>> Cathy: NICE TO HAVE YOU HERE.

>> Eric: TODAY MARKS THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SEPTEMBER 11TH ATTACKS.

FOR YOUNGER GENERATIONS IT'S AN EVENT OF HISTORICAL NOTE.

BUT FOR OLDER FOLKS IT WAS A MOMENT THAT CHANGED THINGS.

EVERYONE HAS A STORY FROM WHERE THEY WERE THAT DAY DISCOUNT WE GET TO HEAR ONE OF THOSE STORIES.

AARON MYERS JOINED THE NATIONAL GUARD IN AUGUST OF 2001 AND WAS RECRUITING DURING 9/11.

REALLY APPRECIATE YOU COMING OVER.

DID PEOPLE SAY I DON'T WANT ANY PART OF THIS VIOLENCE?

OR DID THEY SAY LET'S GO GET 'EM?

WHAT CHANGE DID THE ATMOSPHERE OF RECRUIT TO THE MILITARY >> OH, MY GOODNESS, WELL, FIRST, THANKS FOR HAVING ME OVER HERE TODAY.

IT WAS, THE DAY ITSELF WAS SURREAL AND I KNOW ANYONE THAT EXPERIENCED THAT WILL SAY THE SAME THING BUT THE FTEREFFECTS OF IT REALLY, IF YOU JUXTAPOSE THE NATIONAL GUARD WHAT IT WAS BEFORE 9/11 AND WHAT IT WAS AFTER YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ENTITIES AND I THINK I CAN SAY THAT FOR MOST BRANCHES OF THE ARMED SERVICES TOO.

PEOPLE KNEW WHAT THEY WERE GETTING INTO.

THEY KNEW THE OPPORTUNITY EXISTED TO BE ABLE TO DEPLOY SO WE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE AT FIRST THAT SAID SIGN ME UP.

I ANT TO DO THIS RIGHT NOW.

I MEAN, THEY WERE EXPERIENCING AN ARRAY OF EMOTIONS FROM FEAR, SADNESS, I MEAN, ANGER, AND THEY WANTED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

AND IT REALLY CARRIED FOR ABOUT A YEAR WHEN WE FIRST STARTED RECRUITING IN THAT ENVIRONMENT.

>> Cathy: DO YOU REMEMBER WHERE YOU WERE WHEN THOSE PLANES CRASHED INTO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER AND EVERYTHING ELSE JUST WAS SO CHAOTIC?

YOU WERE WORKING THAT DAY.

>> MM-HMM.

>> Cathy: AND WHAT DID YOU THINK PERSONALLY AS A MEMBER OF THE MILITARY?

>> I REMEMBER EVERY MOMENT OF THAT DAY.

IT'S INCREDIBLE.

I MEAN, I REMEMBER WHAT THE TEMPERATURE WAS LIKE, IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY, I REMEMBER HOW CRISP IT WAS FOR A FALL DAY.

IT WAS GORGEOUS, BUT I WAS DOING A WORKOUT AND WE WERE LISTENING TO GO THE RADIO WHEN THE FIRST TOWER WAS HIT AND THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS AT THE TIME.

SO KIND OF THINK ABOUT IT AND YOU'RE LIKE, OH, THAT'S ODD, I HOPE EVERYONE'S OKAY, RIGHT?

BUT THEN AS WE'RE GETTING READY TO GO FOR OUR DAY THEN THE SECOND ONE HIT.

AND WITH THAT DAY IN ITSELF WE ACTUALLY HAD PEOPLE FROM OUR OFFICE THAT WERE PROCESSING FOR THE MILITARY THAT DAY.

SO ON SEPTEMBER 10TH WE DROPPED THEM OFF AT THE HOTEL, THEY TOOK AN APTITUDE TEST AND THE NEXT DAY THEY'RE TAKING A PHYSICAL AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, BAM, 9/11 HAPPENS.

SO FOR ME I REMEMBER IT LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY.

AND JUST ALL THE NUANCES THAT HAPPENED WITH IT.

THE PEOPLE, THE EMOTIONS.

IT WAS REALLY SOMETHING ELSE.

>> Cathy: BY THE WAY, I'M SORRY, DID YOU TALK TO THOSE FOLKS WHO WERE BEING PROCESSED?

DID THEY ACTUALLY DECIDE TO O AHEAD AND BECOME MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY THAT DAY?

