Military Officer - September 2006 - (Page 8) fromtheeditor Five Years Later Where were you Sept. 11, 2001? Much has happened since then, but many of us remember exactly where we were. MOAA commemorates that fateful day by sharing your stories. I t began as a routine MOAA staff meeting. Each director updated the boss on current activities. All programs were on track; budgets, within limits. Life was good. Then the conference room door flew open, and someone said, breathlessly, “Sir, something’s happening! A plane just hit the World Trade Center.” These few words on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, shattered our headquarters’ routine — and events that followed shattered our nation’s tranquility and sense of security. We quickly switched on CNN. The entire staff attempted to crowd into the conference room. Shock turned to anxiety as reports arrived from the Pentagon, a few miles down the road. MOAA’s The Officer Placement Service (TOPS) team was in that building, lecturing. Several staff members’ spouses worked in the Pentagon. Were they OK? As it turns out, the MOAA team was safe. In fact, several officers claimed that MOAA might have saved their lives, because they were attending the TOPS lecture when the airliner crashed into the section of the Pentagon in which they normally worked. Those are my memories of that day. In the past five years, we’ve heard many stories of heroism, good fortune, and tragedy. So when we started brainstorming ideas for this issue of the magazine — five years later — someone said, “Hey, why don’t we ask our members to share their Sept. 11 stories? What better way to commemorate the event?” 8 MILITARY OFFICER SEPTEMBER 2006 About six months ago we asked you to send us your Sept. 11 stories. Your response was overwhelming: We received roughly 200 replies. Starting on page 90 we share members’ accounts about what they were doing and how they felt that fateful day. Five years after Sept. 11, Americans find themselves in a much different world. Servicemembers are engaged at home and abroad keeping our homeland safe and fighting the war on terrorism. As in every war, many troops have suffered physical and psychological injuries. Fortunately, the military has experts who help heal the wounds of war — both physical and spiritual. We’ve covered health care heroes in past issues. This month we report on another group of heroes. Our story on page 100 is a salute to military chaplains. According to the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School, “The heritage of the United States Army Chaplaincy reaches far back into the dim recesses of history. In times of turmoil, trouble, and terror mankind always looks to religion and religious figures for comfort. War is no exception.” — Col. Warren S. Lacy, USA-Ret. PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT
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