DVIDS – News – From Mortgage Broker to Military: 100th ARW Historian shares how 9/11 brought him back to the military

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a three-part series on 9/11, where members of RAF Mildenhall share their personal experiences of what happened on that fateful day and how it affected both their life and their military trip.

“The September 11 attacks were meant to break our morale. Instead, we came out stronger and more united. We feel a renewed devotion to the principles of political, economic and religious freedom, the rule of law and respect for human life. We are more determined than ever to live our lives in freedom.

– Rudy Giuliani, then mayor of New York, on the attacks of September 11

“It was a time of general confusion, but for me it was a time of clarity,” said Rob Paley, 100 Air Refueling Wing historian, recalling hearing about the events of 9/11. 2001 and to have observed them. “I was going through a bad patch in my career life, and after seeing the second plane crash into the tower, I knew immediately what to do.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, when terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners. Two of the planes landed in the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third hit the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Some aviators in the current Air Force were not even born then. Others were already serving their country while many joined the military because of this day. The world suddenly and horribly changed on September 11, 2001, triggering the global war on terrorism.

“I was at home in Groveport, Ohio, preparing to work in the financial services industry as a mortgage broker,” Paley said. “I was just starting my day, putting on my jumpsuit and between the first and second planes hitting the towers, my wife at the time called and told me to turn on the television. She was actually flying that day, from Columbus, Ohio, to a meeting in Chicago, and she had just landed at the Detroit airport where all televisions were broadcasting the first airstrike. So there was a crowd of people around the TVs and everyone was very interested in what was going on. She told me to turn on the TV and take a look.

Paley described how he immediately wondered how in the world a plane couldn’t have seen the World Trade Center.

“I thought back to the story, when a B-25 Mitchell bomber accidentally crashed into the Empire State Building in 1945, so it wasn’t the first time a plane had crashed into a skyscraper. sky – but of course it was different. At first I thought it was a small plane – maybe a private plane – that somehow crashed, but when I turned on the TV and I seeing the gaping hole with all the smoke coming out of it, I realized it couldn’t be. At this point, I was still preparing for work, pushing my tie when the second plane hit. But as soon as he knocked, I symbolically pulled my tie and wasn’t getting ready to go to work. My (now ex) wife asked me, “What does this mean? and I said, ‘It means we’re at war.’

Paley said he told her not to get on the next plane to Chicago, but added that she was very willful and replied that she didn’t let terrorists stop her from getting on a plane to attend. at its meeting. She was determined to catch the flight, but by the time she was about to catch her connecting flight, all flights had been canceled.

“At that point, I took off my tie, sat on the bed and watched the events unfold. It was then that I knew I was coming back to the military.

Paley was previously in the United States Army and trained at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, from 1985 to 1989. He chose to attend West Point for the specific purpose of giving his father – a veteran of the United States. Vietnam 100% disabled – his first salvation, which he achieved despite difficult times along the way.

“This time it was for my father – this time (after 9/11) it was for me,” he said.

As the former soldier continued to watch the events of that day unfold, the Pentagon was hit.

“Prior to September 11, I had already started trying to get into the Ohio National Guard because I had failed to serve in uniform, but there were a lot of delays and technical issues that kept me from doing it. to become an officer. He remembers. “The next day I called the National Guard and told them that if they couldn’t find my commissioning documents, I would come back as enlisted. But they finally gave me some good news and told me that all I needed was a physical exam. So all the talk about the war, or the potential war, to come, literally caused all the red tape and administrative processes that kept me from coming back to be instantly eliminated.

In order to gain federal recognition as an officer again, Paley had to be interviewed by a panel of four officers and the date was set for December 27, 2001. Due to the vacation, he was called and asked him s ‘he would reschedule in January. .

“I said no! I wanted to stick to the agreed date in December because I didn’t want to risk the laws and regulations changing in that time frame. The panel was not very happy with that. as much as it could have been the last Christmas they spent with their families for a long time, and I felt it.However, after the interview was over, they allowed me to return to service.

“It wasn’t until they asked me to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and I choked on myself, did they realize how much it meant to me and their demeanor completely changed. They said ‘thank you for joining you again’.

From the start of West Point to the end of his active service in the Army, Paley served nine years in the Army with an eight-year hiatus between that date and 9/11. After returning to service in 2001 with the Ohio National Guard as first lieutenant, he retired from the military in March 2019, after 20 years of active federal service.

During his time with the Army National Guard, he deployed to Afghanistan in January 2009 with a joint US-Hungary operational mentoring and liaison team. Their mission was to train an Afghan infantry battalion for combat operations.

“I was the senior manager and the procurement manager for this assignment. It was there that I served with what I consider to be the bravest men I have ever known in my life – every member of my team has served with great honor, ”Paley noted.

“As horrible as September 11 is, it gave me back my career,” he said. “I was proud to have served in wartime with so many incredible soldiers and airmen.”