>> THAT'S A GREAT -- THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

AND ON THAT DAY I REALLY SAW LEADERSHIP.

THEY WERE PROCESSING OUT OF OUR OFFICE IN CAMBRIDGE AND MY OFFICE PARTNER, I WAS PRETTY NEW TO THE JOB, I WAS NLY IN FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS BUT MY- OFR A COUPLE OF MONTHS BUT MY- OFFIA COUPLE OF MONTHS BUT MY- OFFICECOUPLE OF MONTHS BUT MY- OFFICE PUPLE OF MONTHS BUT MY- OFFICE PARLE OF MONTHS BUT MY- OFFICE PARTN OF MONTHS BUT MY- OFFICE PARTNERF MONTHS BUT MY- OFFICE PARTNER HMONTHS BUT MY- OFFICE PARTNER HADNTHS BUT MY- OFFICE PARTNER HAD BHS BUT MY- OFFICE PARTNER HAD BEE BUT MY- OFFICE PARTNER HAD BEEN UT MY- OFFICE PARTNER HAD BEEN IN MY- OFFICE PARTNER HAD BEEN IN FY- OFFICE PARTNER HAD BEEN IN FOR OFFICE PARTNER HAD BEEN IN FOR ABOUT FOUR YEARS AND HIS NAME WAS TOM GEAR AND WHAT HAPPENED WAS WE BROUGHT THEM BACK.

I DROVE THEM BACK FROM THE TWIN CITIES TO CAMBRIDGE.

AND WHEN I SAW TOM HE SAT US DOWN AND THE FIRST THING HE ASKED WAS HOW ARE YOU DOING.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS FIRST.

BUT HE MADE A STATEMENT THAT RESONATED WITH ME.

FOR THE REST OF MY CAREER, AND HE AID I DON'T HAVE THE CRYSTAL BALL BUT I'M TELLING YOU RIGHT NOW IF YOU DECIDE TO GO BACK AND ENLIST IN THE NATIONAL GUARD YOU NEED TO BE PREPARED TO DEPLOY, TO FIGHT AGAINST WHAT WE JUST WITNESSED TODAY.

AND BOTH OF THOSE YOUNG MEN ENLISTED THE NEXT DAY, THAT THEY REOPENED THE MILITARY CENTER AT THE WHIPPLE BUILDING.

>> Eric: DID YOUR PRESENTATION TO POTENTIAL RECRUITS CHANGE POST-9/11?

DID YOU HAVE TO TAILOR YOUR REMARKS OR MAYBE SAY EVEN LESS?

PEOPLE WERE SO GUNG-HO.

>> OH, IT WAS SO INTERESTING, WHEN I FIRST STARTED RECRUITING IT WAS VERY PREDICTABLE.

RIGHT, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S THE RIGHT WORD TO SAY BUT IT WAS, IT WAS VERY PREDICTABLE.

MOST PEOPLE WERE ENLISTING FOR COLLEGE BENEFITS AND WE HAD OTHER PEOPLE THAT WERE SERVING BECAUSE THEY HAD A LOYALTY, A BRANCH OF SERVICE IN THEIR FAMILY THAT THEY WANTED TO CARRY ON, EVERYONE HAD THEIR OWN REAL REASON TO DO IT.

BUT WHEN THIS HAPPENED, IT WAS AS, YOU KNOW, MY OFFICE PARTNER TOM TOLD THOSE TWO YOUNG MEN AND TOLD MYSELF, IT WAS SIMPLE.

WE LAID OUT WHAT WAS HANG AND WE TOLD THEM I DON'T KNOW IF I WANT YOU IN THE SERVICE IF YOU'RE NOT WILLING TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT YOU COULD DEPLOY SOMEDAY AND WE DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT IS, WE DON'T KNOW WHEN IT WOULD BE BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S VERY REAL.

SO I WOULD SAY THAT WAS OBVIOUSLY THE BIG THING BECAUSE WE DIDN'T EVEN TALK ABOUT THAT THE FIRST COUPLE MONTHS, THAT WAS AN AFTERTHOUGHT.

>> Cathy: SO 25 YEARS NOW LATER, HOW'S RECRUITING, HOW HAS RECRUITING CHANGED AT THIS POINT?

I MEAN, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE SIGNING UP WHO HAVE, THEY WEREN'T EVEN BORN YET, YOU KNOW.

