lc_story200.xml

lc_story200.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2004-01-06

My 9/11 story


I had just recentaly joined the Air Force. Of course nobody thought somthin like what happend would actually happen. I was at Luke Air Force Base for training. I hadn't completed technical training yet. At Luke we were learning how to launch and recover aircraft. Almost done with training.

I remember going into class that day, the first jet had struck the first tower. I'm thinking "What was a jet doing THAT close to the towers? Dumb Pilot" Moments later the second jet had hit the tower. Now I'm thinking "whoa, somthing isn't right here." We pressed on with the class and went out and started training for the day. One of our instructors came up and said "The Pentagon was just hit!" I knew then we were under attack. Soon after class was canceled due to the airspace getting shut down. We went inside and watched the coverage. The base was shut down and we since were in student status weren't allowed off base. It was quite a strange and scarey time. Since we didn't really know what was goin on none of us knew what to expect. Were we going to be shipped out or what? Not that I think any of us would have minded. We all were angry and wanted to do our part.

Strongest memory of that day? Wow, hard to say. The whole day was filled with so many different emotions. Much the same as I'm sure the rest of the world felt. Shock, anger, hatred, fear, pain, and sorrow. I remember feeling traped on that base. And wanting so bad to get out and do somthing. Help or somthing, feeling so powerless. But the main memory I had of that day was how quick the base was locked down, like you blinked and it was locked down.

Those events have stirred a strong sense of patriotisim in me. Not that I didn't have it before. But it seems to have firmed it. More of a sense of duty, and what I'm doing is making a difference. More so since the war, wich I was there for Iraqi Freedom and The war of terrorisim.