Where were you during 9/11? What has changed in 20 years?

I was the 42nd Division Support Command (Discom) in the NJ Army National Guard. We were responsible for the northern part of the state. After getting a phone call from my wife telling me to put on the TV, something was happening, I saw the towers had been hit. I called in to my Boss who told me to be ready, but I was not needed yet.  After trying to respond with just full timers for about 4 days, they realized they would have to call part timers in to help. We were called in on State Active Duty orders. We had a expando truck, for our Forward Command Post in Liberty State Park, next to the NJ State Police Command Post. In NJ the State Police have the lead in all emergency Ops, so we supported their effort.

With so many Americans donating supplies to help out, we  called up the warehouse platoon in our Forward Support Battalion, The Military Ocean Terminal-Bayonne  (MOTBY), a base that had been BRAC'ed out and was to be turned over to Bayonne on 1 Oct was used for storage. The base had 4 large warehouse buildings which were soon filled. They also had a warehouse facility in Connecticut, and we would unload and load trucks depending on the contents. We shipped some things to CT, we would also get orders for things needed for the first responders at Ground Zero.

Our Governor made us guard the bridges and tunnels into NYC for a year. Each brigade took 3 months. a battalion would take 30 days.  We housed the troops in Armories in Teaneck, close to the GW Bridge, and Jersey City, Holland, Lincoln tunnels and the PATH train, plus the Goethals and Outerbridge going into Staten Island.  I ran our Emergency Operations Center when it was our turn to be on duty.

I was at 55 West 125th street, NYC at the Veterans Center, working on the Mangers computer. When he said "Oh S#%T" I turned around and saw what he saw, the WTC was hit, I witnessed the second hit and witnessed both trade centers clasped.

Shortly after that, every one was ordered to go home. Since at the time I lived at 122nd Street, all I could see was the news, I recall all I can hear out side were emergency vehicle's and Fire trucks alone with NYPD heading down town. NYC was locked down, no one can leave and no one can enter, there were a couple of Air Force fighters flying around NYC that whole day. All transportations came to halt and I recall people walking north towards the Bronx. I recall stores being broken into and allot of people stealing. Shortly news broke out of a down jet and another crash in the pentagon. What was interesting was that earlier that year there was a fixed wing aircraft that crashed in the WTC, but I knew this was war. One of my female friends was in the subway during the clasped of the trade center, she said that every one had to get out and walk in the tracks with out lights but hold hands to be able to get out. She then walked from down town all the way home.