September 11, 2001

There I was in uniform, guarding a high level priority aircraft on Elmendorf AFB in Alaska. I was down to my last couple of hours on shift performing my duties as a Security Forces member, when I received several phone calls from my buddies who were also on shift with me. They told me to quickly put on the radio, there is talk about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center buildings. Thinking It wouldn't be much of anything, I slowly got up off my seat and stopped what I was doing to turn on the radio. Within seconds I realized this was something serious.

After listening a few minutes to understand what was all going on back in New York City, the new crew from the facility I was guarding began filtering in for the beginning of their shift. Though most of the crew members looked like they were ready to prepare the jets and deploy in a moments notice, some members had no idea about what was going on. After listening to the radio for some time to make sure what I was hearing was true, one family member came to mind, my Godmother.

My Godmother works right around the vicinity of the World Trade Center, so I quickly grabbed the phone ignoring any calls on my hand held radio to call back home and find out if she was OK. I got in reach with my parents back on Long Island and they told me they got word from my Godmother that she was OK, though she along with thousands of other New Yorkers were walking over the Brooklyn bridge, because everything was shut down. I could hear in my mother's voice that she didn't know what to think right now, the news was awful and on the other hand here I am serving in the Air Force far from home believing we have just been attacked.

I reassured my mother that I was fine and not to worry about me, but do what you can for my Godmother if she needs anything. Though I knew in my mind, the possibility of seeing war was the closest it's ever been in my military career, and that moment I knew the people I worked with and myself were ready to be called upon to do what we must, since by this time the news was claiming this was looking more like a terrorist attack.

I was already working a 12 hour shift that night, but as soon as my flight got relieved from duty, that 12 hour shift turned into close to a 16 hour shift. We were briefed on any intelligence about the situation and we were told directly from our flight chief that when we get back to our living quarters, to be ready to work longer shifts, and understand deployment is very possible at this time. I had just gotten back from a 4 month deployment in Saudi Arabia that ended in June 2001 and though it was great to be back in the states, I knew if I was called upon, I was more than willing and ready to go back to the Middle East. Though that day never came and it wasn't till some time after I separated from the service that my Squadron began to deploy to Iraq.

As the months went by after 9/11, I was given a chance to return home for a week and a half. It was something I was looking forward too, seeing my family and friends again and checking on my Godmother who had been working in the city that day. When I returned home and was on the ride back from the airport, I remember seeing just about every single home displaying an American Flag. I thought to myself "I never saw this before", yet it was a great site to see. Flags lined the streets all through out Long Island N.Y. and though today the flag my father put out still waves in the wind, other Americans have put their flags away.

When speaking to people on my vacation, you quickly see just how many innocent people died in the World Trade Center attack. Everyone just about knew someone who had lost their life in those buildings, and during the time I was home I went with my parents down to the World Trade Center. I had an empty feeling standing there in front of a wall that was blocking the entrance to the WTC work site. Thousands of letters and flowers covered the wall from thousands of people, from letters to a father a child lost, to letters from strangers from other countries giving their condolences, it was another reminder of just how many innocent people lost their lives that day.

Though September 11, 2001 is a day that came and went for many Americans, it's a day that has never really ended for those who have lost loved ones. New Yorker's will never forget the sacrifices our men and women of FDNY, NYPD and all other emergency responders who have lost their lives, trying to save others.

Today the war on terror also continues; 8 years later and our men and women of the Armed Forces continue to need our support.

Switching Careers

When I walked into Sgt .Coyles recruiting office back in 1999 for the 5th time, I finally decided on the career I wanted to begin in the Air Force. It was a tough decision, because there were so many jobs I would have liked to have done, though in the end after being told my first choice (Fire Fighter) had no openings, I decided to gowith Security Forces (MP). The Security Forces career field was a great first step for me, to see if it was a job I would want to do for the rest of my life, even after the military. Though when I returned home and had the choice to attend school, that's when I saw an opportunity to do something new, something I felt maybe I was cut out to do in this life time in the first place.

By September 2004 after returning home from serving in the Air Force, I began to put the GI BILL to great use, focused on achieving something I truly never thought of. When I joined the military in 1999 I didn't even think about asking or looking for information about attending college, because for once in my younger years I was set on doing something, entering the military and following in my father's footsteps.

