GCVHCS Staff Remembers 9/11 by gulfcoastveteranshealthcaresystem

remembers

Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System

I was in the Dayroom on Ward 41G-1 @ Gulfport VA doing ADL's (activities of daily living/ assisting the Alzheimer's patients with shaving and other grooming) the TV was always on the News channels, so there we watched...

My children and I were in the BX at the base where we were stationed checking out. I was looking at the TV on the wall and we all just stopped and watched. I gathered my children, we went home and turned the tv on. The bases were locked down and it was a number of hours before their dad could get home. I called my dad and we watched the events unfold as the second plane struck. One of the few times I have heard my dad sobbing was when we realized what we were seeing were people jumping out of the buildings.

On that day , I was teaching a Nursing Course to Nursing students at MGCCC in Gautier, MS.

We were stationed at Hurlburt Field, I was driving to work, at the Fort Walton Beach YMCA, when I heard the radio host talking about a plane crashing into one of the world trade center buildings. Not knowing at the time it was a terrorist attack, it seemed unbelievable. Even when there was more information that it was an act of terrorism, it seemed even more unreal, that something of that magnitude could happen on US soil. My 5 year old son at the time, was even affected, not understanding why people did that, and why are they bad like that. He drew a picture of planes flying into the building, with fire. I still have the picture. He is 26 now, serving his country, stationed at Hurlburt and is aircraft structural maintenance and corrosion control.

I had just graduated from high school in May and was in my first semester of college. I came home from school and walked into my house and noticed my older sister sitting in front of the TV crying. I asked what's wrong and looked and observed the horrifying pictures of people jumping from a building, smoke, and a plane destroyed. I started praying and crying. I will never forget, never.

I was working drive-thru of McDonald's and one of my customers told me that the first plane had hit the World Trade Center. All of a sudden all my customers were listening to the news. When I was told the second plane had hit the tower, I called my manager who was my friend and told him what I was being told. I remember him saying "There's no way- we would have to be under attack." He found a radio and put it on the news just in time for us to hear about to collapse and flight 93.

We continued that shift but I lived on Eglin and remembered being worried about if I could actually get on base.

I was at Shepperd Air Force Base and a new active duty trainee in the Air Force. I was in the middle of technical training when I saw the collapse of the twin towers on television. When I was told it was due to terrorism, I immediately thought, Oh my God, we're about to go to war!

It was My junior year of high school. I was seated in the library of our school as it was a day we visited to do research for a paper I was writing. Our librarian always had C-span on as she was a political science major. In the background of the reporters was the white house and the other had the World Trade Towers. As we sat there watching off and on, I happened to be watching when what I thought was a bird fly across the screen then an exposition! I knew then that wasn't a bird... I asked my friend next to me if they see that and it was in that moment the reporter also started to show shock and concern but remained in his reporter demeanor. He began asking questions as calls of panic and terror flooded in claiming the tower was on fire. At that point the entire library began watching. They replayed the footage showing that an airplane had in fact hit the tower and created the fire/explosion. We all watched in bewilderment. Unsure what had happened, had the plane had mechanical issues? Was this an accident? Was this on purpose? And then a second plane and the collapse. All live on the tv. We all gasped in terror. It was obvious this was no accident at that point. Some class mates became distraught and wanted to speak to their parents. As the day went on teachings and learning wasn't happening but instead our school gathered and watched in shear awe. I remember going home after school calling my Mother asking if she had heard and asking her to come home. She was a widowed full-time working mother of two. We had long discussions of what had happened and what to expect as news that it was deemed a terrorist attack. But all I can think about is the replaying of the plane hitting the building, over and over again. Then the patriotic unity that followed. It seemed we all said the Pledge of Allegiance much louder before class began each day from there on out.

I had just recently retired from the navy on September 1, 2001. I was lying in bed asleep when my phone rang. It was my mother telling me to turn on the tv. When I did, I questioned why she wanted me to see this movie (since I had just woken up) it took me a minute to realize that it was not a movie. I spent the next 6 months wondering whether or not I would be recalled to active duty. At that time there was no need for an old retired boiler technician.

