NAF said 9/11 changed the nation in many ways

Naval Air Facility El Centro officials said the events of September 11, 2001, touched and changed Americans in many ways.

NAF Executive Officer Jeremy Doughty said, “It is the pearl harbor or jfk assassination of our time. It’s that moment of our generation where everybody can recall where they were and what that event means to them.”

Doughty said the terrorist attacks tore away the appearance of invincibility, but making the nation more vigilant with the heightened sense of vulnerability.

NAF Senior Enlisted Leader William Terrel Coston said, “Actually, changed our security forces on the way we actually do our security on naval installations and on bases.”

NAF Administrative Officer Robert Joseph Moffat said, “This made people not assume anything in the world is safe anymore.”

It made some people more committed.

“Certainly, the events of September eleventh has strengthened my resolve to stay in the navy serving the country,” said Doughty.

“Realized why I serve for, why I joined the navy for, makes me refocus my effort,” said Coston.

“A renewed sense of patriotism. A renewed sense of pride in our military, our service members,” said Doughty.

They said a day of remembrance like this one unites people nationwide across partisan lines.

“Makes us remember what we stand for, what we work hard for, what we serve for in the military,” Coston said.

“We can move forward, but in order to move forward, we can never forget what happened today,” Moffat said.

Officials read the names of Navy personnel fallen during attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon

The 9/11 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and injured more than 6,000 on that fateful day – a day Americans said they will always remember, never forget.