A half hour or so ago I wrote a post about my addiction to battlestar galactica, not thinking much about what today was. I was ramping up to watch the first monday night football game of the year. I took time to get some signatures for the application to my HOA, for a new storm door to match our new windows.

Around this same time my mom was writing an e-mail to family and friends reflecting on September 11th. I had thought of it earlier today when I was listening to a radio show, and they mentioned it. Overall though I haven’t thought about it too much today. I guess i hadn’t realized on some level. Its been 5 years. Thats a bit of time. But I guess my mom’s e-mail has pulled me back a bit, and pushed me towards my own reflections. 5 years ago, I almost feel like i was almost a completely different person, but at the same time, i feel the same. I definately was in a completely different place to say the least. I was 3 months new to the Air Force. A fresh 2nd Lt, butter bar. I was working in Minot North Dakota, in the communications squadrons network operations flight. Now, I’m out of the Air Force and I work as a Software Engineer, a career I think I was built for. Being an officer was a wonderful experience, and I’m extremely proud to have served, and very very greatful for all that I learned being an Officer. Its definately made me a stronger better person, able to handle a great amount of situations i may never have had experience with if i had just started being a software developer right out of college.

I was sitting there at my desk. It was almost 8am, CST, as I remember. I was checking the e-mail. I was an LT, still wet behind the ears. My commanding officer Capt Adams, came out of his office, after a quick call from his wife, and said, “Mike come with me, into the Network Center, we have to turn on the News, there’s some thing we have to see now”. We walked into the network center, to find the news was already on, and the first building had already been hit. There was smoke billowing from it. We all couldn’t believe it. We were trying to justify, maybe somebody got off course and accidentally hit it. But then we got word it was a pretty large plane. The feeling that this was an accident began to fade from our minds, and the graveness of the situation befell the room. It wasn’t very long after this, that the second plane hit the building, while we were all watching on the news. With this Capt Adams made the sobering statemant, “Well, todays going to be a long day guys, lets see what the commander needs us to do”. Yes It was a long day. Its a blur. I think i went home early and got some sleep, because i was coming in to work the night shift, so our communications center always had an officer on call for the Wing Commander, in case they needed something.

What followed of course we all know. A month later I was on my way to my communications officer school, and was stopping at my Uncle Dicks house on the way. I got there just in time that day, to see the first bombings of Afghanistan.

As for today, the world, is a different place but its the same, as am I, and as we all are.