From the Cop and the Soldier side: I'm sure you all can recall what you were doing when you heard about the attacks on 9/11/01.
I was off duty from my cop job, so I was working out at home. I got calls from lots of people who just said: "turn on the TV NOW!"
I turned on the TV and was watching the first tower burn...seconds later that second plane hit the other tower. I knew at that instant that it was not an accident and that I would somehow get involved with my National Guard unit.
When I went back to my cop job, we were getting dumbass calls on 911: "there's a piper plane flying around, I'm afraid it's terrorist."
Those were some of the days I wish the Police Department had an unlisted phone number.
Within months, our unit was sending troops off to Afghanistan and Gitmo. (They were in great demand for Mess Kit Repair teams). I was still going through the "2 year" training program, so I missed out on the first wave of deployments... and I was a little upset. I was afraid that all the fighting and stuff would be all over before I finished getting my new MOS.
The training program I went through was a total of 8 weeks spread out over 2 years. (not 8 hours a day 5 days a week, but usually 10-12 hours a day, 6-7 days a week.)
Shortly after we were "qualified" for Mess Kit Repair, another battalion called a bunch of us to go get ready in Jan 2003-- to go to Iraq. My enlistment was up in Jan 2003, but I was put on "Stop Loss" because they really needed Mess Kit Repairmen.
We went down to Camp Roberts, CA in Jan 03 and went through the mob process and pre-training. This "other" battalion really wanted several of us to go with them...they would be part of the initial raid into Iraq later that year.
After this prep and pre training, we were told that we were not going to Iraq, but we were needed to go to Bosnia. I was kind of glad, then upset. I was afraid the Iraq thing would be all over before we got back from Bosnia.
Just before we went to Bosnia, I re-enlisted for 6 more years. Yeah, I guess you can call me a retard. I just felt it was the right thing to do. Even with my "stop loss" my enlistment would have expired while I was in Bosnia, so they would have not been able to deploy me. I felt I needed to go.
We came home from Bosnia in 2004 and 3 months later they asked all of us Bosnia Vets to go to Iraq. 3 months later I was in Baghdad. There was about 14 others who did the same thing. None of us had to go to Iraq...but we did. We felt it was our duty....or we were retarded.
When I see the twin towers getting hit by terrorist, it still pisses me off. If they needed me to go again...guess what.
8 comments:
I tried to go - too old. I had gone back in the Naval Reserves and worked in 1st EUROLANT Photo Intel Unit at NAS - Atlanta. I was a Computer Programmer 2nd Class (I don’t remember the rating name as it was new and eventually dropped for the rating chart). However, I got a promotion at work and was traveling all the time. So I bowed out and left the Navy. After the attack I went back and tried to get back in, but was told I was too old. There were a great number of young guys going back active and they were needed more. I knew there would be some fighting going on and I wanted to be involved, even if it was at a computer in Atlanta filling info form ariel photos over the computer. Getting old sucks in many ways.
But I will never forget 9-11-01.
I was on my way to work. I was task force commander of the Los Angeles Regional Gang Enforcement Task Force. My daughter called and told me that an aircraft hit the WTC. I told her it was designed to survive a 747 impact and that she shouldn't worry. By the time I arrived at work and saw the pictures, I knew things would never be the same again. The first tower collapsed then the second and I told everyone to go home by about noon (PST) because there was nothing we could do and all we were doing is hanging out in front of the television.
I was telling my mom at dinner tonight that we watched videos of 9-11 in one of my classes at school.
I was little when it happpened, but watching it again made me so mad I wanted to screw up those @#$%^& terrorists with my .20guage semi-auto.
Listening to the girl sitting next to me cry through the hole thing didn't help.
-P
I was at work in a public health dept. One of my aides called in and told us about the first plane. We were in a multi story buiiding. I took everybody to the top floor to see a sky without planes for the first time in their lives. It was bluer than blue.
I reenlisted in my old guard unit and pulled strings (literally) to get deployed when I found out they were going to keep me stateside herding the non deployables around.
Strings? Everybody says that dude- what kind of strings did you have to pull?
Somebody who owed me worked for the personnel director in the state and made a call for me late on a Friday and by early Monday I had a roster number and verbal confirmation orders would follow.
Both the full timer at the unit and CO said,"Who do you know?"
Three months later I was leading patrols in Al Anbar Province and explody things and flying metal was going off all around me and mean people were doing and saying ugly things to me.
My God it was hot. 130 degrees is just some number- meaningless.
I went to that from a well paying job that was so easy and rewarding I couldn't believe I got paid to do it sometimes.
After I got hurt I spent a year and a half rehabing at FT Hood. My wife left after taking everything and tricking me into buying a new house. I've slept in my car plenty of nights and on friends couches.
Retarded.
I am with you and I would do anything to defend this great country. This is my country and that is why I am serving and getting ready to be deployed. Thanks for your service.
Now I'm sure more folks understand my motto: "One Weekend a month my Ass."
I am just sort of average, but my Guard unit commanders and leaders felt that I was needed really bad for some reason. But that's another story.
The thing that I find amazing, is all the old guys, and the "kids" who have signed up since 9-11. I never so so many "old folks" join up as I saw in the months after 9-11.
P,
Make sure you use buck shot.
Well, it's over on The Kitchen Dispatch, as far as where I was that day.
Anyway, thank you for serving. I'm sure you'd go over again in a second ...and we'd be lucky to have someone with your experience.
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