STORIES

Jeremy Butler

Veteran

Jeremy Butler
Military Affiliations

  • Veteran Child

MY connection to 9/11

  • I was serving in the military on 9/11

Where were you when you first heard about or saw the 9/11 terrorist attacks?

I was on my first deployment as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy. We were on a counter-narcotics mission working with the U.S. Coast Guard off the west coast of South America. I specifically remember heading to the bridge to start my watch rotation on the morning of 9/11 and being told about the first plane hitting the towers. Like most of the country, those of us on the ship assumed that it had been an accident.

How did the events of that day shape your life and inspire your service to this country?

As a ship that was already deployed, we expected to be told to begin preparations to change mission and begin transit to the Middle East. Those orders didn't come and we completed another three months of our deployment before returning to our homeport of Everett, WA. However, my plan to do my four-year commitment to the Navy and get out was replaced with a lifetime of service and I remain in the Navy Reserves today.

What are you excited to contribute to your community, however you define it, for the next 20 years?

To the necessary and ongoing struggle to live up to the ideals that the country was founded on. America has never achieved them and, while we still have a long way to go, I am motivated by the selfless service of so many that I see happen every day.

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