9/11 20th Anniversary remembrance [Image 1 of 4]

JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, VA, UNITED STATES

09.11.2021

Photo by Staff Sgt. Kellyann Elish 

192nd Wing

In honor of the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, Senior Master Sgt. Walter Moore, 192nd Wing Inspector General Inspections superintendent, shares how he was impacted by the events of that tragic day. In March 1991, Moore joined the U.S. Air Force and then transferred to the Virginia Air National Guard a few years later. “I cruised through the next 10 years comfortable in what was expected to be a typical Guard career,” he said. “Little did I know that on the morning of Sept. 11, as I was counting inventory inside a walk-in freezer of a restaurant I managed, life was going to change forever. At age 32, I was comfortably on my way to the rest of my life, but my path was safe, predictable. Tragedy changes things, and with change, comes good and bad.” Moore was called back to the VaANG Base, Richmond International Airport in Sandston, Virginia, by 10 a.m. He had his “go bag” packed, no one knew what the next hour would bring much less the coming months. Through the next 20 years of service, Moore travelled the world in uniform, worked for three different government agencies, and reported directly to a 5th generation fighter wing commander. He has served for a total of 31 years. “Everything happens for a reason,” he said. “I look back on that day with sorrow for those who lost their lives that morning and those since then. But I am also grateful that I found my purpose and the path that it put me on to be where I am today. The sacrifices of those who have lost so much to give us this freedom will not be forgotten.” (U.S. Air National Guard photo illustration by Staff Sgt. Kellyann Elish)

• Date Taken: 09.11.2021
• Date Posted: 09.15.2021 10:48
• Photo ID: 6836329
• VIRIN: 210911-Z-ME883-003
• Resolution: 7428x4952
• Size: 7.74 MB
• Location: JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, VA, US