SEPTEMBER 11^TH 2001……THAT DAY. ( My story).

            I’ve posted this on FB for several years now, given my friends who lived this journey with me. It was a day that changed my life, it changed the lives of Billions. This is my story of that day and I ask that as I post it on my blog that you share it, for you see, there are so many people in so many lands that have a “That Day” story. It may not be about war, it may not be about being in the service, but they have a day when they just knew as bad as things may get, good people were around them and the sun was going to shine again…..someday! Thanks for sharing if you do!

THAT DAY: On September 11th 2001, I was stationed in El Paso Texas as the Commander of the 204th Security Forces Squadron, based out of Biggs Army Airfield. At 748 MT. I was late leaving the house for the unit, given my oldest Son had not been feeling well that night and we hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep. I was backing down the driveway and was tuning into to my favorite AM station for local news. The reporter was talking about a road closure when he stopped and said there was a report of a small aircraft crashing into the World Trade Center in NY. That was all he said as he went back to giving traffic updates. About two minutes after that, I was at a stop sign in my subdivision, the same reporter stated that it initial reports were it was possibly a commercial airliner and not a “ small private plane” as was first reported. It was then my heart skipped its first beat of that day! My job was to understand the world these types of events may come from and my gut told me, “They are back”! Same Target… with the resolve to strike it again. I knew in my heart what was going on, but I still hoped for the best. I decided to turn around and go back and see what was live on the cable news. Pictures and live feeds would help me understand far more than a traffic reporter on AM radio. As I walked back into my house, I told my wife to turn on the news and that there was something going on in New York I needed to see. As she was doing this, I called my “watch Desk” at the unit and told the Watch NCO to get the OPS CHIEF on the phone with me ASAP. I really can tell you who I was talking with on my cell phone, in my living room, when the second plane hit, but I remember watching it on FOX news!. Within five minutes of the second aircraft hitting the towers, my OPS CHIEF, on duty, MSGT Fredrickson called my cell. He had our “ Alert Team” at the Sergeant Major’s Gym on Big Army Airfield that morning for group PT. Being the outstanding NCO that he was, he only did one thing, he listened to exactly what I had to say and then read back to me the key points we had just talked about. I told him I would be there in 30 min and to insure the Gate Guards knew I was going to come through the “Expedited” side of the main gate. The drive to the base was a blur.. a thousand things going through my head, but his name was known to me.. Osama Ben Laden! Somewhere in that drive the reporter, who was doing a great job of what seemed like fifty different people trying to feed him slices of information, said, “there is a report of an aircraft striking the Pentagon”! That was the next true skip in my heartbeat that day. It was then I turned the radio off in my car. I had all the information I could process at that point in time. The priority now was to get to the unit. As I walked into the building, it was doing what it had done so many times before, moving a million miles an hour. People up and down the halls… .everyone moving with a purpose… everyone one doing exactly what I had instructed my OPS CHIEF to do. Did I mention what a sh.. Hot Troop he was???? As I walked into my office, My TV was already on and my OPS CHIEF and “Team Leaders” walked in right behind me. The sound was muted. We knew that images in a crisis make people like Moths to a Flame and we could not afford to stand there and watch the TV. The 204th was designed as a result of Khobar Towers attack. We stood up the unit in 1997 and its purpose was to be ready to go anywhere in the world within 24hrs and most times within 12hrs to counter “Level 1 or Level 2” Threats… Terrorist Threats. With a remarkable staff, we had a game plan to get all the members ready to launch by that night. Simply put, the unit was locked and ready to launch by 3pm that day. Did I mention a remarkable Staff??? As soon as everyone in my office knew what they needed to do, they were gone. I picked up the phone and called our Support Wing to let them know what we were doing and that we would mostly likely be “ off the net” soon! I was talking to a good friend of mine at that Wing, his name was Charlie Monroe. We were both looking at our TVs when the first tower began to fall! I told Charlie I had to go and that it was going to be a long day. He said, “yep”, but we will be ok! That is why I called him my friend! I watched the dust from the first tower and thought to myself, “ I wonder how many people where in that building”? One of our Office Administrators, Gloria, a real hero… walked into my office and said, “ One of the buildings just fell down”! I asked Gloria to find the OPS NCO and tell him to come see me. Not two minutes past and he was standing next to me staring at the TV in my office. I said, “ Fred.. have everyone that is here in the auditorium in one hour. Let’s make sure everyone understands what we are up against”. Fred was a rock solid Leader and I say that because I, for the first time, looked at him and caught.. just for a split second.. a look of bewilderment in his eye. A second after that, he was gone. Ed and Danny.. two of my other Top Notch Team Leaders walked into my office and looked at the dust rolling across the streets and simply walked out… .never saying a word and never even looking at me. It was the first “hint” of Anger and I knew these two men well. I finally took the time to sit and think about what the 204th had available, realizing I was going to get that phone call sometime that day. My staff had told me, but I was not processing information as fast as they were! Not unusual! We had troops in the Middle East when the attack happened and I thought to myself that was my first option… have them “stand fast” I say that because they were actually packing to come home and in fact, half the team was already in the air…….. a lot to ask troops who had just finished time in the Sand Box, but I knew they what their answer would be if I had to ask them. When my “Phone” Bat PhoneJ finally rang.. .it was a long … long conversation, but I knew what my priorities where for that day.. .. the next several days.. and that was all that anyone in my food chain could see was a couple of days.. the rest was too far away to care about. When I walked into the auditorium, I walked passed rows of the most professional people I have ever had the privilege to work with. I remember like it was 20 minutes ago, standing on that stage and saying, “ As of about three hours ago our Country is technically in a state of War! We do not know for sure who has attacked us, but we have our suspicions. We do not know what nation or nations have supported them, but when we do we will strike back.” I remember telling them the 204th was designed, equipped and trained for what our country was about to do and that we would do any mission given us flawlessly! I remember the faces of those who had served with me over the past four years.. looking up as I spoke. Some wanting to ask a thousand questions… we had maybe 2 of the common 5 Ws at that point in time and that is a very uncomfortable feeling. ( Who .. What.. Where… When.. Why. . the 204th didn’t care about Weather.. but we would take the time to ask.. “Why” …when we got the chance. …. The troops deserved that.) Of all the faces in that room that day, there was one that I will never forget.. the collective face! We were in that auditorium for maybe 30 minutes, but when we were done… most left the room mad! Mad because they knew what had been done to us and mad it was going to change our lives forever. I had told them this war would be a long war.. a war that would last the rest of some of their careers! As mad as they were… five minutes after we walked out to get to work… I heard the same old laughter.. joking in Spanish.. I never knew the jokes given I couldn’t speak Spanish. But the laughter after the jokes is all that mattered to me! The 204th was gone.. to several locations all over the world within 25 days after 9-11. I took the bulk of the force with me 25 days after 9-11 and the rest went to places I don’t even remember. That is how we worked… that is how we lived… I never had the unit in one location again.. They would not “reform” for over two years!!! We took on missions that day… where and what does not matter. The 204th went to War that day!!! They are still at war…. 10 yrs have past… and I would bet you they are still laughing and joking… in Spanish.. to this day. Oh ya. The unit that was flying home from the Sand Box on 9-11… all but one got right back on the plane and left with us! The one had a family emergency and came 30 days after we left. The ones that were still there stayed and met us when we landed. What a remarkable time… what a remarkable unit. The Bad Guys will never Win!!