[Stealhead]

I was in My AGE shop doing a PM on a power unit at Ramstein AB Germany it was actually in the afternoon due to time zones for me but it was really strange because the shop was sort of empty that day and just before the afternoon 15 minute break another airman and I heard a report on AFN radio but the news they had at this moment was about it having been a small private plane crashing so it did not sound so serious in fact we both commented on how bad the pilot or confused the pilot must have been.

We both walk into the break room and TSgt Campbell is standing there looking really serious which was odd for him.He had the ThreatCon DELTA placards in his hand and they where the real world ones not the training ones when you see those come out you know right away something has happened.He told everyone around about what was known at the time this was before the second plane hit so it was not 100% confirmed yet but the base commander went to DELTA anyway.

We saw the second one hit live on AFN (it was NBC news). Basically that was a moment I wont forget because I knew right then that something serious was happening.Then a few minutes later after the Pentagon got hit they gathered up some of us to go to the armory to get M-16s because it was unknown then what else might happen.I guess it felt like Pearl Harbor and myself at least I thought if they come at this base on foot to attack us I am unloading.

People say that it was a really nice clear day in most of the US and it was also a very nice day in Germany(or at least in my region) that day.One very strange thing happened early that day though while several of us where outside a duck just dropped form the sky dead right over top of us.Maybe it was an omen.

Germans started putting tons of flowers around both main gates and one guys wife was German and she made us must have been 1000 different cookies she said she did that to help the younger people who where not married and away from their parents and homes to feel less home sick.