Airmen and Soldiers here came together for a joint retreat ceremony to commemorate the 2,974 men, women and children who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Col. Eric Overturf, 506th Air Expeditionary Group, commander, and Col. Ryan Gonsalves, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, commander, presided over the ceremony which also paid tribute to the more than 5,000 servicemen and women who have since fallen in defense of our nation in the war on terror.
A half-mast American flag stood as the centerpiece between a fire truck draped with a New York City fire department flag, and a mine resistant ambush protected vehicle used by the Army for convoys. A formation of 125 Airmen and Soldiers stood behind an audience of approximately 100 military and civilians.
"If you look at the formation behind you, you see 125 Soldiers and Airmen. That gives you an idea of the magnitude of life that was taken in that one attack on the Pentagon, and those 125 lives are only a small part of the almost 3,000 lives that were lost on that one day," Overturf said. "It's a day that we all remember. In fact, it's one of those days where I bet everyone here can say 'I know exactly what I was doing when that airplane hit the tower.'"
The colonel explained he heard the news of the first plane hitting the tower after dropping his daughter off at school while on his way to work as a civilian airline pilot.
"My life changed as all of our lives changed that day," Overturf said. "Less than two hours later I was airborne over the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in an F-16 armed with live weapons getting vectored toward an unknown aircraft coming toward Dallas. I remember the sick feeling in my stomach thinking I might have to shoot down an airliner, possibly with hundreds of innocent people sitting on it."
The colonel said he was relieved when he rolled out behind a twin engine light aircraft and discovered the aircraft was being flown by a lost student pilot who was unaware of the events that had transpired.
"I think it's good that we remember how we felt that day because it helps us focus on our mission here, today" he said.
Following the colonel's speech, four Airmen sung America the Beautiful. Afterward, Senior Master Sgt. Pamela Rathers, 506th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, and 1st Lt. Sean Mattimoe, 506th Expeditionary Communications Squadron, both emcees for the event, took turns reading the timeline of events that transpired that day. A moment of silence was then observed, followed by a singing of Amazing Grace. After a joint service honor guard detail lowered the flag, seven Soldiers performed a 21-gun salute and taps closed the ceremony.
"This day is very important in the lives of all Americans. It lets them remember what a lot of people went through," said Army Staff Sgt. Nakia Norwood, 2nd BCT, protective security detail. "I feel it's very important to be a servicemember and I think it's important that people serve their country."
Airmen and Soldiers alike shared their pride for serving their country as they reflected on the events of Sept. 11.
"They unknowingly gave their lives for us, for our country, so it's a rewarding experience to be here to defend our nation," said Airman 1st Class Tanja Kambel, 506th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron.