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STORIES

David Alvarado

Veteran

David Alvarado
MY connection to 9/11

  • I joined the military after 9/11

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

I was having breakfast in my 7th grade reading class when my teacher unexpectedly switched on the classroom television. The images of the Twin Towers in the heart of New York City, surrounded by smoke and flame were both terrifying and confusing. I knew my teacher and fellow students felt the same. We all grew up with the understanding that – as Americans – we were safe from attack. The endless news broadcasts and talk of war, with a country that I had never heard of, shattered that reality.

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

Five years later, during the height of the Global War on Terrorism, I enlisted in the U.S. Army intent on playing my part to restore that sense of safety.

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

I plan to give back to my fellow Americans, immigrants, and newly arriving refugees through community service.

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