LED BY PASSION: Security Forces AF
Anthony Hernandez
Copyright © 2024 Anthony Hernandez
All rights reserved.
ISBN:
In Memory of Ofelia Morales, Zapata designed and made the Coahuiltecan Tap Pilam Nation flag for the Coahuiltecan Nation in San Antonio, Texas. Mother of her son Anthony J. Hernandez and daughter Jeannette M. Hernandez. The flag stands for the American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Mission office at 1616 E. Commerce Street.
In Memory of Ramon Sanchez y Vasquez, Coahuiltecan Tap Pilam Council Member, artist, and civil rights activist to the nation. One of the greatest artists and public speakers of our time. He leaves a legacy of fantastic artwork and pioneering the groundwork for the San Antonio, Texas, civil rights movement.
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to the men and women of six Branches of the United States Armed Forces and State Military Forces: active duty, reserve, guardsmen, and guardswomen. Honor the men and women as Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, Coast Guardsmen, Coast Guardswomen, and Guardians of our military, including civilian personnel who support military personnel at home and worldwide.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Through the test of time during my life, in my personal life, development, educational, professional, and travels around the world. I thank God the Creator for putting the following people in my life to help me in my journey during these years and times: Dr. Hans Liberman, Professor UCLA, Chaplain Richard Hobbs, Robert T. Arocha, Lee Wingert, Gilmore Nieto, Uncle Robert Lewis and my Aunt Patricia Lewis, Cousin Ian Rendon, Cousin John Ortega, other family, friends and the covenant members of First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio, Texas. Thank all of you for being supportive and at my side. I pray to God the Creator for blessings and continue to write more short articles and Boo Books in the future. So, I can financially bless others with future articles and Boo Book sales that require help in part of my world!
TABLE OF CONTENT
Basic Training and Tech School
07-07-2005 The Tube Terrorist Attack
Attack On Vatican City, Rome, and The Barcelona
New 813 Counter-Terrorism Unit
All-Women Counter-Terrorism Team
More Terrorist Attacks in the EU
Terrorist Conducting More Attacks
813 Unit Working with Interpol 160
Assassinations Of Heads of State
Release Of the Eboli-Tuberculosis Virus
U.S. And E.U. Take No Prisoners
The Reality and Truth of Terrorism
Introduction
Led By Passion is a story about Senior Airman Sandra Allen, a United States Air Force security specialist. She has dreamed of joining the Air Force since middle school. At age eighteen, after graduating from Quanah Parker High School in Odessa, Texas, she signed up for the Air Force to become a security police officer. First, she had to undergo basic Air Force training at Lackland Air Force Base for eight and a half weeks.
After graduating from basic training, her family came to watch her on the parade grounds at Lackland. She attended tech school for security forces and was assigned to the 34th security forces police squadron. She became friends during her training with Amy Gates and Melissa Pratt; they all served in the same security forces units.
As all three friends had graduated and earned the rank of Airman (E-2) and after serving time at Lackland, all three friends were transferred to a Minuteman II underground missile base in Kansas, all three were promoted to the rank of Airman First Class (E-3). After another year and a half, they were all transferred to Ramstein Air Base in Germany and received additional tactical training. After their unique tactics training, all three friends were assigned to the 321 Special Tactic Squadron at RAF Mildenhall, England. After serving over a year in England, all three were sent on vacation.
Sandra Allen, Amy Gates, and Melissa Pratt were ready for RR and planned to visit the tour sites and sights in Madrid, Spain, in March 2004. All three went across the city to visit local bars, dance, and listen to live music. They were amazed that Madrid, like London, England, was the New York City of Spain. It was like Broadway came to Spain, but Madrid was their own Broadway version.
In England, the commander considered separating all three women and deploying them to separate air bases in the Middle East, such as Al Udeid Air Base, as they were on vacation and seeing the beautiful places in Madrid, Spain. The three friends were about to board a train to visit other parts of Spain that morning of March 11, 2004, near Madrid-Chamartín Railway Station. As they were approaching the train station, a loud explosion was heard that threw broken glass and pieces of the building towards the street, and people were running into the streets.
This incident occurred in Spain, where ten bombs were dropped on four separate commuter trains that day. The three women saw what happened, and they all went into action after hearing four separate explosions; they responded by adding people by giving first aid to the injured. The women ran past an obstacle course of wreckage and dead bodies in adding the victims that were inside the damaged train.