It's funny when people ask me what do I want to do as a career, because honestly there are so many jobs I would love to learn about and do. After completing my Associates degree in general studies, I decided I wanted to work towards a Bachelors degree that had something to do with psychology and sociology. I'm very outgoing and enjoy speaking to people, a little something I picked up from my mother who is a social butterfly and who has also inspired me watching her work as a teacher. I enjoyed many aspects of being a military police officer, but the greatest aspect besides shooting the heavy weapons, was being able to take a situation and work towards finding a way to resolve it. I found that I enjoyed my job the most when I had to work with someone in trouble, but someone who was more than willing to get help and make a change for the better in life so they wouldn't be back in the situation that got usMP's involved in the first place.

So when I separated from the service and completed my Associates degree I had taken up a bachelors degree in Human Relations, a degree that would allow me to go further into the psychology and sociology fields. I began to see that this is was more interesting, and that would put me in a better position to work with others who are looking for help. Learning about how brains works, what makes up our brains, how we think and behave as humans, caught my attention and I realized this is what I want to do as a career.

Four years later and I have completed my bachelors in Human Relations, a degree that brought me to a new world, a world that even taught me what I'm all about. I learned so much about myself completing psychological tests the teachers would have us conduct, on top of learning so much about how we think as humans and why we make the choices we make in life. The whole time I was attending classes I was still working for the government in the security field, though it was for another agency It was what motivated me to work hard in school, because I knew this was my ticket out of the security career field.

Having accomplished an Associates and Bachelors degree was such a great feeling, the long hours of studying, writing papers and working hard on a thirty page thesis finally came to an end in December of 2008. Though what I didn't know and wasn't prepared for was an economic crisis that would cause hundreds of thousands of Americans to find themselves without a job. After graduating I thought I was set, I had my military experience, my bachelors degree and thought for sure I will be able to continue onward working for the government in the new career field I had chosen to go to school for. Though I soon realized this would not be the case, and finding a job now would be harder than ever.

After eight months of being out of school and having exhausted all of my GI BILL, I heard about the new Post 9/11 GI BILL. Hearing how much it could help veterans who have served after 9/11 I began to look into it and once the Veterans Affairs spoke about a time frame to apply I knew I had to act. I didn't waste time and I realized once again my country is looking to help me and other veterans out in a huge way and I wasn't about to pass up this incredible opportunity. I knew this was my opportunity to head back to school, only this time to begin my Master's degree in Counseling and continue on the path to a new career.

Today I'm preparing myself to once again be back in the classroom, though I have mixed thoughts, I am looking forward to being back in a great environment where I will be along side others who are also looking to specialize in the new career field I have chosen. Though I would have liked to have been working in my new career field by now, I know it'll take a bit more time to find that job as now so many Americans are also looking to find a job as well. Completing all the paper work for the new Post 9/11 GI BILL and now just waiting to begin receiving payments, I know this will be another great decision in my life and when the economy starts coming around for the better, jobs will open up and I will be in a better position than before.

One thing that will be different than the other degree programs I have taken, is that this time around I will have to do an internship, something I could have done with with my bachelors, but something I did not do. Not the best move on my part, but now I know if you plan on changing career fields, either an internship or volunteer work that pertains to the field your looking to change into will make your resume look more appealing to companies and you will even get college credit for this. Where as back then when a Bachelors was good enough, today a Bachelors with Experience is what many companies and agencies want to see on a resume.

So in about a week I will be back in the classroom, only this time working towards my Master's degree. Take it from me, when looking to come out of the military and make a career change, school is the only option. Also be sure to look into an internship or volunteer work as soon as possible; It'll help when building your new resume and help you stand out from others who might just have school, but no experience. In a time like this with a bad economy, it makes even more sense to get back in school and use the Post 9/11 GI BILL, it will only benefit you and give you more options if you should ever decide to switch career fields.

A special Thank You to all who have worked and are working so hard to give us this Post 9/11 GI BILL, I cannot Thank You enough for what you have given me.

- STEVE