Trending
This September 11 marks the 25th anniversary of one of the deadliest attacks on American soil – one that many veterans still feel strongly about.
Across the breadth of Chautauqua County, many veterans, particularly those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, are feeling the impact of this day. However, they are not alone; many fellow servicemen and women stand by them in their moments of solace and solitude as they remember.
"It still stings," said Joe Stravato, a resident of Jamestown and a U.S. Navy veteran who was a Navy reservist at the time of the attacks after serving on active duty for a number of years. "It was a beautiful morning. I got up and heard about the attacks on the radio. I then woke up the rest of my family, and we turned on the TV. As the second plane hit one of the towers, I knew – I just knew we were under attack."
Stravato said that, upon witnessing the attacks on TV, one of the first comparisons that sprang to his mind was the 80's film Red Dawn.
According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) Red Dawn is a movie about "a group of Colorado children who become guerrilla resistance fighters during a Soviet-Cuban invasion of mainland America – cei.org.
"You know that 80's movie with Patrick Swayze – Red Dawn," said Stravato. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking was going to happen. I was pissed off and ready to fight."
Stravato's statements were reflected in the perspectives of other Chautauqua County veterans as well.
"I was at work when the attacks happened," said John Stahley, a resident of Bemus Point and a U.S. Army soldier, Spec. 4, during the Vietnam War. "One of the agents (insurance) came into the office and said something was happening in New York City. I tried to look it up on the computer, but couldn't get on; I then tried again and was able to see it."
"When the second plane struck, I thought, 'We're under attack,' and I realized that we were going to be at war for a very long time," Stahley recounted. "I was prepared to be called back to service--despite my age--but my thoughts were also with my son, who was actively serving in the Army as a combat engineer."
Echoing both Stahley’s and Stravato’s statements Diego Berrios, a native of Puerto Rico and currently a resident of Jamestown, added, "I enlisted two weeks after the attacks, and fought in Iraq twice during my eight-years on active duty."
Berrios served with the United States Marine Corps, earning the rank of Lcpl. and serving as an 0311 infantryman with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Division, based out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.
"I was (upset) when it (attack) happened," he said. "I wasn't going to let it stand; there were a lot of Puerto Ricans who were killed during the attacks too."
The United States Defense Casualty Analysis System reports that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which ultimately led to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, resulted in: Iraq, more than 4,418 service members killed and more than 31,994 wounded, maimed or permanently injured. The war in Afghanistan led to more than 2,420 service members K.I.A. and more than 20,093 injured or maimed.