One moment in time changes the course of history

Published Sept. 12, 2008
By Master Sgt. Brian Davidson
447th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SATHER AIR BASE, Iraq -- Every now and then, there is a very specific event that burns deeply into people's memories, and they always remember exactly where they were and what they were doing at that moment.

Some of these moments have a very moving and emotional impact on a countless number of people; such as the space shuttle Columbia and Challenger disasters and the deaths of historic people like Ronald Reagan and Elvis Presley.

There are other events that impact people across all economic and social classes. The assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and the great Martin Luther King Jr., and events like the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building left tens of thousands of people nearly speechless; and others with only one word on their lips--that word was "why?"

Every so often, something happens that reaches across international borders and is so profound that it changes the path of nations, becoming a milestone in human history. These events include the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the day mankind reached out into the blackness of space to put a man on the moon and most recently, the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

On that day, the course of history altered so dramatically that governments toppled and the lives of people across the globe changed forever.

Both in the U.S. and countries where American military members serve, thoughts turn back to the events of that fateful day. Memorial services and ceremonies commemorate the lives lost when a handful of men with evil intentions took aim at the innocent in an attack against the freedom that America represents.

For the men and women deployed to Sather Air Base in support Operation Iraqi Freedom, today brings an opportunity for reflection and thought about the tragic events that led them to serve in harm's way.

On the day of the attack, 1st Lt. Alan Fraser was a senior at Forest Park High School in Woodbridge, VA. He was in government class discussing current events when the news came that aircraft had hit the World Trade Center. The students gathered together and were watching the news when the media reported that an aircraft had also hit the Pentagon. "Living in Northern Virginia, there were lots of us who had parents who worked in the Pentagon, and none of us were able to reach them because the phone lines were jammed," he said. "The school decided to keep all of the students there, unless their parents came to pick them up.

"That afternoon, I went home with two friends whose father also worked in the Pentagon, and it was a few hours after that until our dads were finally able to get a hold of us."
Lieutenant Fraser learned that his dad had been on the opposite side of the building when the plane struck, and explains that it was on the side that had recently been remodeled. He has been told that if the aircraft had hit a side that had not been renovated, it would possibly have continued through and caused much greater damage.

It was that experience that led Lieutenant Fraser to apply for a Reserve Officer Training School scholarship, where he followed in his father's footsteps and joined the Air Force.
He was commissioned in 2006, and is currently deployed to the 447th Expeditionary Communications Squadron from the 54th Combat Communications Squadron at Robbins Air Force Base, GA. His father is still in the Air Force and again serving at the Pentagon.

Master Sgt. Kevin Fletcher was an Airborne Warning and Control Systems weapons director assigned to the 964th Airborne Air Control Squadron at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., when the attacks happened. The next day, he was controlling F-15 Strike Eagle fighters flying air patrols over Washington D.C. and Camp David. "I had flown numerous missions for Operations Northern and Southern Watch and controlled fighters all over Iraq, but it was a completely different feeling knowing that we had fighters with live weapons flying over our own capital," he said. "It puts a completely different perspective on things." Today, Sergeant Fletcher is deployed from the 963rd AACS at Tinker AFB as a mission systems operations advisor assigned to the 370th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group near Baghdad International Airport. He remembers that in the days following Sept. 11, the only aircraft flying over the U.S. were military, police and medical, giving him a unique perspective. "We didn't have clear rules of engagement for flights over our own country at that time," he said. "And that just added to the feeling that any other aircraft that was flying was a threat and 'guilty until proven innocent.'"

Many people who deploy in support of the Global War on Terrorism are civilians. C.J. Shoemake is deployed to Sather AB with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, and on that morning of the attacks, her son woke her up with the news. She watched in disbelief as the second plane hit the trade center. She wondered about her late husband who was a ship's captain in the Merchant Marines, and how wide-spread the attacks were going to be. At that moment, Captain Shoemake's ship was coming in to dock in Texas, but had to immediately turn around and head back out to sea until the Coast Guard could clear all vessels approaching the U.S.

"Within an hour, he was able to call to let us know that he was safe, but that it would be a while until he could get home or even call again. For weeks we burned candles in memory of those who died in such a horrible way."

In the weeks following, Ms. Shoemake remained vigilant when traveling, and found her first trip to the airport to be very unnerving. When her husband would travel, she worried until he would reach his destination. She has been deployed to Iraq for 14 months, and has no immediate plans to leave. "I have really learned to appreciate our military members who put their lives on the line for our freedom, and I'm here to serve them," she said.

When the first aircraft hit the trade center, Staff Sgt. Ryan Cramer was a dental technician assigned to the 436th Medical Group at Dover Air Force Base, Del. He was just finishing up with a patient when he saw his coworkers all huddled around a television in the clinic lobby. It was at that moment when the second plane hit the tower, and it took a few minutes for the shock of the whole thing to register for him. "The next day, we learned that we would be opening the base mortuary to bring in the victims from the attack on the Pentagon, "Sergeant Cramer recalled. "It was a mad dash to replenish supplies and get everything in order, but somehow we were ready when the bodies began arriving."

His job was to assist in x-raying bone fragments in order to use dental records to try and identify victims. "It wasn't an easy job, and the next few weeks really took a toll on us all," he said. "Even today, things like movies and stories about that time bring back the images of the bodies, the smells, and mostly the feeling of being so helpless to do more." At that time, Sergeant Cramer was only a few months away from having to choose whether to stay in the Air Force or end his service. "Afterward, I made the decision to stay in, and cross trained into the command post career field," he said. He is currently deployed to the 447th Air Expeditionary Group command post from the 375th Airlift Wing at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

Today, Airmen, Soldiers, American civilians and members of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force, all serving at Sather AB, gathered for a memorial service to recognize the sacrifice of those who lost their lives on that fateful day seven years ago, and those who have served and died in defense of freedom since then.

Maj. Gen. David Clary, director, Air Component Coordination Element in Iraq, spoke of the events. "Twenty six days after Sept. 11, we began operations in Afghanistan to root-out the forces that harbored Al Qaeda and trained the hijackers of 9/11," he said. "Eighteen months later we began Operation Iraqi Freedom and watched as a nation became free of a heartless dictator. We witness the country collapse upon itself, its infrastructure wasted away, as internal unrest and violence was unleashed by former regime loyalists and extremist insurgents.

"Upon its darkest hour, Iraq came close to falling into a full-scale civil war--but through the perseverance of U.S., coalition and Iraqi forces, we pushed on with a new strategy and additional troops and turned the tide."

General Clary then went on to explain how conditions have been set in motion for a future of peace and stability for the people of Iraq.

During the ceremony, flags were at half-mast, a memorial flame was burning and flowers were placed in memory of the police officers and firefighters who selflessly gave their lives trying to rescue others in New York and Washington D.C.

As the sun set on this day in Iraq, those serving in the name of justice remember where they were and what they were doing on the day the world changed--and these Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, civilians, Iraqis and coalition forces reflect on how their lives changed then, as they continue to fight for peace and freedom now.