There were several dead uniformed police officers and security officers who were too close to the explosion, and their bodies were cut in half by the sheet metal from the train. As soon as the Madrid Police and Madrid Fire Department arrived, they started to control the scene, and the police detained the three women, not knowing who the terrorists were that set the bombs.
Luckily, they all had their U.S. Air Force IDs and Security Police badges and credentials on them. The officers asked the women if they could assist, for there were over 2,000 injured, unknown how many died, and several people were missing. By helping the Spanish Government, their lives would change forever that day. After several days, their commander assigned the three to a U.S. Air Base in Spain. Because terrorism was running rampant around the world, the women joined five other women who were security police forces to form a new unit made up of all women as a new counter-terrorism unit to help fight terrorism in Europe. The new counter-terrorism team was dedicated, committed, and enthusiastic about their duty and work. A group of security forces women would soon learn their new mission after this tragic terrorist attack in Madrid. Twelve women who never worked as a team would become a force to be recon by terrorists. The story takes a twist, where the Alarcon Drug Cartel, global criminals, and the elites are part and tied to the Reptilian alien race who are the real threat and controlling the world, but an interplanetary war involving several worlds, over 1,000 light years away. The women are now being trained and equipped by the Universal System of Planets Enochs. As a team, they defeat the Reptilians and their allies.
- Chapter One – Everything Changes
America has been doing well, and under President George W. Bush, some liked the President, and some did not. It was just like any ordinary morning. Melissa Pratt, her father, and her mother had their regular morning breakfast. Melissa’s mom worked as a dispatcher at the New York City Communications Center, and her father was a fire Lieutenant for the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) City; he worked at 74 Middagh Street, Brooklyn, New York. The Brooklyn firehouse is the home of Engine 205 and Ladder 118.
Her dad was the fire officer in charge of Ladder 118. Her mother was a communications dispatcher supervisor. Melissa was working as an NY-NJ Port Authority police officer, and her beat was working the Port of New York City. Melissa was scheduled to go to work at 7 am, and so were her mom, Janet Pratt, and her dad, David Pratt. September 11, 2001, the day came that morning; the worst day in America happened when the United States was attacked.
As the Pratt family was heading for work, it seemed like any other day in New York City or what people called her city, “The Big Apple.” September 11, 2001, the day came that morning; the worst day in America happened when the United States was attacked. The World Trade Center was attacked; first, it seemed it was an aviation accident when a commercial airliner struck and went into the building, and reports started to come into all news television networks of a plane crashing into the World Trade Center in New York City, it could not be confirmed it was an accident or intentional.
At 8:40 am. Air traffic controls of the FAA notified the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) of the Northeast Air Defense Sector (NEADS) of the hijacking of Flight 11. NAADC scrambled two fighter jets to prepare to be launched into the air from Cape Cod’s Otis National Guard Base. Before the fighter jets were able to take off, Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center North Tower. This is the first-time commercial passenger airliners have been used as a tool by terrorists against U.S. soil.
At 8:41 am, United Airlines Flight 93, with a crew and forty-four people on board, had taken off from Newark International Airport and was in route to San Francisco. At about 8:46 am New York time, it was reported that Mohammed Atta and others with him hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 and intentionally crashed the plane into the 93-99 floors of the North Tower of The World Trade Center. Forty passengers, the flight crew, and all the hijackers on board were killed, not counting hundreds who were reporting to work on floors 93 to 99.
Without seconds to lose, Mrs. Janet Pratt took over as incident commander. She dispatched a considerable number of forces of the NYPD and FDNY to The World Trade Center to assist Port Authority officers at the site and help evacuate employees and personnel from the North Tower. Mrs. Pratt had dispatched her husband’s fire unit, Ladder 118, racing towards the New York area bridge to race to the disaster scene. FDNY covers the five boroughs that are all part of New York City and have over seven million inhabitants.
At 8:50 am, White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card informed the President that the World Trade Center North Tower had been struck by a plane. At 9:02 am, Building Management ordered people to remain in the World Trade Center South Tower. Port Authority officials decided to make a public announcement over the intercom system to evacuate both towers; an estimated 14,000 tents were already evacuating out of fear of the building collapse or a second attack on the standing tower.
As people were already evacuating from both towers, at 9:03 am, a second commercial airliner, United Airlines 175, crashed into the South Tower, hitting floors 75-85 and killing everyone on the aircraft, and hundreds more were killed where the plane struck. By this time, news television reports came in that a second plane hit the second tower of The World Trade Center; the city and its citizens were in a panic and chaos mode.
At 9:03 am, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sent a notice called a NOTOM. A NOTOM is a notification of important or essential information concerning flight operations to all pilots, Fixed Base Operator (FBO), and commercial airliners that transport passengers or cargo within the air space of the United States and all nine U.S. Territories.’ Even the National Aerospace Administration (NASA) was notified by the FAA when 9-11 occurred, so all air flights and space flights were banned.
Every time NASA wants to launch a human-crewed space vehicle, remote vehicle, or satellite launch, the FAA has to be informed, and the FAA can approve or disprove the launch. The only one that is not banned is the United States Department of Defense (DOD), which works with the FAA to coordinate flights to protect U.S. air space during national crises or in the interest of national security. The DOD and FAA were in direct contact with The President of the United States, especially when September 11, 2001, happened that day.
At 9:08 am, the FAA banned all flights taking off or coming to the New York City area. At 9:21 am, The officials at the Port Authority closed all tunnels and bridges leading into or out of New York City. At 9:24 am, the FAA was alerted by crew members and family members aboard American Airlines Flight 77 that the plane was hijacked. At 9:31 am, President Bush holds a press conference in Florida and speaks out that the incident in New York City is an “apparent terrorist attack on our country.”
The FAA was alerted that American Airlines Flight 77 was also hijacked; as the president was speaking, Flight 77 crashed into the western façade outer ring of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. After the plane crashed into the Pentagon, sixty-four people aboard the aircraft and one-hundred and twenty-five died that day in our nation’s capital. Many who died inside the Pentagon were military and civilian DOD personnel.
At 9:42 a.m., the FAA issued another NOTOM nationwide to ground all flights over the continental United States. Over 3,330 commercial flights and 1,200 private planes that were still in the air on September 11, 2001, needed to land and were instructed to land at the nearest airports that could support the aircraft in United States or Canada.
At 9:59 am, The World Trade Tower South Tower collapsed, and the building fell into the streets below where many emergency response crews killed, and their emergency vehicles were damaged. At 10:07 am, crew members and passengers learned about the attacks on New York and Washington. The crew and passengers did not want their plane to be used as a missile against an occupied building. The passengers attempted to retake Flight 93, but the hijackers feared that passengers could overtake them, so the hijackers deliberately crashed the aircraft into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, killing the crew members and all forty passengers, including the hijackers.
At 1028 am, The World Trade Center’s North Tower collapses after one hour and forty-two minutes of being struck by American Airlines Flight 11. At 11:00 am, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani called for an evacuation of Manhattan south of Canal Street, which affected one million residents, workers, and tourists in the area.
At 1:00 pm, President Bush announces from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana that U.S. military forces are on high alert worldwide. At 2:51 pm, The U.S. Navy dispatches missile destroyers to New York and Washington D.C. At 5:20 pm, The forty-seven-story building of the seven buildings of the World Trade Center collapsed after burning for several hours. The building had been evacuated earlier that morning. The collapse of the two towers caused many rescue workers to flee for their lives. There were several explosions heard coming from the remaining standing buildings of the WTC campus.
After Air Force One was the only aircraft authorized to fly in U.S. airspace, the plane flew to Louisiana and Nebraska and made stops in both states. As this was happening, Mrs. Pratt was still working at the communications center of New York City, wondering if her husband’s Ladder 118 and his crew had made it out of the collapsed buildings. Melissa Pratt, who had been working at the Port of New York since the towers collapsed, could no longer communicate with the Port Authority dispatcher center.
The World Trade Center (WTC) was a complex of seven buildings, North Tower and South Tower being the tallest buildings in the WTC. The WTC building was where the Port Authority Headquarters and communications center, on top of the building, had the primary radio communications antenna for the Port of Authority. It also housed the communications antennas for the NYPD, FDNY, and EMS; the communications system was shared by the City of New York and the City of New Jersey, which made up the port authority entity.
Melissa Pratt could no longer communicate with Port Authority headquarters or other city agencies. The only communications she had were radio unit-to-radio unit or car-to-car communications. Her cellular telephone was useless, for a cellular communications system was also on top of one of the WTC buildings. Plus, the cell phone system failed because of the increased calls between cell phone users, which caused it to shut down.
Her mother tried radioing with Ladder 118 but heard no response. Her daughter Melissa Pratt tries to radio into her mother’s dispatcher center, but she only hears radio static and no response; all Melissa can see is the black smoke filling the New York City skyline. She began to fear that all her co-workers and friends at the Port Authority were still inside the building when it collapsed. She feared for her father’s safety since she knew he was the first ladder company to respond to the attacks on the WTC.
All she knew was that the crews were working overtime into the night, and so was she. At the end of her shift, she approached the headquarters of the Port Authority. She saw that both towers had fallen, and her building was gone. When she arrived, many of the first responders were covered in dust; all the streets and vehicles on the roads were covered in dust. She saw her father’s Ladder 118 truck covered in rubble and dust.
She wanted to continue to work, but a police commander of the NYPD ordered her to go home. She started to cry, commander, you do not understand; my father’s ladder 118 truck is covered in rubble and dust, where is he? Pratt, I do not know; we are in a search and recovery mode. Go home, Pratt; I will have one of the officers contact you as soon as we know. New York City is the financial capital of the United States of America. This city never sleeps, where residents and even tourists have a deep passion for the Big Apple City.
Janet Pratt had worked a double shift and hoped her husband would call her at the dispatch center or come to her job. As the city entered the night, she went home and could not stop thinking about her husband. She looked towards the door, hoping he would walk in and put a smile on her face. Melissa had gone home and tried to relax but could not think about all the coworkers she had lost in the fallen towers. She was thinking about her father and hoping that rescue workers would find her dad. She went to sleep after watching television but turned it off because it was a repeat of the T.V. networks of the fallen towers. She could not bear to watch any more viewing of the fallen towers; she felt she had lost everyone and felt alone without her coworkers, especially not knowing if her father was alive or dead.
New York is where there are people from around the world living and working in New York City. New York City is home to more than eight hundred languages, and each neighborhood and community takes pride in its culture and language. As New York City goes into the next morning, there will still be much confusion, chaos, and disbelief that such a terrorist attack occurred in the Big Apple, and the rest of the nation will feel the effects of this attack. As New Yorkers woke up the next day, the City of New York was shut down and depended much on the financial center of the WTC, entertainment, and tourist industry, which all stopped because of this terrorist attack. Residents of New York City feel they have everything a city can provide, and New Yorkers love their city and have a deep passion for the Big Apple.
The next day came, New Yorkers woke up to the reality of what had happened the day before, and the city was shut down. As the city was shut down, no one went to work, no businesses were open, and only first responders and city services workers were on the streets. Four days later reality set in that for the Pratt family they realized that Janet Pratt would not see her husband again and Melissa Pratt would never see her father again.
As day five of the rescue operations at the World Trade Center ground zero continued, rescue crews from other fire departments helped relieve FDNY firefighters from nearby fire departments of paid and volunteer departments. The Fire Commissioner of FDNY called the Pratt family to inform them that Ladder 118 never made it out of the Twin Towers. The ladder truck was heavily damaged by the fallen building and beyond repair.
The six members of Ladder 118 never came out and returned to the building to rescue more people. The only evidence that was found of Melissa’s father was his firefighter helmet at ground zero, and FDNY firefighters came to the home of Mrs. Pratt to deliver the fire helmet and give condolences to Mrs. Pratt and Melissa Pratt. They both cried as the fire officials hugged them and handed over the fire helmet to Mrs. Pratt.
The fire helmet was all that was left of her husband; Mrs. Pratt and Melissa Pratt had the reality set in that Lieutenant David Pratt was not coming home. Even the Mayor of New York City, Ruby Giuliani, came to see the Pratt at Mrs. Pratt’s home to pay respect and condolences to the family. As the mayor left, he visited all the families of first responders to pay respect and condolences to the other families of first responders.
Many first responders from across the U.S. came to New York City to help and show support for the brothers and sisters who were victims and those still missing at the World Trade Center. Members of the San Antonio Fire Department went to the memorial services and could not contemplate those 349 firefighters alone died in the WTC; some of the firefighters said that was the entire shift of the San Antonio Fire Department, which was like losing a whole shift.
The City of New York held a memorial service for all the families affected by the terrorist attack, a day that will never be forgotten for the city, the nation, and the world. Even all the crucial politicians showed up to the memorial service, and President Bush made an appearance to speak to first responders, citizens of New York, and the nation.
Congress had gone into session to discuss what action to take against the terrorist and the state that sponsored the terrorist attack on United States soil. Congress was sending more troops and resources to prepare for a war in the Middle East. According to intelligence reports by intelligence agencies, they knew who the actors were who orchestrated these attacks. Congress, in session, had declared war on Iraq and built a coalition of several countries to go after the sponsor state of these attacks.
