Des Moines, Iowa, 9 Sept. 2021 – Iowa National Guard Soldiers and Airmen reflect on the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, sharing personal memories and lessons from that day.
Sgt. 1st Class Michael Warmenhoven
"I can honestly say, when the planes hit the towers, I hadn’t thought of the military side of it. Like, that we had been attacked and a military response was coming.
I was assigned to the air support unit for the Cedar Rapids Police Department when it happened. I had only been home for 20 minutes, after an eight-hour shift, when my old partner called me, ‘Are you watching the TV, turn it on.’ So I turn it on just in time to watch the first plane hit and I got another call, ‘Hey, grab your gear and come back in.’
I didn’t know what was going on. No one was talking about terrorism at that point. But at the PD they knew that something wasn’t right, so they started calling people in just to do extra patrols. They had me fly in circles around the nuclear power plant in Palo, Iowa, for six hours.
I mean, we were getting reports the whole time, but it was hard to wrap your mind around it. It wasn't until we landed, walked into the police station, and really got to see it that it became clear we were attacked.
So, since then I've deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Neither of those were about combat for me. Maybe Iraq was at first, because we were in a combat zone and didn’t have much interaction with everyday people. But in Afghanistan we did.
And I could care less about the combat. It was about the people. Let’s try to build these people up. I’m here for the kids, for the future of their country."
(U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Everett)
| Date Taken: | 09.09.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 09.11.2025 16:32 |
| Photo ID: | 9308058 |
| VIRIN: | 210909-A-AY917-6576 |
| Resolution: | 1280x854 |
| Size: | 176.14 KB |
| Location: | DES MOINES, IOWA, US |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, 20 Years Later: Iowa National Guard Reflects on September 11, 2001 [Image 7 of 7], by 1SG Jason Everett, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
