In a matter of days, I was filming [for Combat Camera] at Ground Zero. I was one of the first five active-duty Marines to arrive on scene. You can’t imagine seeing all the devastation and destruction in person. It’s one thing to see it on TV, but another to see it in person. The people of New York were still in a state of shock. I know when people saw us, it put them at ease and we made them feel safe. We worked closely with NYPD and their Anti-Terrorism Unit. When I hear the term “Never Forget,” I don’t. Because I saw it firsthand.
–Roman G.
USPTO TTAB Visual Information Specialist
(U.S. Marine Corps Retired)
I was an observer/controller at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana training a brigade of the 10th Mountain Division. I had the morning of September 11th off to take my pregnant wife for an ultrasound. In the waiting room, I watched as the first tower collapsed before being taken back to see my son on ultrasound for the first time. The brigade that we were training ended up being the first conventional unit sent to Afghanistan. Two years later, I led a small team that deployed to Afghanistan as part of the 10th Mountain Division in order to train the Afghan National Army’s first transportation unit.
— Dean D.
USPTO Strategic Planning Project Manager
(Major, U.S. Army veteran)
I was stationed at Fort McPherson, GA which was just on the edge of downtown Atlanta. I was listening to the radio in my office when I heard the unfathomable news unfolding. I pulled a TV cart into the courtroom and our whole office watched in disbelief as the story developed. Eventually, we did a perimeter check of the building and released most employees for the day. By the time I left for home, driving in one of five southbound lanes of I-75 out of the city, I had the most eerie and unsettling experience of being one of only a very few cars on the road and seeing no aircraft flying low over the freeway on approach to land at Hartsfield Airport.
–Dorene M.
USPTO Chief Learning Officer
(Chief Warrant Officer Four, US Army Retired)
I was stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA and TDY to Peterson Air Force Base (now Peterson Space Force Base) for training. Breaking morning news announced a plane had just hit the World Trade Center. Training was ultimately cancelled as we all began making arrangements to return to our permanent duty stations. Of course, flights were difficult to come by, but over the next several days we were all able to get home to our units and families.
–Tonya J.
USPTO HR Specialist
(Staff Sgt, U.S. Air Force veteran)
On 9/11, I was a Navy Reservist doing active duty at the Defense Logistics Agency Headquarters (DLA HQ) at Fort Belvoir, VA. DLA HQ is a 5-story building with a lot of open-air space surrounding it. Once the attacks started, everyone in the building was directed to go to the basement, since at that point no one knew how many sites might be attacked. A lot of rumors were spreading, so it was hard to get actual information about what was happening. I tried to call my wife, but by then cell phone networks were overwhelmed. Even though I was only supposed to do 3 days active duty, I spent the rest of September serving at the DLA Logistics Operations Center.
–Alec L.
USPTO PTAB AIA Paneling Specialist
(Commander, U.S. Navy Retired)
I was stationed at the Army JAG School in Charlottesville, VA (UVA). My Sergeant Major came in and said, “Turn on the TV; a plane just hit the World Trade Center.” An hour later, armed only with a Mag-lite flashlight and determination, I started my first guard shift to prevent terrorist action at the school. Firearms were not allowed on campus.
–Troy T.
USPTO PTAB, Board Executive
(Regimental Command Sgt. Major, U.S. Army Retired)