I was at work, at an Air Force base here in ....Colorado..... I'd officially retired from the Air Force just ten days earlier, and was now working as a defense contractor. I walked into the ..Operations.. ..Center.. when an officer I knew said, "Hey, a plane just crashed into the ....World.. ..Trade.. ..Center....!" We finished checking data, just as we always did, and then hurried back to our office to check the news via the Internet. All the way back, we talked about how such a terrible "accident" could have happened, never dreaming as we walked under a clear-blue sky in the quiet of the early morning.
We got back just in time to see the replay of the second plane crashing into the other tower. About that time, the Internet slowed to a crawl as we and the rest of the Nation realized our people were under attack and sought information and re-assurance. Several hours later, all non-mission essential personnel were ordered to leave the base and go home until further notice. We sit very close to the approach path of a major airport, and I remember the eerie silence as we walked back to our cars. The only aircraft flying that day, way up were we could barely see them, were two National Guard F-16s, flying combat air patrol for the first time in recent memory. ....Colorado Springs.... is home to numerous critical national defense facilities, and these CAP flights continued for over a week.
When we finally were told to come back to work a couple days later, the traffic at the gate was a mess as nearly every car was searched, and every driver and passenger's I.D. was meticulously scrutinized. If that wasn't enough to tell everyone that came to work that day that our world changed forever, there was one more sign as we walked in to our office complex from the parking lot. Sitting in the middle of a grass open area between buildings was a Humvee armed with Stinger missiles and manned by troops in full combat gear...Lest we forget!
Rich