Last Flight Out of Anchorage

I can remember being on that plane, the plane back to Long Island, New York. After serving four years in the Military, when 9/11 took place, hearing about the term stop loss and being briefed about the possibilities of seeing combat; it was something I probably will never experience in my life again.

I was tossing and turning in my seat as in my mind I realized, this was my last flight out of anchorage, Alaska. The day before my flight, I was saying my goodbyes to my friends; friends that have become family to me, friends that I have experienced so much with. Flash backs of great times we shared re-ran in my mind over and over, from the times of meeting up at The Kashim Club to the times of camping out in the great Alaskan outdoors. We had so many great moments hanging out with one another, I wondered if it would ever be the same without these guys near me.

We came from all over the U.S., from New York, California, Missouri, New jersey, Maine, Washington, Florida, Alaska, Iowa, Montana and among other states. I sat there in my uncomfortable South West seat, laughing, looking back at some of the guys and girls I had met from all over. Laughing, because I had learned so much about them and how life was like for them growing up in these different parts of the U.S. and yet I was just a naive teenager that thought life wasn't nearly as good as it is growing up here in New York. The stories we shared with each other about our hometowns differed in so many ways, that i had kinda wished I got a taste of what it would be like to grow up in a small town far away from the city atmosphere.

As time continued to trickle away ever so slowly I decided to forget about sleeping and just let my mind reflect back to my years in the military that I was leaving behind. I remember sitting at post performing entry duties to a high priority location early in the morning. It was around 5am when I received a call from my friend who was on the same shift as me. When I answered the phone he quickly cut me off while I was trying to say hello, to tell me to turn on the radio, because their is announcements everywhere talking about planes hitting The World Trade Center in N.Y.C. I didn't believe it at first and told him "whatever we're almost done with work, quit with the jokes", until the radio station came in clear and sure enough announcements were everywhere saying America is being attacked.

I hung up on my friend and quickly dialed out to my parents back home in New York, asking what was going on. I remember hearing it in my parents voices how scared they were about what was taking place in our city; the city where my godmother travels by bus and train everyday for work. Then my hand held radio went off with an announcement that those of us who were to be relieved for duty by the oncoming shift will have to stand by at the squadron and stay armed.

Suddenly my mind was redirected with an announcement on the planes speaker system, saying to buckle our belts to prepare for landing. As the plane touched down on the runway I remember having a great feeling to be back home, but also a feeling of being unsure. I knew things have changed back home on Long Island and I as a person changed as well. I wasn't sure what to expect, as the memories of Alaska became overtaken by the thoughts of "Am I ready to be a civilian again"?