Barksdale Airman speaks at Sept. 11 anniversary event

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Terri Barriere
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  In honor of the 10th anniversary remembrance of the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, one member of Team Barksdale, and survivor of the attacks, took the stage at the Liberty Garden in Bossier City, La., to provide a commemorative speech.

In addition to Col. Janet Deltuva, Air Force Global Strike Command deputy command surgeon, speaking at the ceremony Sept. 11, the Keep Bossier Beautiful-sponsored event featured appearances by a number of local officials, to include Bossier City Mayor Lorenz Walker.

Mary Ann Van Osdell, Keep Bossier Beautiful president, said having Deltuva speak at the ceremony was a reminder of the heroism displayed that day.

"I heard the former archbishop of New York say that the site of the twin towers should be called Ground Hero, not Ground Zero, due to the heroism shown that day," she said. "Having a speaker from Barksdale who was a first responder at the Pentagon brought a local connection to the events that day and helped recall the importance Barksdale played as well."

When asked of her willingness to speak at the ceremony, Deltuva said she agreed more out of honor than obligation.

"I think that ceremony served the purpose of helping the community understand the full impact of that day ... so they'll never forget," she said. "As someone who was there 10 years ago I didn't want to sit at home on that day. I didn't want to watch anything on TV from my couch, I wanted to attend and be a part of something."

Deltuva said her memories from that day move through her mind like a slide show.

"The plane hit the left side of the building and we were on the right ... I remember feeling the whole building shake," she said. "I knew where the medical clinic was so I immediately began running in that direction."

Deltuva said she spent the next several hours helping wherever she could by carrying litters, handing out supplies and keeping patients calm.

"It was real, obviously, but it felt just like an exercise," she said. "We train so much its automatic, you don't process it, you just do it. I don't know why I wasn't afraid that day. I didn't leave because I knew I had something to contribute."

Deltuva said she believes everyone with the skill set to help stayed to assist after the crash.

"Medics don't run away from people who need healthcare," she said of herself and fellow first responders at the Pentagon.

Since then, Deltuva said she's had the privilege of speaking at many Sept. 11 commemorative events and considers her speeches another contribution to the cause.

"My dad was a World War II vet and when he started speaking about his experiences I realized, more than ever, the contributions our generation [of servicemembers] are making as well," she said. "Listening to him talk, you realize you have to help people understand the sacrifices military members everywhere, whether at Barksdale or the Pentagon, are making every day."
However, every day is not the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 and that was not the average speaking engagement for Deltuva, who said the speech was different for her.

"It is the 10th anniversary but we don't want to be so much in the day of 2001 that we can't look forward," she said. "That was a chance for positive reflection on improvements that have been made to our security procedures, inter-agency relationships and international partnerships."

Deltuva said a lot of great progress has been made to the nation since Sept. 11 and the anniversary was a good time to reflect upon it.

"When I first joined the military, we would have readiness exercises [at the hospital] but never would anyone actually call the local hospitals for their participation like we do now," she said. "We've made great progress in our response capabilities since then."

Just days after the anniversary, Deltuva reflected on the ceremony.

"Freedom. Bravery. Sacrifice. Grattitude. My remarks were focused on those four words and how you make something positive out of such a negative event," she said. "We are a nation that others envy. There are people that want to see us fail. They thought crashing those planes into those buildings would make us fail as a nation - but we have not."

"The American heritage is resilient I think and the way we responded to and recovered from September 11 proves that," she continued. "Of all the things we've gone through as a nation, nothing has brought us down. We make mistakes but we learn from them. I think the fact that we went through it has even been beneficial to our allies because they are able to benefit from our lessons learned."

In addition to paying tribute to servicemembers and reflecting on the nation's past and present, Osdell said the ceremony was also a good way to pay tribute to the local law enforcement and fire department representatives as well.

"It was a patriotic filled day with the Pledge of Allegiance, National Anthem, posting of the colors and Taps all being presented to show our nation's pride," she said.

The ceremony will appropriately be held at the Liberty Garden, which was built in 2003 to remember those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.