Tagged With "Patriot Day"

A very thoughtful post. On the morning of 9/11/2001, I was in the air en route from Eugene, OR to Denver. Our plane was turned around and ordered to ground with the rest of the US air fleet. Once on the tarmac, the captain entered the cabin and read from a cockpit fax describing the event and that every airborne plane was considered a potential target. Passengers then all walked to the terminal and huddled around television monitors.

I agree with you!

The day started as any other. A pretty normal Tuesday. Put my uniform on, drove through the front gate of the Air Force base where we were assigned, and got to work. After a few minutes, it was apparent this wasn't going to be just another Tuesday... In our military, readiness exercises happen all the time to prepare for events involving natural disasters and domestic/international threats. Awareness of these exercises occurs from internal communication and is posted at the base entrance. An...

I was on my way to work when I saw and heard our Air Guard unit's F-16's scramble. My father-in-law had been a member of the unit and I knew the difference between a regular training takeoff and a "scramble" or "full military power" takeoff (as he always called it). I turned on the radio in time to hear that a plane had flown into tower 1. I had visited the WTC as a senior in high school in 1979 and had vivid memories of what those buildings were like - the height, location, view from the...