Remembering 9/11 Published Sept. 10, 2014 By Tech. Sgt. Hillary Stonemetz Air Force Recruiting Service Public Affairs JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas -- Sept. 11, 2001, stands out in many American's minds as a heartbreaking day of tragedy. For Airmen and civilians assigned to Air Force Recruiting Service, that day brings back a flood of emotions as they recall where they were when the terrorists attacked. Overseas Tech. Sgt. David Daniels, now a 362nd Recruiting Squadron recruiter, was in Cairo, Egypt, escorting distinguished visitors for the upcoming Bright Star Exercise when the attack occurred. "While staying at the hotel, I was awoken by a phone call recalling all personnel to report to the control center in the hotel," he said. "I turned on the TV while grabbing my gear and I watched as the second plane struck the second tower. From that point, we evacuated all DVs to the airport and then moved to a forward operating base. Sept. 11 changed my life in two ways. First, I saw how history can repeat itself. Pearl Harbor was also a surprise attack on American soil. Second, I saw firsthand what our nation's finest did and still do in response to that fateful day." Searching for family Naomi Diehl, Headquarters AFRS secretary, was working when her office partner got a phone call from his wife telling them about the first plane. "We thought it was just a horrible accident," she said. "At the time, we didn't know it was planned. I ran down to the Public Affairs office because they were the only office with a TV. By the time I got there, everyone was around the room and I couldn't see exactly what was happening. I watched the second plane hit, then we stood in shock as we watched the towers fall. I couldn't believe it was really happening. I was just in shock. I was very sad and almost cried. When I heard they were targeting Washington D.C., where my daughter worked at the time, I forgot everything else and ran back to my office to call her. I couldn't get a hold of her until almost noon. It was a very tough few hours until I heard her voice. I have never felt so helpless. She could not leave her building because she was in downtown D.C., working as a cryogenic tech. My family tried to call me, but I couldn't leave the base because we went on lock down too." "Shortly after the attacks, I drove by the Pentagon while I visited Washington, D.C. It was so sad, eerie and terrible," Diehl said. "From then on, I would say we were all in disbelief, angry and very, very sad. It was horrible. That is a day that will never be forgotten, and no one will forget what they were doing at the time." "We're going to war" Justin Eigenmann, now a staff sergeant working as a 317th RCS recruiter, was a recent high school graduate and a member of the Delayed Entry Program. "I was staying with my aunt and uncle in Ohio for the summer," he said. "I was enjoying my last bit of time off, going to bed late at night and sleeping in until noon. But on Sept. 11, the phone rang early in the morning. My aunt woke me up and handed me the phone. It was my mom. She told me to get up and turn on the TV because the country was under attack." "Too many different thoughts went through my head," Eigenmann said. "Attacked? What does that mean? That doesn't happen here. How bad can it be? My mom must be over reacting again. I went into the living room where the news was on. I sat there glued to the TV. I saw headlines like 'America under Attack', 'Terrorism hits the United States.' Before too long, one building fell, then the other, then reports of crashes in Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. There were also reports about a plane heading towards Cleveland, which wasn't far from where I was at the time." He didn't put everything together in his head until his uncle, a former enlisted Marine, burst through the front door and told him to pack his things because 'it's hitting the fan and we're going to war,' Eigenmann said. "It took a few seconds for it to register," he said. "He was right. The United States of America would go to war and I personally would go to war because I was about to join the Air Force. I got that 'uh-oh' feeling in my gut for a second, but I never thought about not going. Most of my friends had already left for the Marines, and my thoughts were of them. I knew they would end up going over to fight. I couldn't back out. Even though they joined a different branch, I had to see it through for them, for my family, for myself and in a way, my country. If I wasn't willing to do my part, how I could I ask anyone else to?" Eigenmann reported to Basic Military Training Jan. 15, 2002, and became a computer systems operator. He then retrained as an information management technician before volunteering for recruiting duty. American Airman Jaron Wagner, now a technical sergeant assigned to the 368th RCS, had recently arrived at his first duty station, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. "I was attending the First Term Airman's Center's Military Equal Opportunity briefing," he said. "During a scheduled break, the instructor turned on the news and we saw one of the towers of the World Trade Center had a gaping hole and was billowing smoke. The news anchor was speculating on how such a horrible accident could occur when the second plane struck. After a few moments of confusion, I realized this was no accident, this was an attack." "I originally joined the Air Force for the benefits and really didn't have a good grasp of what I had truly signed up to do," Wagner said. "I took the oath to defend the United States but didn't think anything of it. I was more focused on what the Air Force could do for me, than what I could do for the Air Force. On this day however, my point-of-view changed. I realized what I signed up to do. It was up to me and everyone else in the Air Force to find those responsible for this tragic event and hold them accountable for their actions. The third verse of the Airman's Creed sums this up. 'I am an American Airman. Guardian of freedom and justice, my nation's sword and shield, its sentry and avenger. I defend my country with my life.'" "It can be easy to lose sight of what it really means to serve in the Air Force, with the daily grind and tasks that don't seem to matter," he said. "However, if we take a step back and look at the big picture everything we do in the Air Force has one goal in mind. That goal is to defend our nation's freedom, rights and way of life. With the anniversary of Sept. 11 approaching, let us remember what it truly means to serve in the world's greatest Air Force." Regina Cooper, now a staff sergeant assigned to the Military Entrance Processing Station Butte, Mont., was a civilian wife and mother when she saw the news. "I thought to myself, 'this can't be real,'" Cooper said. "Seeing this attack made me feel unsafe and I started thinking of ways I could protect my family. I was attending college and that night the class discussed what was happing and the instructor talked about his time in the Air Force. It dawned on me this is how I could protect my family and other families." "My husband and he was very supportive and told me to go for it," she said. "I walked into the recruiter's office Jan. 9, 2002, and had a job in dental and my ship date by Jan. 28." "My parents and other family had no idea that I had even considered joining the Air Force. When they found out, they were your typical parents--scared and upset," she said. "My mom asked me, 'How can you leave your daughter? She is only two years old.' I told my mom that I was doing this for my daughter and my whole family. It was hard leaving behind my daughter and husband, but I knew in my heart that I was doing the right thing." After eight years as a dental technician, Cooper applied to become a recruiter. "I was excited to have the chance to share the Air Force experience with others and my story," she said. "I always told my recruits my story and told them if I can make it through BMT so could they. I always got the same reaction: big eyes and stunned looks on their faces." "I am currently in my second tour with AFRS," she said. "I plan to stay as long as I can because I believe that everyone should be told about how they can protect and serve their country in the Air Force. I truly believe that if Sept. 11 had never happen I would not be in the Air Force today. Joining the Air Force was the best decision I could have ever made for myself and my family." National pride Carol Forslund, 339th RCS flight administrator, worked with Army recruiting in a federal building at the time of the attacks. "When we heard about the planes flying into the twin towers, we were immediately put on high alert and the building was locked down," she said. "We were not able to come or go until they gave us the all clear. At that time, there was an overabundance of people who were willing to 'go back and get the job done.' Many of those who were willing to go and fight were in their 50's and even some in their 60's." "It certainly made me proud to be from the U.S. and know that there were so many people willing to serve their country," she said. "I am a veteran so I know the deep feelings that these people had."