Courtesy Photo | Spc. Robin Williams, an intelligence analyst with 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st...... read more read more
By: Sgt. Justin Naylor
2nd Advise and Assist Brigade Public Affairs
1st Cavalry Division, U.S. Division - North
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq - Spc. Robin Williams was only nine years old when the World Trade Center was attacked.
Fourth grade had just begun and, as he sat waiting for a bus to take him to school, he remembers hearing the radio of a nearby car, listening as the DJ described the scene of the attack to his listeners.
At nine years old, you’re not very aware of the world around you, and I didn’t really understand what had happened until much later, Williams recalls. Now, 10 years later, Williams is serving as an intelligence analyst in Iraq and, like other soldiers his age, he has spent a large part of his life growing up in the shadow of 9/11.
“I never really knew what it was like before 9/11,” said the Laguna Beach, Calif., native. As I was growing up, the effects of 9/11 were everywhere; from the global war on terror to changes in airport security right here at home, it seems like 9/11 has always had an influence in my life, he said.
Unlike the previous generation of soldiers that enlisted before the attacks, the younger soldiers take the oath of enlistment knowing that the specter of deployments in support of counter-terrorism operations is ever present.
“Growing up after 9/11, I think my generation is keenly aware that there are people out there that want to kill us,” said Williams. “I joined knowing I would be in harms way and I accepted the risk, and I will give my life to prevent another tragedy like 9/11 from occurring on American soil.”
Another soldier from 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, U.S. Division – North, also joined the Army post 9/11.
Sgt. Jeremiah Creech was a junior in high school when the Twin Towers were hit.
“I walked into my first period English class and everyone had this grave look on their faces and [were] watching the TV,” recalls Creech. “I saw smoke in one tower and a plane hit the other tower. I remember seeing people jump out of the tower, because they had to choose between burning alive or jumping.”
I felt angry, and I knew this would change everything, he said. Creech, a Garland, Texas, native, now serving as an infantryman, had already planned on joining the military, and 9/11 only served to reaffirm his commitment.
“I felt like me being an able-bodied young man, it wouldn’t be right to sit stateside and not serve my country,” said Creech.
Creech is currently serving on his second deployment to Iraq.
“There is not a doubt in my mind that we have made a tremendous difference in stopping attacks like 9/11 from happening again,” said Creech. “It takes a lot of resources to carry out an attack like that, and with U.S. soldiers being here and in Afghanistan, terrorists have to dedicate those resources to fighting us on their own turf.”
Creech says that while people may not agree with the solutions that the government came up with after 9/11, such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he’s proud to be part of the solution that is in place. For soldiers, whether they are young or old, junior enlisted or general officer, the effects of 9/11 are always present.
“Our lives in the military post-9/11 are greatly influenced by that day,” said Williams.
We are deployed, deploying or training for deployments so that we can continue to fight the kind of enemies that are willing to attack us like those who did on 9/11, he continued.
While the memory of 9/11 might not be as fresh as it once was, the influence remains a daily part of the lives of soldiers who deploy in Operations New Dawn and Enduring Freedom. New soldiers join the Army having grown up in the shadow of 9/11, and with the knowledge that they may be asked to fight the same type of enemies that attacked their country on that day, 10 years ago.
| Date Taken: | 09.12.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 09.12.2011 03:34 |
| Story ID: | 76859 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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