I was a young Marine Lance Corporal stationed at Camp Pendleton, California. I remember I woke up late and was running late to formation. I got up threw on my cammies and drove to my comm shop. I parked, and as soon as I got out of my vehicle one of my fellow Marines approached me, "Stewie did you hear?!?!" I had not. I raced inside the shop to see my platoon gathered around a small tv watching as the towers were going down. I then looked at my phone to see 30 missed calls from family and friends. Everything changed from that moment. Fast forward a year later, I was on my way to the middle east.

I was in my sixth grade science class. One of the teachers at Phillips Prep School ran into the room and said, "TURN ON THE TV TO THE NEWS". We all watched in disbelief. We found out the next day that my science teacher's sister missed her flight that day due to a traffic delay...and one of the flights that crashed into the WTC was that missed flight.

I was in New York and have personally been changed by 9/11. September 11, 2001 was the first day of preschool for my daughter. I was on maternity leave with my newborn son but I worked at 90 Church St at the time, and my office window overlooked 4 World Trade. Ironically it was home to a preschool and my husband I and debated to put the kids in all day daycare in Manhattan where I could see the small playground, or a local preschool and sitter when I returned to work. Every day I met my husband for lunch as he worked three blocks from me and we would eat outside 1 World Trade on nice days. There were outdoor concerts in the spring and summer that provided a nice break from work. Anyway, we decided on pre-school. September 11th was a GLORIOUS day. Perfect really. As we stood outside the preschool waiting for the door to open, we saw a black cloud in the distance but had no idea what it was (we were about 22 miles away on Long Island). Our daughter settled in, we returned home, and just as my husband was about to leave for the train into the city, we received frantic calls from family about his whereabouts. We turned on the TV and just cried.

My cousin was a FDNY firefighter; his jacket was blown off and he was

taken to Staten Island, identity unknown for awhile, but he survived. I lost two friends who were NYPD Police Officers. A friend's son started work at World Trade that day; he did not survive. My husband was a First Responder; he was at Ground Zero starting September 12th as an Environmental Engineer. He developed both small cell and non-small cell lung cancer and passed away as a result of his exposure.

Living in New York, I will tell you, there was

an American Flag flying in front of every home. Patriotism was strong. The phrase "Never Forget" is one I hold steadfast. 9/11 changed our world. I tear up every year when I see the 9/11 memorial wall on Highway 90 or Coast Firefighters walking the OS Bridge in full gear as a tribute.

I often think about all the men and women who joined the military as a response

to the attack on our country, many of them probably employed by GCVHCS, and I want to thank you for your service.

My proud US Army Veteran husband is buried in the Biloxi

National Cemetery. Despite numerous illnesses he had as a result of him being at Ground Zero, he never regretted testing air quality or fit testing First Responders digging through the rubble. I have a piece of metal from one of the towers displayed near his memorial flag above the fireplace as a reminder to Never Forget 9/11. Thank you for hearing my story. God Bless America.

I was stationed at Yokosuka Naval Station, Japan. I was the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Commanding Officer of the Naval Pacific Meteorological and Oceanography Command comprised of 200 enlisted personnel , 20 officers, and 12 civilians. We had detachment commands from Northern Japan down to Guam in the Western Pacific. It was shortly after 11 P.M. - Japan time when the first plane was crashed into the World Trade Center. By the following morning, every base in the Western Pacific was on lockdown, and remained as such for the next 30 days. Every Naval ship both U.S. and Japanese, were immediately deployed to provide worldwide tactical response to mitigate any future terrorist actions. Significant security changes took place thereafter and have remained as such some 20 years later.

