Sara Loggin
Where were you last Tuesday at, say, 11:39am? You can’t remember, can you? Now tell me, dear reader, where you were September 11, 2001. You may not remember every second of that day, but I bet you can tell me just where you were when you heard about the attacks on the United States.
Ten years ago, I was 14, still in high school. I was likely gossiping with friends about how cute the new guy was, or how horrible the homework was for some class or other. The principal called us all into the auditorium, and we were filled with a nervous energy. All morning, we had heard snippets of conversations from the older kids and teachers about war, twin towers, and New York. We didn’t know what any of this meant, so in our naiveté, we cracked jokes, hoping that the rumors weren’t true.
When they told us what happened, our worlds stood still; that the twin towers had fallen; that the Pentagon was struck; and that another potential target was spared because of the heroics of the passengers. We went home that day, looked at our parents with that scared look, and watched the news; the footage of such a horrible event. We witnessed all those thousands of people dying over and over again as each news network played the grisly scenes.
The next day, we donned our red, white, and blue clothes, put Old Glory back on the flag pole, stood a little straighter, and told ourselves that we are American; that we would overcome just as we have always done. We became a little more patriotic, not that at that young an age, we truly knew what it meant.
We went on, and the images and thoughts slowly faded from the forefront of our minds, being replaced instead by final exams, friends, parties, and thoughts of college. Some of us never forgot, and let our lives reflect that; and some of us continued on with our career plan with a renewed reason.
I had always wanted to be a firefighter and a paramedic, and the attacks on 9/11 further fueled that desire; to help the people of my country when they needed it. I stand before you as a proud American firefighter and paramedic, ready and willing to help my countrymen in their time of need.
I have had the privilege of knowing some great people, and have asked them to share with you how the 9/11 attacks affected them in their career fields. These people include soldiers, firefighters, police officers, EMS personnel and airline pilots. So here are some of their thoughts.
SPC Breeanne Repinski, United States Army, recalls that she was in social studies in middle school. The news was turned on, and she said, “I thought we were watching a movie, but then they said it was the news, and was happening in New York.” I asked if she chose to join the military because of the attacks, and she replied, “Yes and no… I do not want what happened during 9/11 to happen again. So that’s why I chose what I chose. I wanted to make a change and knew that sitting there wouldn’t change anything.” Breeanne said that her brother, Gary did join directly because of the 9/11 attacks.
Staff Sergeant Hardyway, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, was just about to graduate from Basic Training when it was postponed, and the news was turned on. His group and he watched live as everyone else saw the same thing. “We all thought it was some kind of accident. Then, when the Pentagon got hit a few minutes later, we all knew it was a terrorist attack. Every one of us was in shock. It was surreal.” He said that the people from New York tried to call home, and as a result, the phone system went down. “There was a lot of hatred and anticipation starting to develop among us…”
He continues his story. “As a result (of having the graduation postponed), my basic training class was the first to graduate and join this war on terrorism. We had a few high ranking military officials come by to wish us luck.” He then speaks of the emotions of getting deployed. “At that point we were all ready to go to war as we felt we needed to avenge the lives that were lost. There was an overwhelming want to go to war…”
A sargent, currently deployed, who shall remain anonymous, pending the “ok” to use his name, gives his point of view. “I got to World Trade Center about 6 a.m. on the morning of the twelfth. I saw firsthand the death and destruction a foreign entity brought to our country. I think about it often, probably always will. As bad as I wish I could forget, I hope none of us ever do, although many have already. Those bodies we carried out of that mess were cab drivers, elevator operators, janitors, clerks, just folks, you know? Single mothers, guys trying to pay for their kid’s little league uniforms, young people excited about finishing college and starting their lives.”
He continues on to tell just why he joined the military; to protect the land and people he loves. “That’s why I am here. I never was a big fan of the military… But many of us have one goal and one goal only in mind – to carry this fight to our enemy and keep them on the ropes over HERE, so they can’t hit us again THERE.”
A different point of view comes from a civilian pilot of 32 years, Mark Alexander, who was interviewing with Skywest Airlines that morning. “I had completed about an hour of testing when they ushered us all together and told us that we had to leave. TVs were tuned to CNN and people were in disbelief.”
Mark recalls, “The day before, the prospects for work as a pilot were very good. The airline industry was booming. Then the towers fell as did the industry.” He continues his story, explaining how things changed for him as a pilot. “I was working for a small air charter company at the time flying UPS freight. After several days of a nationwide ground-stop, we resumed flight operations. Things were way different. Armed security guards everywhere. Daily ramp checks etc…Yes, it changed the face of the industry.”
While things dramatically changed for the veteran pilot, perhaps it wasn’t all for the worse. “No it isn’t running around in that shiny jet, but instead, saving lives in an air ambulance. For me the tradeoff isn’t that bad…”
A volunteer firefighter, Sheena Fortney says she joined the fire department in 2000, just a year before the terrorist attacks. Sheena’s perspective is a little different than the others. “It was very scary to see the whole world of emergency workers train for terrorism. It totally made me think more about scene safety and being prepared for just about anything.”
Fourteen-year veteran of the Wisconsin police force, Patrol Officer Jason Dhein shares his story as well. Officer Dhein states he was having a lazy morning when a phone call to his wife awoke him, and they turned on the news to watch the scene unfold. “It seemed at first very surreal, and I did not want to believe that I was watching this all unfold. Awe-struck and disbelief just surrounded me.”
He continued on to share his thoughts and feelings about what he saw. “When I saw those iconic towers fall vertically into the ground, parts of my soul were taken from me. “How could this happen?” I kept asking myself. How could any person or persons do this to others?”
Officer Dhein speaks of how the event affected him on a personal level: “(it) revived my patriotism for this country that we love, cherish and preserve. I wore red white and blue ribbons on my police uniform for the entire month following that day.”
Chris Siebeneich, an EMT-Intermediate with the Delavan Rescue Squad has been in full-time EMS for three years, but has been in Emergency Services for his entire working life. Chris recalls, “I remember seeing the news of the events 10 years ago and thinking, what can I do to help? I was in shock like any other American and people all over the world. I just wanted to do something to help.” Chris speaks of the impact that the attacks had on him and his career choice: “The only real impact it had on my career choice is that it made my choices stronger towards public service and safety in an emergency services field.”
One final thought before I end this. Have you heard that the firefighters, police officers and medical personnel aren’t being invited to the tenth anniversary of the attacks in New York? It is said that there isn’t enough room to hold them all. How does this make you feel, dear reader? To not “invite” the people who risked everything in the vain hope of saving but a single life? To not “invite” the people who did their job despite fear and uncertainty? To not “invite” the people who pushed through their hunger, their exhaustion and their thirst to move the debris? Does it make you angry, dear reader?
It should.
What’s Been Said…