Three Post-9/11 Veterans Describe 25 Years of Pride, Regret and Lasting Change
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 10
Three Post-9/11 Veterans Describe 25 Years of Pride, Regret and Lasting Change
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 10
Summary
Three veterans who enlisted in the days after Sept. 11 said 25 years later their service left a lasting mix of pride, regret, frustration and gratitude.
The interviews trace how the attacks pushed unlikely recruits — including a Harvard graduate, a former high school weed smoker and a volleyball captain — into combat and intelligence roles.
Their accounts pair the waste and carnage of war with deep camaraderie and purpose, reflecting how decisions made in the attacks’ aftermath still shape their lives.
Less than 0.001% of the U.S. population joined as new recruits in the following year, underscoring how small that post-9/11 cohort was compared with past wartime mobilizations.