I was in Bldg 19, 1st floor conference room. The Domiciliary. We had just finished a meeting and were talking. The VA Police came rolling through and told me they were going to lock down the buildings, the campus. I looked a them and uttered, "Ok. Something must be going on around here". Soon after that, another staff member came into the conference room and turned on the television. Said, "look y'all". The news was on. We all sat there watching the screen. Stunned. Silent. It was as if we were watching a science-fiction movie. We spent most of the day in that conference room, watching the news coverage. Wondering. Worrying. Things were never the same after that.

I was in the United States Marine Corps and once I seen the planes flying into the World Trade Center I went to my Avionics Captain to request an update on my Officer Candidate School Package. When I noticed that he was trying to cover it up as it had been sitting on his desk for the past several months I requested permission to speak freely and once it was granted...., well let's just say I was at Officer Candidates School within a matter of a week.

My husband and I were on a flight from Gulfport to California. We landed in Dallas just moments after the first plane hit the tower. We watched with several hundred others as the second plane hit. We managed to find our luggage and got checked in to a hotel. We stayed for two days watching the horror on TV, because we were unable to leave because there were no flights, trains, bus tickets available. Finally, my parents drove to Dallas to pick us up. I still have the original plane tickets and boarding passes from that day.

I WAS STATION @FT. RILEY KS WORKING IN THE WAREHOUSE 92A

On that tragic day I was active duty Air Force at Keesler Air Force Base. My suitemate told me to turn on my television and when I did I thought I was looking at a movie, because the images were surreal. I did not believe that something like that could happen on American soil. I panicked and called my parents to make sure they were fine, because of the attack on the Pentagon in Washington, DC. There was pandemonium on the base with "hurry up and get ready" orders coming from everywhere. The reality that I may ACTUALLY have to defend our country in combat shook me to my core. Eventually I did have to strap up my boots and load my M-16 to defend our great and powerful nation.

I was on active duty at Corry Station in Pensacola. I came in early that morning to catch up on emails from being on leave. I turned on the radio and was vaguely listening. I heard people yelling about something they saw, but not focusing on what was happening. One of my coworkers yelled at me to come see what was on TV. I ignored him. After finally being tired of him yelling at me for what seemed at least 5 minutes, I got up and went into the clinic. I said (quite adamantly), "What is so important?" He said as he pointed to the TV, "Look!" It stopped me cold in my tracks. The TV was on CNN. I remember seeing someone jumping out of a building to his death. For the next four hours, we did absolutely nothing but look at TV, just waiting to hear what was to happen next. Event after event, death after death, it took my breath away. I don't even remember if we had patients that day, but I'll never forget seeing that gruesome picture.

I was a US Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer, assigned to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, Hickam AFB, Honolulu, HI. I was on my first deployment which took me to the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LAOS) to conduct investigations and recovery missions on a mountain hillside. After successfully bringing back recovered American remains, our team flew through Thailand in transit on our final leg back to Hawaii. I was out in town having some real food for dinner and on our way back to our hotel, locals out in the community kept saying "America went boom-boom," I had no idea of what they were saying. As we approached our hotel lobby. A large group of our American team was at the hotel bar crowding around watching the TV monitors in disbelief. I asked one of the team leaders who was a Captain in the US Army, Sir, what is going on? He replied that passenger airlines crashed into each of the twin towers in New York City. As I watched the TV screen I too was in shock as they replayed the infamous footage of the planes crashing into the buildings over and over. We were scheduled to depart in the morning to fly back to Hawaii. That morning we got the news that we would remain in country until the no fly-zone from President Bush until further notice. We remained in country and finally flew home two-weeks later.

I was stationed in Yokosuka, Japan aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV63). I was in our housing unit on base, just finished eating dinner with my family. We were watching TV when the show was interrupted and a breaking news came on about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center building. Within less than an hour everybody on my ship was recalled back to the ship and the base was put on lockdown.

I was at work at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, FL in the case management department. I was preparing to go to a meeting when a co-worker told me that her husband called and told her that a plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers. At first I thought she was joking or that a small plane had lost its way. But when she told me it was a passenger plane, I couldn't believe it. We all immediately went to a room that had a TV and watched what unfolded in shock and disbelief.

