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

JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, VA, UNITED STATES

09.09.2021

Photo by Staff Sgt. Kellyann Elish 

192nd Wing

In honor of the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, retired Army Lt. Col. Lou Nemec, now a civilian with the 192nd Wing base civil engineer office, shares how he was impacted by the events of that tragic day. He was a recently commissioned Army second lieutenant engineer serving on active duty as a “Gold Bar Recruiter” at his alma mater, Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania. Walking to work that morning he remembered thinking what a pleasant day it was. When the elevator doors opened to the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps floor, one of the other officers rushed into the elevator and informed him a plane had just hit the twin towers. After watching the news to catch up, Nemec watched live as the second plane hit. “That night, my future wife and I talked about what our future together might look like after the attacks of the day,” he said. “A few short months later, I found myself arriving at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan to catch up with my engineer unit already deployed in October 2001. I felt strongly that the United States was attacked by a relentless, persistent threat and that wherever we pursued them, we were keeping Americans safe at home. I am proud of my service, my wife and sons’ support of our service and proud of my family’s legacy of service to the U.S.” Nemec deployed three times to Iraq and Afghanistan. After just over 20 years of active duty service, Nemec retired from the Army on Sept. 1, 2021, and now serves as a civilian in the Virginia Air National Guard. (U.S. Air National Guard photo illustration by Staff Sgt. Kellyann Elish)

• Date Taken: 09.09.2021
• Date Posted: 09.15.2021 10:48
• Photo ID: 6836332
• VIRIN: 210909-Z-ME883-021
• Resolution: 7473x4982
• Size: 7.82 MB
• Location: JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, VA, US