Southwest Asia --
September 11, 2001, was a day of grief and a day of courage. The
world stood still, flabbergasted by the images streaming across television
screens. With the World Trade Center buildings in flames and smoke filling the
New York City skyline and the destruction of the Pentagon in Washington D.C.
and the downed aircraft in Pennsylvania, tragedy gripped the heart of America.
Fourteen years have passed since that tragic day, which took the
existence of 2,977 people, changed
countless lives and changed us as a nation.
Members of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing and
coalition partners gathered together to remember and honor those who lost their
lives during the terrorist attacks and on the battlegrounds of Iraq and
Afghanistan.
“Our thoughts also turn to others whose lives were
not lost, but were forever changed that day,” said Col. Clarence Lukes, 386th AEW
commander. “The first responders and survivors, whose heroism and resilience we
celebrate; the Pentagon personnel who came to work the next day with a greater
sense of determination than ever before, and the men and women in uniform who
have stepped forward to defend our country over 14 long years of war, bearing
incredible sacrifices along with their families.”
Shortly after the first plane crashed into one of
the towers, emergency vehicles with first responders lined the streets of New
York City, debris rained down from 110 floors up, people filled the streets and
the world population stood in a state of confusion..
“Our first responders didn’t watch it play out on
their television screens—they acted—to help those that were not afforded the
opportunity to help themselves,” said Lukes.
The roadways were cut off. The only way to get near
the World Trade Center was on foot and people gushed out of the area, horrified
and confused.
By 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the western façade of the Pentagon in
Washington, D.C., killing 59 aboard the plane and 125 military and civilian
personnel inside the building. At 10:07 a.m. United Airlines Flight 93
deliberately crashed into a field in Somerset County, Pa., killing passengers
and crew aboard.
First responders and volunteers worked tirelessly
around the clock at each of the scenes.
On the evening of Sept. 11, 2001, former President
George W. Bush addressed the nation, declaring America, its friends and allies
to stand together to win the war against terrorism.
“But America and its allies are still being tested,”
said Chief Master Sgt. Richard Vargas, 386th AEW command chief. “America has always
had challenges, and we have always met those challenges before. And for all the
challenges we face, America and our allies still have within our grasp the
potential to do more good for more people than history has ever known.”
Fourteen years later, America and its allies are
still in the fight against acts of terrorism with Operation Inherent Resolve,
the intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The
name Inherent Resolve is intended to reflect the unwavering resolve and deep
commitment of the U.S. and partner nations in the region and around the world
to eliminate the terrorist group ISIL and the threat they pose to Iraq. The
operation also symbolizes the willingness and dedication of the coalition
members to apply all available dimensions of national power necessary to
degrade ISIL.
“Each day that passes
becomes history,” said Lukes. “Our actions are written into the pages of our
nation’s story—our actions, these stories, woven into our character and our
being, educate our children and future generations on who they are, what
they’ve come from and what they should be proud of. Those who are, or were, too
young to have a viable memory of September 11, 2001—will still undoubtedly pass
the torch of pride in the 9/11 generation, a generation that that changed the
face of the American and global Patriot.”