I had just returned from a 6 month deployment and was at Providence Hospital because my mother had surgery the day prior. My mom and I were watching Matlock that morning when the news broke and the world changed.

I was in college at the University of Pittsburgh and an ROTC cadet. My family was not a military family so I was trying out ROTC the first semester prior to a scholarship/enlistment commitment. I had walked into the library to study and saw everyone standing still, surrounding the TV--instead of reading. It was surreal and I did not understand until I saw what was on the screen. This horrific act instantly made me realize the commitment I was making as an ROTC cadet. Although I understood the purpose and sacrifice of our military on an intellectual level--this event made it real for me. gave me a purpose.

I initially committed to four years post graduation and

went on to complete 12 years of military service in active duty and as a traditional reservist in the United States Air Force.

My story is about my daughter. On Sept 11.2001, she was a flight attendant for American Airlines. That first plane that was taken into the Towers was an American Airlines plane; and, that was her crew. She was supposed to have been working that day; but, she had already decided that she wanted to become a pilot, and she had class that day; so, she called in. Unfortunately, she had to learn to live with the guilt that someone died in her place; but, fortunately, she is here to talk about it. She lost her crew; and, it took over 6 months for her to get the strength to get back on a plane; but, she has persevered; and, I am thankful, daily, that she is still here, and I can talk about her story.

I was on a cruise with Carnival and was returning from an excursion in Cozumel when we noticed armed military in jeeps in the streets escorting us back to our ship. There were metal detectors to enter that were not there previously. All TVs were on to the day's events. Most of us thought it was a movie. No one knew when we were going to be allowed back home. Upon finally being allowed to dock in Tampa we were greeted by groups of people waving flags and welcoming us back.

I was a junior in high school. It was yearbook picture day and I was helping out with getting students in and out of the auditorium. A teacher ran in and told someone to turn on the TV. Everything stopped. No one knew that to think or how to process what we were seeing. Picture day was canceled. No one wanted to smile after what we witnessed. Every TV in the school was on and the news reports echoed from room to room and into the halls.

Even with all the chaos, we

came together to comfort one another.

I was working the front desk at Memorial Behavioral Health in Gulfport when all of a sudden the news flashed as the first plane crashed into the Twin Tower.

I was sitting in my 7th grade U.S. History class when the principal made an overhead announcement about an accident happening in New York City and we were all to stay in our classrooms. My mom worked at the school that I went to so I asked my teacher if I could go to her office. When I got to my mom's office, the fear on every adults' face told me something wasn't right. My mom had a small tv in her office and I watched as the second plane hit the second tower. It was the scariest thing I had ever seen happen live. I watched the adults around me begin to cry and the news personnel run away as debris began to fall. I will never forget that.

I was teaching in a behavior modification class. We heard gasps coming from the classroom next door as they were watching a news broadcast during a lesson that was interrupted by the news of the collapse of the twin towers. The students were fearful from this news and living in a highly military presence location many of them had lots of questions about if their military serving parents would be called into active duty, many wanted to contact parents directly. The school district decided to send out an all call to parents in response that if they felt they wanted to pick up children from school to address their concerns they could. My own thoughts, fears and concerns made it very difficult to concentrate to continue teaching but I was gratefully able to power through for the sake of my students and to alleviate as much of their questions and concerns as possible that day.

I was at work in Fayetteville, NC - Home of Fort Bragg. I was at work at the Duke Infectious Disease Clinic satellite clinic. It was interesting to be at Ft. Bragg during that time!

I remember it like it was yesterday; I was at home taking a nap in the middle of the day, when I received a phone call from my son Jaime's school telling me that school was been let out early due to some threat. I had no ideal of what was going on because I had not seen the news, so I got in my car and drive up to my son's school. When I arrived it his school, it was chaotic parents were in a panic running in the school building asking for there children, at that point ask one of the parents what was going on she replied that a air plane had crashed into the Empire stated building and the Pentagon.

