9/11 in their own words

  • Published
  • By MSgt Cheresa D. Theiral
  • Colorado National Guard Public Affairs
CENTENNIAL, Colo. --  On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, at least 17 Colorado National Guard members were conducting official business in our nation's capitol.

At the Pentagon, one Soldier lost seven comrades and narrowly escaped himself, and at least one former Colorado Guardsman was killed, when terrorists crashed a civilian passenger jet into the building.

Here in Colorado, Army and Air National Guardsmen were immediately mobilized in response.

By the day's end, the roar of F-16s patrolling overhead broke the otherwise deafening silence in the sky, and troops across the state were charged with keeping watch on the ground.

By Christmas, our Soldiers were at war in Afghanistan.

In the decade since, many of our brave men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice, while countless others are scarred by both evident and imperceptible wounds.

As of today, the 10th anniversary of that infamous day, Colorado Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen have mobilized more than 6,000 times and every deployable unit in Colorado has been mobilized - some more than once - in support of the Global War on Terror, all while maintaining state emergency response capabilities and supporting homeland defense missions to thwart terrorist threats at home.


Now a decade beyond that horrifying day, we take a look back through the eyes of the men and women who saw the tragedy unfold before them, and others who were ordered to respond in kind. Here are just a handful of their stories.

To read their stories, click here