Young military members, while not witnesses to 9/11, still answer call to serve

By Rachel Sawicki

Millions across the country will be remembering 9/11 this weekend, marking 20 years since terrorists hijacked and crashed four planes, killing nearly 3,000 people.

However, there is a significantly large group of Americans who have little to no memory of the horrific events. According to The Associated Press, 25% of the current U.S. population was born after Sept. 11, 2001. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau says that about another 13.5% of U.S. residents were 10 or younger at the time.

Kayla Stevenson, 22, of Middletown, is a recent University of Delaware graduate and a member of the Air Force. She was 2 years old when the World Trade Center was destroyed, so she said she has no memories of that time.

“I know it was a terrible tragedy, but other than that, … the only thing I knew about it was whatever I learned in school,” she said.

Rita McDowell, 20, is from Wilmington and attends Immaculata University in Pennsylvania. The National Guardswoman also has no recollection of the attacks in 2001.

Kyle Tending, 26, of Houston, Texas, has just passing memories of 9/11: being out of school for a few days, seeing family members crying. But he would not have an understanding as to why until he was older, leading him to join the U.S. Army.

He said videos of the World Trade Center collapsing remind him why he serves and that signing up for the military was an emotional decision for him and his family.

And though these three individuals are from different hometowns and on different educational paths, the three serve under the same flag.

Ms. Stevenson was driven to enlist in the Air Force after graduation, mainly looking for opportunities to travel. She added that she’ll automatically be given a higher rank, and higher pay, because she has a degree.

“My dad was in the Navy in Vietnam, and my uncle was in the Army,” Ms. Stevenson said. “Growing up, I knew that could be an option, … but my mom didn’t want me to join at all. My dad was the most supportive of my decision.”

Ms. McDowell became interested in understanding the war in Afghanistan when she was older. She said, however, that most of her generation aren’t greatly emotionally affected by 9/11.

“We were either babies or weren’t born yet, and I think that plays a big role,” she said. “The fact that we didn’t live through it and we didn’t experience it, we’re just listening to it by word of mouth. So that patriotism and the need to join the military and serve the country is deterred because we didn’t live it.”

Ms. McDowell, who participates in the ROTC program at nearby West Chester University, said she always felt a responsibility to serve America, since she grew up with many positive military influences. She has several family members who have served in various branches, leading her to join the National Guard at 19.

“I always had those people (in my life) that had a love of country,” she said. “Being able to serve and how much of an honor that is was instilled in me not just from my parents but my grandfathers and uncles, as well.”

She added that the reason many of her peers joined has to do with tradition and growing up in a military family or because it was their best opportunity to “make something of themselves.”

Mr. Tending is one of those who enlisted for the sake of tradition. He signed up for the Army in 2015, right out of high school. He’s seen two combat tours so far and recently returned from Kabul, Afghanistan.

“I just felt that it was my duty to give back to the country that gave freedom to me,” Mr. Tending said. “I grew up very conservative, so that’s just been my viewpoint my entire life.”

He has several family members who served in the Army, including an uncle who has eight deployments under his belt. But discussion about his own tours is a “no-go,” he said, adding that he doesn’t hear many stories from fellow soldiers, as they tend to stay silent.

“Just because we don’t remember (9/11) doesn’t mean that we don’t know what we’re fighting for,” he said. “A lot of people in the military carry the bracelets of people they’ve lost. You see how many bracelets certain soldiers have around their arms, and that gives you a sense of all the people they have lost. They’re fighting for their battle buddies that are to their left and right and are fighting for the fellow soldiers, the fellow Marines, Air Force, whoever’s out there.”

Ms. McDowell noted the sense of patriotism that swept the country after the attacks.

“Our motivations to be over there were fueled by this sense of patriotism and wanting to make things right,” she said. “I think, sometimes, the military takes things too far, … and the loss of human life on both sides is not healthy.”

AP reports that 2,448 American service members, 66,000 Afghan national military and police, 47,245 Afghan civilians and 51,191 Taliban and other opposition fighters have been killed in the war in Afghanistan, as of April 2021.

The United States’ overall response to the 9/11 attacks has been questioned by many over the years, particularly after events in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

For example, a 2003 document outlining operating procedures there, leaked in 2004, included instructions for using military dogs for “psychological deterrence” and how to handle the bodies of detainees who have died.

Ms. McDowell said she believes there is toxic leadership within the military, but she hopes to change that. She also wants to be a police officer in her civilian life.

“I want to show people that not everyone is bad,” she said. “There are very (terrible) people that, unfortunately, outshine those that are doing good and are doing their job correctly. I do hope that that will change as this new generation of more tolerant individuals are coming up into the profession.”