I was working for a western catalog company in Cheyenne Wyoming. When I heard the news break at first I thought it was a prank like war of the worlds was.

I was located in Gulfport, MS and at that time I was an 8th grade student. It was early in the day and I was actually working as a Student Office Assistant in the Administrative Office for my school. I remember filing some papers when our school Police Officer ran into the office with a very concerning look on his face; he was almost in tears. At that time, I didn't know what happened, but from the look on his face, I could tell it was something major. He told everyone what happened in the office and I remember everyone in the office scrambling to turn on the news to confirm what he said. However, I was still lost as to what was going on. So I asked one of the counselors in that office and she explained to me that the World Trade Center was attacked. At that moment, it was my first time hearing about the World Trade Center while also learning that my country was experiencing a terrorist attack. I was young, so I didn't really know how to react- but I knew something major happened and I was now curious. Later that night, I spent hours watching the news of what occurred earlier that day.

Drill Sergeant @ Fort Benning , Ga. Week 1 of basic training we were doing repel training with our new class when one of my battles came told me that they just flew a plane into one of the towers. We had to cancel training for the rest of the day and immediately trained on guard duty and we were doing gate guard duty for about 2 weeks

I was a supervisor at the Navy Exchange in Gulfport MS. I was getting ready for work while watching Good Morning America. I heard that an airplane crashed into one of the twin towers. I initially thought they meant a little Cessna or something similar. So I started watching, then another airplane crashed into it. I was totally in a state of shock. Then the rest of the days events played out. I was in a state of disbelief. Soon after I was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I will never forget that day.....

I was stationed at Supervisor Of Shipbuilding , Pascagoula, MS. Participating in the Chief Petty Officer initiation as a CPO Selectee

I was working at the Developmental Evaluation Center in Asheville, NC as a Developmental Specialist. My Director allowed us to stop working so that we could watch the news on the TV in the waiting room. My brother, sister, nieces and nephews live in Brooklyn, New York so I was on the phone checking on each of them. My father, a retired New York City Firefighter, had passed away a year ago. He would have cried for the families of the 343 fallen firefighters.

I had just finished a night shift in the ER.

I was off the next day so I

decided to stay awake and make homemade jelly. Came back inside from picking scuppernongs. I heard on tv that all flights were grounded. I thought a bomb scare at Gulfport. Then they showed the footage of plane hitting tower. I cried and drove to my aunt's house. We just hugged each other and cried, out of sadness and fear. Like Alan Jackson said, "When the world stopped turning."

I was Living in Philadelphia , Pa at that time and working day shift, During the morning medication pass, when a Np came out the Patient room and said to me they ran a Air Plane in the World Trade Center, and I replied oh my God!!

I was driving to graduate school at Auburn University listening to the radio when the announcement came about the first plane hitting the first Tower. The second one hit shortly after. By the time I got to school, TVs were on and we were all glued to the images that are now burned into my memory.

What was so ironic about

that day? I saw my very first psychotherapy patient while the disaster was taking place. I don't recall much about that session except my nerves were on fire for reasons other than performance anxiety about doing my first session. Now as a PhD psychologist of 16 years with VA, I can't believe so much in my life was changed by that day.

As a retired Air Force veteran, I always intended to

serve veterans once my degree was completed. My first year in the trenches was about helping students cope with what they saw and experienced that day, and I still have clients who are troubled by their first-hand experiences at the disaster sites. America

God Bless

I was at work in Fayetteville, NC - Home of Fort Bragg. I was at work at the Duke Infectious Disease Clinic satellite clinic. It was interesting to be at Ft. Bragg during that time!

I was working for a western catalog company in Cheyenne Wyoming. When I heard the news break at first I thought it was a prank like war of the worlds was.

I was active duty on Keesler AFB and was in the Medical Readiness section auditing records to prepare for future deployments.

On active duty with the US Army 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum NY. Had just returned from physical training.

