lc_story208.xml

lc_story208.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2004-01-06

I am a MA State Trooper and I was on the way home from a midnight shift. The scanner had one town's Chief call for a moment of silence for a tragedy in NYC. I then turned on the news radio to the talk of tragedy, that soon became talk of a terrorist attack.
Then came local orders to start protecting critical buldings and sites. I could feel the sense of great tragedy and of history in progress. It was an unreal feeling; A sense of disbelief.

The strongest memory of that day was when I started to hear the live reports from NYC concerning what was obviously a terrorist attack unfolding; The reporters descriptions of what was going on. The great imortance and shock imprinted that moment in my mind.
I remember everything about the inside of my cruiser, the morning sun/weather, and the surrounding environment. It is weird how I can recall that time of day as if it just happended.
Of course, seeing the actual video footage of what was going will always be the strongest memory.

The country, although wounded, has grown and learned. The U.S. needed to increase security. The age of large military forces attacking the homeland are over. The country now recognizes a mobile and stealthy force threatens not only the government, but also each individual. We are much more prepaired to stop terrorist attacks. Americans also will not be as shocked at the next attack.
The sense of widespread patriotism is also a good outcome from this tragedy. Americans are remember that they are citizens of a great country.
As for myself, the tragedy created great change in my life. Soon after 9/11, my National Guard MP unit was activated for the homeland defense mission at Boston's Logan International Airport (where I met my future wife). After that we were deployed to the Afghanistan area of operations.
That one day took me from my civilian life for almost two years. Two years that I proudly served. There was no nobler task than to put on my country's uniform to protect the living and to bring the fight to the killers of the innocents.