare an email to the social studies department asking them to let their students each make two stars before Friday, Sept. 11, and to share the PowerPoint so each student would understand the relevance. The display was beautiful, but those students found plenty of things to change and started planning for the next year right away.

The next year, the Patriot Day project

was held again, only this time the stars were a little bigger and my students laid out a giant star using string in which to align them. They added geometry to their learning objectives. When it was complete, they met and reflected on the project, and decided to go bigger. Within a few weeks, the students presented an even bigger idea for the next display. And so, a tradition was born.

Each marker is now a 9x12 rectangle that contains the name of a 9/11 victim and their location on that day. The markers are red, white, and blue and are laid out into the shape of an American flag. Marking the layout of the design on the front lawn was necessary to estimate the number of red, white, and blue markers they would need. We had 2,977 names to spread out on this flag. Seven red stripes, six white stripes, and a field of blue in one corner. Don’t forget the fifty stars!

The Patriot Day project improved every year at the hands of youth leaders. In later years, it moved with me to a new school. And now, it is on the move again. It is always an amazing day. What always starts as a chaotic scene emerges into

SEE MAKING ‘NEVER FORGET’ REAL, PG 42

a beautiful sight. As parents arrive to collect children at the end of the day, they step out of their cars to snap photos.

Once the day ended and everyone was gone, I would pull my SUV around and climb on top of it to take some pictures. I was always dehydrated and sunburned. My back hurt from stooping over. I would be utterly exhausted, but I never felt better. I would stay up there for a long while looking at that field, those markers, those people. With everyone gone, it was very quiet and peaceful. I felt tears forming but never really cried. I had many feelings: pride in my student’s work, love for my husband (who always helps with the flag), happiness that we finished, sadness for the people who died.

Sept. 11, every year, must allow our youth an opportunity to remember and to serve. It is a time when students should

learn about history through primary source documents, from multiple perspectives, and about the importance of diversity, tolerance, inclusion, empathy, and yes, the consequences of our failures to work together as a human race.

It is part of my mission to see this memorial continue so that we can truly carry on the memories of those we lost that day and to promote youth-conceived and youth-led service in their honor.

This project has always been an amazing experience that leaves an indelible impression on students and the community as a whole. It can never be done alone.

I would like to thank the wonderful social studies team that I had at Randall Middle School in Lithia, Fla. and the many R.A.Y.S. students who played a leadership role over the years. This is not my project. It belongs to them.

Thanks also to Franklin BPA for taking over the challenge and now Tinker K-12 as well. I must also thank the administrators who trusted me enough to let this happen.

And now, thanks to the leadership of the Veterans Adventure Network (VAN), volunteers from the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and sponsors Toyota Tampa Bay and American Visual Brands, the display has been replicated.

Please plan to join us at 1:00 P.M. on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023 at the University of South Florida (USF) Fowler Field Complex for the opening dedication.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Photos are from R.A.Y.S. Council and Learn and Serve Tampa Inc. Students shown in photos had signed media permissions.Flag photo from Pixabay.

MAKING ‘NEVER FORGET’ REAL, FROM PG 41

September 11, every year, must allow our youth an opportunity to remember and to serve.

Just another day

By Don Hinst

Just another day, or so we thought. How quickly evil people changed our lives, nation, and the world.

Confusion and disbelief brought us to our knees with emergency prayers.

Stanley Praimnath was working on the 81st floor of the World Trade Center South Tower when he saw an airplane flying directly toward him. Stanley dove under a desk, desperately praying, “Lord, I can’t do this! You take over!”

Brian Clark heard Praimnath’s cry for help. The two men transcended nearly impassible rubble and 80 flights of stairs to be just two of only 18 survivors from the impact zone or higher in the South Tower.

We are not promised to be spared difficult situations. However, we can be assured that our Heavenly Father hears our prayers and will see us through to the end.

After the attacks, the airspace was closed. Planes landed at the closest airports. Grounded planes landed in Gander, Newfoundland. Their arrival with thousands of passengers on board nearly doubled the community’s population. The community of Gander did not hesitate to open their homes, schools, lodges, and churches, converting everything they could into places for the thousands to stay. The frightened passengers were amazed by the generosity of the local people.

Life can be overwhelming on a good day, much less on days when the rubble and debris overwhelm us. All too often, the temptation to give up is real. The situation does not need to be permanent. Once again, confusion and disbelief often bring us to our knees with emergency prayers. This is when faithful perseverance kicks in. Keep hope. Lift up your eyes when you find yourself in unpleasant places, asking your Heavenly Father to give you the strength to persevere another day.