I was working at Memorial Hospital in Gulfport, MS on the Acute Inpatient Adolescent Unit. As I passed by the Adolescent Boys' Dayroom, I saw on the television a skyscraper in engulfed in flames and smoke. I quickly learned in was the United States, New York, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

On September 11 I was teaching school in Ocean Springs. We had just been to New York earlier in the year on a Spring Break trip. We did all the tourist activities, Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Broadway and of course the World Trade Towers. Initially, believing the first plane was a bizarre aviation accident we were shocked - then as the second plane crashed into the other tower, stunned disbelief gave way to a numb terror, fear and anger at the realization this nation had been attacked in a cowardly act of terrorism. If only the patriotic nationalism that was present on September 12th continued to this day, our nation would be more dedicated to and centered around our founding ideals. USA!!

I was stationed at Holloman AFB, New Mexico as a paralegal in the base legal office, 49th Fighter Squadron. It seemed like a normal day, doing PT in the morning, coming to work to see what was scheduled for the day. I was in the General Law section when someone ran in and said "a small cessna-like plane hit one of the Twin Towers!". I went over to the TV and saw the building. Since I was taking private pilot lessons, I quickly realized that it was a larger plane that struck because of the size of the impact. As we gathered around the TV and watching the chaos, the second plane hit. We were stunned. I was concerned if Holloman will be hit because the 117A Stealth Fighters are based out of Holloman. All of a sudden the base went straight to Real World Delta. The Deployment Line immediately stood up and we decided who was manning the Deployment Line on day shift and night shift. We were sent home to change into our BDUs and to return. We were also told to have our C-Bag and all deployment gear on standby (yes, paralegals and JAGs deploy). Nothing was the same..daily bomb checks on vehicles entering the base, not knowing when another terrorist attack will happen on American soil. I still become hypervigilant on 9/11.

I was working in Washington DC @ Washington Hospital Center. I remember watching it on TV as it was happening and then all of the announcements being made for us to begin to discharge any patients that already had orders or were stable enough to leave the hospital. Also, to prepare for emergency admits since the Pentagon was hit.

My memories of September 11, 2001 take place in Fort Benning, Georgia, on the US Army post, where our family was stationed from 1999 through 2003. I am an Army Veteran and at the time was a stay at home mom of three young children. I had just got home from walking my two sons, 8 and 4, to their elementary school on base. I was watching Good Morning America with my daughter, who was 2 years old, when a plane was reported to have crashed into one of the World Trade Centers. It appeared to be a terrible accident at first, and then it was reported minutes later that a second plane crashed into the other World Trade Center. It was at that moment that the news reported the United States was under attack by terrorists. The base went on total lock down, we were instructed to pick up our children from school. Everything as we knew it changed on that day, as America experienced the deadliest terrorist attacks in United States history.

At the time of the first horrific accident (or so I thought at the time), I was sitting at my classroom desk watching ABC news, prior to my first class, as I often did. When the breaking news came on the air, initially I was slightly confused and not sure exactly what I was witnessing, then horrified and shocked as I sat there unable to move, eyes glued to the TV screen while I continued to watch the horror unfold. It took a few seconds for me to realize that this was not some unimaginable horrible accident, but a well-planned attack on my homeland, and knowing that many lives would be lost that day. Little did I know the true magnitude of total destruction yet to be revealed, the number of lives that would be forever lost, families engulfed in unimaginable grief and loss, the mental and emotional anguish that would be felt world-wide and least of all, the national and world-wide impact yet to unfold. As I sat there praying, searching desperately for clarity in understanding, comfort and the answer to two questions, who and why? I became even more distressed as I remembered that my nephew was in flight that morning from Atlanta, GA to NYC, as he did routinely every week for his job. Because phones lines were backed up, it took all that day and into the next afternoon to finally get through to him and find out that he was safe and well, and that their flight had been diverted to New Jersey without their knowledge as to the reason for the last-minute change (understandably, passengers only found out the reason for the re-route after landing and upon entering the airport and seeing the look of panic and horror on the faces of many airport guests, and finally seeing the news on the screens). My day and many days/ weeks to follow have been days of prayer, reflection and hope for better tomorrows...

