Did 9/11 influence your/your S/Os decision to join

[basilosaurus]

No, we're old (relative to you young'ns). He was in ROTC before then, although 9/11 happened before he commissioned.

[basilosaurus]

H's grandfathers were both in the pre-air force (back when it was army). One of them got the flying cross for wwii awesomeness. I have nearly identical pictures of H and his grandfather climbing into a plane and looking back. It's pretty cool.

When he started college he shopped himself around to see who would give him the best scholarship. AF did the best, but they were his first choice due to the family stuff, so he might have gone with them, anyway.

[Deleted]

I was a senior in college on 9/11, and had already done over 3 years of ROTC and was committed to joining the military, so it honestly had no impact on my decision to join. It was really interesting in the years following working with people who DID join after 9/11. In general, I would say that it takes an amazing person to make such a big decision based on personal conviction and the safety of our nation. What great people to work with!

[krista]

Sept 11, 2012 1:25:00 GMT -5 @villainv said:

It was really interesting in the years following working with people who DID join after 9/11. In general, I would say that it takes an amazing person to make such a big decision based on personal conviction and the safety of our nation. What great people to work with!

I totally agree. 9/11 happened shortly after I commissioned. It was shocking to me when I ended up deploying with A LOT of people who joined in 2002, basically knowing they were going to war.

[brandienee]

Yes...

We were in High School when 9-11 happened. He had already been thinking of doing ROTC in college, but this just made his conviction stronger. He loves serving his country.

[beans]

To be honest, I've never asked him. I don't think it made too much of an impact, he had made it his goal to go to USAFA way before that, so maybe it solidified it? Had a neutral effect? Not sure. I think I'll ask when he gets back from SERE

[ilovelamp]

I was in 8 grade when it happened, so not really. And I joined mostly because I didn't know what to do with myself, I failed in college, getting drunk all too much.

That being said, I did think about 9/11 many times during the recruiting process. I'm not sure how much of a push it had on me subconsciously though.

[Dory1988]

DH had wanted to be in the military ever since he was old enough to comprehend what his dad did for a living so I don't really think it had that much of an impact.

[pesci]

No, I joined a year prior and H was in BMT at the time.

[tlkdhk]

Nope. Dh was already in for 10 years at the time. I have no doubt he would still be in whether or not 9/11 happened.

[kcd0531]

No. DH was actually stationed in Ft. Drum at the time of 9/11.

[Jam]

No. H wanted to join but his girlfriend at the time wouldn't have it. He also wanted to join the NYPD.
He's happy he didn't though because it allowed him the opportunity to live a real life and grow into a man outside of a military environment. Basically- make mistakes like all college aged kids should do.

[MrsAggie]

No, H has wanted to be a soldier since he was a kid because of his dad. His dad was drafted in the Army for Vietnam and then he spent the rest of his career in the AF. I asked H one time if he joined the Army because of all of the cool stories his dad told him. His reply was, "No, my dad hated the Army." I thought it was interesting that H chose Army instead of AF given that his dad hated his time in the Army but liked being in the AF.

[dancingpanda]

E had always dreamed of being a Marine like his grandfather but never really had support from family. After 9/11 he had decided that he was going to join. Funny thing though, everyone is super supportive now even though they weren't happy with his choice nearly 11 years ago. He went to OCS the following summer.

[audette]

DH was in before 9/11. He has some interesting stories from that timeframe.


It might have affected his decision to return to the military after college, but I've never asked. My best guess is that it wasn't a large influence.

[erin2903]

My H was already in the military (Navy) on 9/11. He was actually at the end of his commitment but was offered the opportunity to stay another year after it happened which he did.

After that he got out, graduated college and decided he wanted to join the Army. And here we are.

Eta- I think his desire to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan and his general love of the military world had more to do with him re-joining than 9/11.

[G22]

Yes. Though, I think he had considered it before, but 9/11solidified his decision to join.

[NomadicMama]

Nope, DH had been in for six years already at that point.

As a kid, DH knew wanted to join the military when he grew-up. His dad has been in the Air Force. When they visited the AF recruiter, he didn't like what they offered him, so he and his dad "shopped" the other branches. Army offered him the best options, and he's been a soldier for 17 years now.

[crimewatcher]

I have never asked him. From what he has told me he has wanted to be a Pilot since 1st grade. However, when we started dating in HS 2 years after 9/11 he told me very early on he was joining the AF and going to the USAFA and if I was okay with that. I helped him with his application for USAFA so we all know where that went lol.


I still cry every time I watch clips. Which I'm doing right now.

The events on 9/11 motivated me to go to school for Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement though-- I dunno if that counts :-p

[stephm0188]

No. He was already two years out of USAFA on 9/11.

[softspot]

Kind of. It was more that he felt like he needed to deploy to "do his part" than just 9/11 itself.

[Deleted]

I have a friend who's join date is 9/11. He was on his way to Lackland when it happened.

[baconlettucetomato]

I had known I wanted to be a Soldier since I was a kid. I was in HS when 9/11 happened, it just solidified what I already knew.

[meltoine]

Yes. MIL was at work in World Trade Two when it happened. The ROTC commander on H's campus used his contacts to find her and tell H she was alive. He felt indebted after that and signed up the following week.