Remembering 9/11 and its Veterans

September 26, 2022

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Just over a week ago, we marked the 21^st anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.  Most of you will remember exactly where you were on that day. At the time, I was a newly transitioned Army officer; on 9/11, I had traveled from Chicago to New Jersey for new-hire training with my new civilian employer. We were touring the company’s headquarters when our group was told to meet in an auditorium. I expected to enter the room and find one of the company’s senior leaders standing at the lectern to give a speech. Instead, we were greeted by a live newsfeed that showed the North Tower on fire. Several minutes later, many of us went outside to try to get a view across the river and saw a plume of smoke rising as the second tower fell.

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A total of 2,996 people lost their lives that day, and countless others gave the ultimate sacrifice in our nation’s response to the attacks. I planned to write about what I felt on that day, and what I feel today, twenty-one years later. But, as I was reflecting on these thoughts, I came across a speech by a fellow veteran given to mark this year’s anniversary. It summarized well many of the sentiments on my mind:

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“This was a day of almost unfathomable heroism. So many Americans – firefighters, police, ambulance workers, military personnel, first responders and public officials of all kinds, airline passengers, maintenance personnel, office workers…ordinary Americans – rose to the occasion of that day and of the awful, gut-wrenching days of search, recovery, cleanup, and mourning that followed.  Some of their stories – so many of their stories – would be hard to believe if they were not true. And that heroism inspired further heroism among Americans dispatched to Afghanistan, Iraq, and a hundred other corners of the globe – to help ensure that the masterminds of this terrible crime would not get the chance to try again.  Most of their courage will never be known, will never be celebrated publicly, and will never be recognized, except by those who were there to see it. I had the privilege of observing some of it up close – in the unbelievable, casual courage of the professionals alongside whom I had the honor of serving.” 

– Captain Douglas A. Beck, U.S. Navy

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Captain Beck’s remarks highlight many of the characteristics I often discuss in the VET in reference to service members across all branches. And, as he poignantly concludes:

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“Anyone who doubts what Americans of all different backgrounds, races, ethnicities, politics, and skill sets can do together has not seen what our men and women in uniform, and in the civilian agencies that protect us from the shadows, do under the most unimaginable of conditions. And anyone who doubts the capabilities, commitment, selflessness, and grit of Americans born in the last couple of decades has not served with them under fire.”

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Most every veteran, whether still serving or in the civilian workforce today, are products of the global war on terror borne out of the 9/11 attacks. They, like those who served in the Vietnam and Gulf War conflicts, are unique and exhibit the skills, abilities, and values highlighted above and in previous editions of the VET. Rather than repeat them here, I will close with this:  just like we should never forget the 9/11 attacks, let us not forget about these exceptional people –the contributions they made as servicemembers and the contributions they can make within growth companies.

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Charlie Mike*

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Dave & the Summit Partners Veterans Community

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* “Charlie Mike” is the military phonetic alphabet for the letters C and M which stand for “continue the mission,” a phrase commonly used in tactical situations