I remember where I was and what I was doing so vividly. The new school year had just recently started. I was beginning my first year of middle school in the 6th grade. I was sitting in my pre-algebra class, the morning bell had just rung, and the teacher was beginning to start class. Before we knew it, class was interrupted and we were told to turn on the television. And there it was...before our eyes... one of the Twin towers, with dark, black smoke coming from its side.

I had just moved to the Gulf Coast and was working as an office nurse in a rural clinic. I heard the beginnings of it all on the radio driving to work. We turned the tv on in the waiting area and it became known, the plane crashes were on purpose. The combination of my living in a new town/new job and this attack on our country, overwhelmed me and I felt very anxious. Walk-in patients began arriving and in disbelief, I would ask, 'haven't you seen the news?'. LOL. We all kind of kept track, but all I could think of was my children at school, and I wanted them with me. I left work to get them, bringing them back to work with me, just one less worry. (Eventually I took them back, at their request.) It was a horrible, horrible day and night of uncertainty, waiting to see what else was going to happen next.

My wife and I went in to work as normal an a beautiful Tuesday morning at the Pentagon. I walked by her office and her team was huddled around a TV and watching in shock after the first plane hit the tower. At that point i thought it was a terrible accident and proceeded on my way. I passed back through a short time later and the second one had hit. At that point you knew it was a terrorist attack. I made my way back to my office and we discussed what was going on and waited for details. A short time later we were notified to evacuate. We cleared the patients out of the clinic and a couple of us grabbed rolling supply cabinets, and other supplies and sent them out to the evacuation site. We couldn’t hear or feel the impact but it was on TV about the same time we were told to evacuate. We had no idea where the impact was but we were sure we would need the supplies. I was with a couple other people and we grabbed the litters we had in the logistics area and started running toward the impact area. Once we reached the courtyard you could see the smoke and smell the jet fuel and burning embers. I made my way into the area and putting a few wounded onto stretchers and started them toward the exits where the first responders were staging. As we moved the patients that were in the area, the Fire and Rescue people showed up took control and told us to make our way back out of the building. Once we made it outside we stood and stared at the damage for the next several hours in disbelief. It was mass chaos at first but you could see how quickly the professionals transformed it to a controlled, organized response.

On a sunny morning in September, my kids (ages 3, 5, 7 and 9) were sitting around the dining room table, eagerly awaiting a big animal pancake breakfast before we headed out to the beach. We were on an adventure and this was one of the highlights of our trip; a visit to “Nana and Grandy’s” - my parent’s home in Rhode Island. Final Destination “Club Med” (Incirlik AB, Turkey). As a Captain in the Air Force, I had been given a short notice, accompanied tour. Because the move was so short notice, I was offered this “R&R” location in the heart of the land of the seven churches, as regaled in The Bible. As I reached for the pancake syrup, the phone rang. The frantic voice of my aunt stopped me in my tracks, “Turn on the T.V! A plane just flew into the twin towers in NY”. It was 9am and, like so many others, we all watched in abject horror as the towers burned. As the announcer tried to make sense of the scene, we watched the plane fly into the towers again…but the towers were already on fire…that couldn’t be a rerun of the first hit, and then my blood ran cold: This is America under attack. That brutal day seemed to stretch on forever. We didn’t know when the attacks would end. It sent my life careening in a different direction. I had to get my uniform on and report for duty to the nearest military base. We were at war. Nine days later, almost as soon as they lifted the no-fly zone out of Baltimore, we flew on a commercial jet packed with troops in Battle Dress Uniform (BDU’s) carrying their weapons, headed for Afghanistan. Our “Club Med” adventure, turned into a 2 year tour on a Turkish AB at the U.S. nuclear-hardened, frontline hospital for The War on Terrorism.