I know some of you weren't even born yet when this happened but I remember it like yesterday. I was 14 in middle school,  just about to go into my 2nd period class history when I heard the news.  My brother who was a senior at the time and just enlisted in the US Army in July of 2001 to help pay for his college.  At the time not knowing what this attack on the United States meant it definitely changed our futures.   Some of you don't know but 1st platoon "Widowmakers" is actually named after the platoon he served in, in 82nd Airborne when he was killed in October of 2002.  

 For those that were born prior to 2001, where were you on this day? 

I was 5 years old, living in Anaheim, California. I remember my parents were arguing about something, so my mom sat me down and turned the TV on while they fought. The whole time while they were fighting, I remember thinking there was a dramatic movie on, planes ramming into buildings, people screaming, reporters crying. I had no idea that at 5 years old, I was watching what would be the darkest day in American history, since Pearl Harbor. 2016, I enlisted in the US Army as an Infantryman. I went to Fort Benning Georgia for OSUT (Same school you all go through for this community) And by the time graduation was coming 16 weeks later, we had a whole hour of knowing what units we were going to. Most of my friends were going to the 10th Mountain at Fort Drum or Fort Polk, some went to the 1st Cavalry at Fort Hood, 1 went to 1st Armored at Fort Bliss, the Airborne guys went to Vincenza, Italy for the 173rd or Fort Bragg for the 82nd. I was the only 1 who went to Fort Campbell Kentucky for the 101st Airborne Division, I was also the only one who deployed right after basic. I went to the Kandahar Provence of Afghanistan at a Combat Outpost called COOP Arena, we were set up there with Italy's Airmobile Brigade, never saw major combat other than some guys taking pot shots at us for about 5 seconds before dipping out, that somehow managed to earn me my CIB. But after my 9 months and 14 days in country, that's pretty much been it for me. But knowing that even though I could do that, it makes me feel like I proved myself to all those people who died because they wanted to prove a point to us. Well we proved out point right back at them. Soldiers, stay happy, stay humble, stay hungry. Because people like Major LaFlash, Major ret. Simmons, Major ret. Cantu, 1st Lieutenant ret. Johnson, and so many who have come before us, they fought for all of us. 

Well what I was doing at the time it was happening, don't recall but I do recall making my way to a TV to find out just to see the second plane hitting the towers. I remember speaking with recruiters given I was still in IIAR at the time (though near the end) and calling my cousin who at that time was a CPT at Fort Campbell in the days that followed. All to weigh out my options about going back on active duty.