I MEAN, THERE'S, MEMORIES FADE, THAT KIND OF THING.

ARE YOU STILL PLANTING SERVICE SEEDS?

OR HAS THE HISTORY OF 9/11 PLANTED SERVICE SEEDS NOW 25 YEARS LATER?

>> IT'S INTERESTING YOU ASK THAT.

AND I DON'T RECRUIT ANYMORE, I'M A CIVILIAN, I ETIRED BUT I DO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE RECRUITERS, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A LITTLE GROUP.

>> Cathy: I FIGURED YOU DID, YEAH.

>> THEY ASKED ME THAT QUESTION, I SAID WHAT'S CHANGED, AND THE REQUIREMENTS TO GET IN ARE A LOT MORE DIFFICULT.

THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE THE PERFECT KIND OF SOLDIER I GUESS IF YOU WANT TO PUT IT THAT WAY.

WHAT IT REALLY MEANS IS THAT WHEN WE FIRST STARTED WE DIDN'T HAVE MANY RESOURCES BEFORE 9/11.

AND WHEN 9/11 HAPPENED THE FLOODGATES OPENED SO WE WERE ABLE TO PRETTY MUCH DO WHATEVER WE WANTED, BUY WHATEVER WE NEEDED, WE HAD SPONSORS, WE HAD -- WE HAD INCENTIVE TRIPS FOR PEOPLE THAT PERFORMED WELL.

AND WE ALSO WERE ALLOWED TO ENLIST A DIFFERENT TYPE OF PERSON.

THE STANDARDS, I WOULDN'T SAY -- SOMETIMES THEY OPENED UP ENLISTMENT DAYS WHERE IF YOU DIDN'T MEET A CERTAIN STANDARD YOU COULD GET IN AND THAT HAPPENED MORE OFTEN THAN NOT BECAUSE OF THE SURGE.

WE HAD TO HAVE A LARGE MILITARY FORCE.

AND TODAY IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN THAT NOW.

>> Eric: DID YOU LEARN ANY LESSONS THAT YOU'VE CARRIED OVER THE 25 YEARS FROM THAT PERIOD?

>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

THE ONE THING THAT I HAD A HARD TIME WITH AT FIRST WAS, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TELL PEOPLE WE MAY NEED YOU TO DEPLOY, RIGHT?

I HADN'T DEPLOYED AT THE TIME.

AND THAT REALLY, REALLY HIT ME HARD WHEN I WAS TRYING TO ANSWER A PARENT'S QUESTION OF WHAT'S IT LIKE OVER THERE.

I ENDED UP VOLUNTEERING, DEPLOYED TO IRAQ, WE GOT HOME, 2010 EARLY, AND I WORKED AT THE UNITED STATES EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD SO WE WERE WORKING ON REBUILDING THAT COUNTRY AT THAT TIME THROUGH CIVIL CAPACITY.

AND WHAT I EARNED WAS I SAW FIRSTHAND THE PROS AND THE CONS OF, YOU KNOW, THE CONTROVERSY BUT ALONG WITH, YOU KNOW, THE GOOD REASONS WHY WE WERE OVER THERE TO REALLY TRULY HELP WITH PEOPLE UT AT THE SAME TIME THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE TODAY THAT QUESTION THEIR SERVICE, YOU KNOW, QUESTION THEIR SERVICE OVER THERE SAYING WAS IT EVEN WORTH IT.

AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I USED TO GIVE PRESENTATIONS TO HIGH SCHOOLS ALL ACROSS MINNESOTA JUST TO TELL THEM THE FACTS ABOUT WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE EMBEDDED INTO THAT ENVIRONMENT, TO WORK WITH PEOPLE THAT WENT TO SCHOOL WHO DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A ROOF ON THEIR SCHOOL, ALL THE WAY TO WORKING WITH THE PROVINCES, THE MINISTRIES, YOU KNOW, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN THERE.

SO IT WAS, THAT'S THE LESSON I LEARNED WAS IF I'M GOING TO TALK THE TALK I SHOULD PROBABLY WALK THE WALK.- >>LK THE WALK.- >> C THE WALK.- >> CatHE WALK.- >> Cathy WALK.- >> Cathy: ALK.- >> Cathy: WEK.- >> Cathy: WE A- >> Cathy: WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE, MASTER SERGEANT