FT TOTTEN, NY – 21 years after the terrorist attacks in New York City, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania the United States Army units of Fort Totten, along with the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), honored members of the Fire Department and the U. S Army that died on September 11, 2001 and the years that followed as a result of their heroic efforts at the World Trade Center.
Maj. Gen. Rodney Faulk, Commander of the 99th Readiness Division, was one of the keynote speakers at the event.
“Well, we always say, never forget,” Faulk said. “Events like today ensure we never forget.”
MG Faulk emphasizing that younger service members, especially those born after the terrorist attacks, should understand the significance of this day.
“Always study your history because it only takes one spark,” Faulk said. “One spark and the whole world is plunged into some kind of combat, chaos or emergency.”
Although it has been 21 years since that day, families who lost loved ones are still greatly affected.
“To all of the families of the victims, we can never repay you for your loss,” Faulk said. “But you can always be proud of the valor and bravery of your loved ones and the contributions they made to America.”
No matter how long it has been or how young or old we were, those of us who experienced 9/11 can remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when the events of that day happened. MG Faulk shared his memory of the day.
“I was at work, doing some planning with the door closed and people had to come get me to alert me of what was going on,” Faulk said. “I just remember utter shock that we were attacked that day and I knew we were going to be at war just as my boss did. My boss said we would be at war by the end of the week and so everybody go home and take care of your families.”
The events of 9/11 have impacted soldiers in different ways.
For Maj. Gen. Faulk, that day served as motivation to continue his time in the Armed Forces.
“The events of that day really motivated me to continue serving,” Faulk said. “Back in the 80s, we fought the Cold War, then Berlin Wall came down and then we have this period of the 90s where we didn’t know what the foe was going to be but then the foe emerged on 9/11.”
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 09.22.2022 18:04 |
| Story ID: | 429043 |
| Location: | FORT TOTTEN, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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