WEBVTT 00:00.140 --> 00:04.010 - I started college in 1997 here 00:04.010 --> 00:07.250 in San Diego. I went to the Officer 00:07.250 --> 00:10.490 Candidate School in Quantico in 2000 00:10.500 --> 00:12.910 and then I was commissioned in May of 00:12.910 --> 00:16.830 2001. The morning of September 00:16.830 --> 00:20.450 11th, I was at The Basic School and 00:20.840 --> 00:23.210 we were doing a module where all of the 00:23.210 --> 00:25.640 squads break out into different rooms 00:25.650 --> 00:27.706 just because of the class that we're 00:27.706 --> 00:30.160 getting. And I was in the Hawkins Room. 00:30.540 --> 00:32.596 For anybody that's been to The Basic 00:32.596 --> 00:34.818 School, you know it as The Hawk. So 00:34.818 --> 00:36.929 you know, it's the sports bar that's 00:36.929 --> 00:39.480 in the barracks. Now it's part of the 00:39.490 --> 00:41.712 chow hall, but then it was part of the 00:41.712 --> 00:43.712 barracks that I lived in. And just 00:43.712 --> 00:45.879 because of space, all the squads were 00:45.879 --> 00:48.046 broken out into different rooms and we 00:48.046 --> 00:50.157 ended up in the Hawkins room. And it's 00:50.157 --> 00:52.268 a typical sports bar with the TV's 00:52.268 --> 00:54.379 and whatnot. And we were getting our 00:54.379 --> 00:56.434 class on how to write a combat order. 00:56.434 --> 00:58.490 and SPC, who is our staff 00:58.490 --> 01:00.712 platoon commander, she had her back to 01:00.712 --> 01:02.879 the area where TVs were and we were in 01:02.879 --> 01:05.101 a horseshoe with our classic 01:05.101 --> 01:07.157 note-taking gear and our student 01:07.157 --> 01:09.590 guide and we're getting our class. In 01:09.590 --> 01:11.757 the middle of the class, we have some 01:11.757 --> 01:13.757 of the other TBS staff, they start 01:13.757 --> 01:15.979 coming into the room and they're behind 01:15.979 --> 01:18.201 our SPC and they started turning on the 01:18.201 --> 01:20.423 TV's. And as they're turning on 01:20.423 --> 01:22.590 the TV's, you know, we're doing 01:22.590 --> 01:24.757 this thing, we're kind of like looking 01:24.757 --> 01:26.868 over like, hey, because it's a boring 01:26.868 --> 01:28.923 class. So we're looking over and we 01:28.923 --> 01:31.146 see the first tower burning, the North 01:31.146 --> 01:33.660 tower is smoking. And then one of 01:33.660 --> 01:35.980 the lieutenants in my squad, 01:35.980 --> 01:37.980 Lieutenant Clooney, she goes, 01:37.980 --> 01:39.980 something like, ma'am , I don't 01:39.980 --> 01:42.147 mean to interrupt, but you might want 01:42.147 --> 01:44.091 to turn around and see what's been 01:44.091 --> 01:45.980 going on behind you. And just as 01:45.980 --> 01:47.869 Captain Barris turns around, we're 01:47.869 --> 01:49.980 watching it, we see the second plane 01:49.980 --> 01:52.036 slam right into the South Tower. 01:52.036 --> 01:54.040 And even to this day, I mean I get 01:54.040 --> 01:55.984 chills thinking about it right now 01:55.984 --> 01:58.096 because that was one of those moments 01:58.096 --> 02:00.207 that we were young and we're dumb and 02:00.207 --> 02:02.429 we're motivated, but it's one of those 02:02.429 --> 02:04.484 things where we knew right away like 02:04.484 --> 02:06.707 this just got real like we're getting a 02:06.707 --> 02:08.540 class on combat orders and we're 02:08.540 --> 02:10.651 watching this happen. Instinctually we 02:10.651 --> 02:12.707 knew, we knew something was happening 02:12.707 --> 02:14.762 that would forever changed our lives 02:14.762 --> 02:16.630 because of where we were in our 02:16.630 --> 02:18.408 progression, right? We were the 02:18.408 --> 02:21.190 demographic that went to MOS school 02:21.200 --> 02:23.690 and hit the fleet right at 02:23.690 --> 02:26.480 the cusp of all of the OIF 02:26.480 --> 02:29.010 and OEF deployments when 02:29.010 --> 02:31.121 they started and we grew up deploying 02:31.121 --> 02:35.040 and deploying and deploying. And 02:35.310 --> 02:37.620 when I saw the MARADMIN, this 02:37.620 --> 02:40.260 especially hit home for me because 02:40.840 --> 02:44.310 I recalled my experience, I recall 02:44.320 --> 02:46.860 recent experiences recent events that 02:46.860 --> 02:49.230 are going on and I have a daughter that 02:49.230 --> 02:51.520 also wants to be a Marine, a Marine 02:51.520 --> 02:53.853 officer. And she just started her school. 02:53.853 --> 02:56.076 She's a freshman in college and in four 02:56.076 --> 02:58.370 years time could she be going to the 02:58.370 --> 03:00.870 same countries I went to and having to 03:00.870 --> 03:03.148 deal with the same experiences I did? 03:03.840 --> 03:05.951 I still believe all that work was the 03:05.951 --> 03:08.007 right thing to do and none of it was 03:08.007 --> 03:11.460 done in vain. Like all storms, 03:12.240 --> 03:14.407 these tumultuous times 03:14.407 --> 03:16.684 in the Marine Corps and in the country, 03:16.684 --> 03:19.543 like all storms, these too shall pass.