9/11 Sent Them to War. 25 Years Later, Veterans Grapple with What Followed – Democratic Accent

9/11 sent them to war. 25 years later, veterans grapple with what followed – Democratic Accent

John Byrnes was swimming in a pool beneath Hunter College in Manhattan on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, when he stepped outside for coffee and heard sirens blaring down Lexington Avenue. He learned that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. Minutes later, he saw the North Tower collapse on a campus television and immediately headed toward his National Guard armory. Byrnes spent the next two weeks helping secure Ground Zero. And spent the foll…

9/11 sent them to war. 25 years later, veterans grapple with what followed

Veterans who served in the post-9/11 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq reflect on Ground Zero, combat deployment and whether two decades of military service were worth the sacrifice.