Courtesy Photo | 200911-N-N0443-1045 PENSACOLA, Fla. (Sept. 11, 2020) Rear Adm. Pete Garvin, commander,...... read more read more
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From Naval Education and Training Command Public Affairs Office
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) held a 9/11 commemoration ceremony at the command headquarters onboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, Sept. 11.
The ceremony honored the victims and survivors of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that killed approximately 3,000 people in New York City, Washington D.C. and Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
“It is important that we as a nation, Navy and command take a moment to remember those we lost on that fateful day, pay tribute to the countless heroes who selflessly came to aid the victims, and comfort the survivors of the horrific and cowardly terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001,” said NETC Commander, Rear Adm. Pete Garvin, who was the ceremony’s guest speaker.
Garvin was a lieutenant commander forward deployed to Sigonella, Sicily, with the “Mad Foxes” of Patrol Squadron (VP) 5 when he heard the news of the terrorist attacks.
“My crew and I were on detachment to Israel to participate in an exercise in the eastern Mediterranean,” said Garvin. “I will never forget the looks on my crewmates’ faces and the reaction of our Israeli partners during and after the attacks. In an instant, our mindset shifted from exercise mode to wartime mode, eager to get after those responsible.”
NETC’s chief of staff, who was a lieutenant junior grade assigned to the chief of naval operations staff at the Pentagon on 9/11, recalled the day when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the military headquarters and killed more than 180 military personnel and civilians.
“The events of 9/11 are etched in my memory forever,” said Capt. Cliff Collins, who also acted as the master of ceremonies. “The day started slow for most of the N3N5 [deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans and strategy] team, except for us moving to a new Pentagon location. The World Trade Center took the front stage, and we took our attention off the move and started to focus on the local news. Our team assembled in Rear Adm. James Zortman's [then deputy N3N5] new office, and we were watching the unfortunate events unfold live on TV. As we watched the events, we heard a thunderous noise that sounded like a bomb went off, and our area of the Pentagon vibrated. Within 30 seconds, our office started to consume with smoke.”
During the ceremony, attendees conducted a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., the exact time American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center North Tower.
“The memory of 9/11 is still vivid in my mind 19 years later,” said NETC Support Services Supervisor, Jeffrey Williamson, who was a personnelman with the “Red Lancers” of VP-10 at Brunswick Naval Air Station, Maine, on Sept. 11, 2001. “I recall someone running into the hangar and saying we all needed to see what was happening on TV. We all raced to the ready room and were shocked at what we saw. The Navy and our country forever changed that day.”
The ceremony concluded with a two-bell ceremony to remember those who died at the World Trade Center; Pentagon; American Airlines Flights 11 and 77; United Airlines Flights 93 and 175; New York City Fire Department; Port Authority Police Department; New York City Police Department; and emergency services.
“I consider it a privilege to honor the 9/11 victims and survivors,” said Collins. “The victims are the ones that I think about nearly every day of my life. The personal connection I had with the fallen members remains in my heart. We were family, and I look at the victims and survivors as part of my extended family.”
NETC recruits and trains those who serve our nation, taking them from “street to fleet” by transforming civilians into highly skilled, operational, and combat-ready warfighters, while providing the tools and opportunities for continuous learning and development.
For more information on NETC, visit http://www.public.navy.mil/netc/ and https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/NETC.
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 09.29.2020 09:19 |
| Story ID: | 379202 |
| Location: | PENSACOLA, US |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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