Heavenly Father, our souls may be weighed down. But they’re buoyed with the anticipation of another day that You will bring us peace, generosity, and compassion to share with those along our way.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Don Hinst is the Commander of American Legion Post 108 and Chaplain for American Legion District 15

VETTIPS THEREALESTATEINDUSTRYISINTURMOIL ANDISNOTJUSTABOUTINTERESTRATES.

PROBLEM TWO: HIGH-INTEREST RATES

Interest rates had been super low for a very long time. So long, in fact, that people had forgotten what the actual normal was. You see, prior to the economic collapse of 2008-2011, interest rates were about 6% as a norm. With 2% and 3% rates, we got spoiled. It is unlikely we will see low rates like that again. So, we need to get used to 6%. Consider this; rent is 100% interest!

Interest rates have doubled since 2020 and potential buyers are feeling the pinch. If rates were all they had to worry about, there might be a light at the end of the tunnel. Mix in outrageous insurance costs, utility costs, and drastically low home inventory, and it is pretty darn bleak.

PROBLEM ONE: LOW INVENTORY

You might think high-interest rates are the problem, but they’re not. We will get to that later. For now, let’s talk about inventory. In 2020 home prices skyrocketed all over the country. This was partially due to a movement of the masses. The concept of working from home created a new reality: “Hey! I can live anywhere and still do my job.” Florida, being a state with no state tax, incredible veteran benefits, and a reputation of being somewhat affordable, the masses came in droves. Florida homeowners who had no intention of selling found themselves unable to say no when faced with the opportunity to sell for 50k, 100k, or 150k more than they owed. It was time to sell the mansion and travel the country in an Airstream! Areas that would typically, over the past decade, have 300 or so listings on the market at any given time were reduced to 50 or 60 homes on the market. IT WAS A FRENZY!

THE QUAGMIRE: PRICES REMAIN HIGH

You are likely to stay put if you don’t have to move because of necessity. Where once, the average length of time a person stayed in a home was 3 to 5 years, now the average length of time is much longer. People are staying where they are to avoid giving up their low-interest rates for high-interest rates on a new mortgage for a new home. This means the housing inventory remains low, and when inventory is low, prices remain high.

THE TRIFECTA

The third evil player in this game is holding costs, i.e., utilities and insurance. Everyone is astonished by the much higher electric bills today and the rising costs of insurance in Florida have many homeowners at risk of losing their homes.

All bad news … Well, what if I had some good news to share?

THE GOOD NEWS: PORTABILITY

The Florida State Constitution was amended in 2008, bringing forth an incredible benefit for Florida homesteaded property owners. Most everyone knows about the Homestead Exemption, but there is an even more intriguing benefit – Portability.

WHAT IS PORTABILITY?

The Save Our Homes provision of the Florida Homestead Exemption amendment allows for a cap on the annual increase of a homesteaded property’s taxable value of 3% regardless of market value increase. For

the sake of calculating portability, one must know their homestead’s market value and their homestead’s taxable value – two different values. The difference between the two values becomes your CAP VALUE. Your CAP VALUE is what becomes portable.

Portable means you take it with you to your new home. For example:

If the Market Value is $275,000 and, the Taxable Value is $218,000, then, Subtract the taxable value from the market value and, The CAP VALUE is $57,000 (the portable amount)

HOW IS THE CAP VALUE PORTABLE?

Portability works in two ways: one way is if you purchase a more expensive home and another is if you purchase a less expensive home.

PORTABILITY TO A MORE EXPENSIVE HOME

If a qualifying Florida homeowner purchases a more expensive homestead (must be a homestead) within two years of relinquishing their prior homestead status, they can use the CAP VALUE from their previous homestead and apply it against the taxable value of the new homestead. Using the CAP VALUE from our last example, the formula looks like this:

New Home Market Value $550,000

Minus the Accrued CAP VALUE of $57,000 (from the prior example)

Minus the Standard Homestead Exemption of $50,000

You have a new taxable value of $393,000 on your new home.

PORTABILITY TO A LESS EXPENSIVE HOME

If a qualifying Florida homeowner purchases a less expensive homestead within two years of relinquishing their prior homestead status, they can use a percentage of the CAP VALUE from the previous homestead property. Using our example home once again, the formula looks like this:

Divide the New Home Market Value by the Old Home Market Value

$175,000 New Home / $275,000 Old Home = 0.636

Multiply the resulting ratio against the old home’s taxable value to define the new home’s taxable value.

0.636 x $218,000 = $137,727

Minus the Standard Homestead Exemption of $50,000

Your New Taxable Value is just $88,727! WOW!

We Will Never Forget