As for the Pratt family survivors, they took time off from work to decide and reflect on their loss, as did the other families of first responders in New York City. The city will never be the same, and the history of these attacks changed the lives of everyone forever! Melssia wanted to get back at the terrorists and the country that caused these attacks in her city but did not know how.
As the memorial service was being set, they both had time to go to a restaurant for lunch. As they were walking in downtown New York, she saw the street memorial on the sidewalk of the photos of the missing victims of loved ones and friends of those that were inside the World Trade Center. Many people were reported missing for five to six days, not knowing where their family members or friends were at, to the police. The NYPD was inundated with a flood of reports of missing persons, which the NYPD had never experienced in the history of the department. Citizens were walking the streets like Zombies, without expression, as if they were walking dead.
As Janet and Melissa walked past a United States Air Force recruiter’s office, she mentioned to her mom that she thought of changing jobs and resigned from the Port Authority Police Department. Her mother did not like the idea of Melissa hinting at joining the U.S. Air Force. Her mom said are you going to leave me? My husband just died, and your father is dead. How could you leave me, Melissa? Mom, I need to do this by joining the U.S. Air Force joining the security forces to help fight the declared war in the Middle East.
Janet reluctantly blessed Melissa with the opportunity to join the U.S. Air Force for basic training at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas. After she completed her time off, she notified her supervisor, Sargent Jacob Jones, that she was resigning from the department to join the U.S. Air Force. Her sergeant said, “I hope you know what you are doing.” You have a promising career with the Port Authority, and you have already invested a little over two years in the department. Sargent, I have to do this; I need to do this and do more, to join the security forces of the U.S. Air Force to fight terrorism and go after the people who attacked my city.
The next day, to the U.S. Air Force recruiter to join the air forces, she went through the process of filling out documents, presenting her resume, high school diploma, and testing. The Recruiter congratulated Melissa on joining the Air Force, and he asked why she joined if she already had a career with the NY-NJ Port Authority Police Department. Melissa said my city was affected by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. My father, Lieutenant David Pratt, was the fire officer on FDNY Ladder 118; he had five other firefighters rescuing people from the World Trade Center, and they all died.
He and his crew went back inside the building to rescue more people. Officials of New York City said they never came out of the building, and then the building collapsed. They were never found; only a heavily damaged ladder truck and his firefighter helmet were found, and no bodies were ever found. Sergeant John Maxwell said, “I am deeply sorry for the loss of your father that day. There were many heroes, and your father was among them. Melissa said I want to do more and make more of a difference for the coworkers who died in the towers and for my father and help the nation by going into the Air Force.
Sargent Maxwell said let me please congratulate you and shake the hand of a fallen hero of 9/11 eleven, then Melissa smiled and said thank you, Sargent. Sargent Maxwell said welcome to the Air Force family; she then said goodbye and left the recruiting office. She had three days to prepare before she would fly to San Antonio, Texas, home of the United States Air Force; she was excited for her new journey in life!
As Melissa passed all the requirements to join the U.S. Air Force, she gave her sergeant final notice of her resignation to head to San Antonio for basic training and then to tech school to train as a security forces specialist. There was a farewell party for Melissa from her still alive coworkers. She was given signed cards, cake, balloons, and presents for her going away. She even received a certificate of appreciation from the human resources department. As the farewell party ended, they each gave Melissa a hug and good luck to your future career in the United States Air Force.
In three days, Melissa would fly to San Antonio and head to Lackland AFB, the U.S. Air Force home. She and her mom were spending much time together and looking at all the family photos of her mom and her dad and, as she was growing up, the good times the family had and the sacrifices her dad made for a career he dearly loved. Many people need to become more familiar with the fire service in the United States or around the world, and it is common knowledge among brothers and sisters in the fire service that the fire service is not just your second family but an extended family and their second home.
When you hear of firefighters, whether they are paid professionals, even volunteer firefighters are professionals who work without pay to respond to their communities’ need for volunteer professionals. There is a saying among amateur radio operators: Remember that professionals built the Titanic and amateurs-built Noah’s Ark. Do not take anything away from paid professionals, whether paid firefighters or volunteer firefighters; they all work in their communities to provide a service. Sometimes, paid firefighters and volunteer firefighters end up working together. As happened on September 11, 2001, neighboring volunteer and paid firefighters near New York City responded to help their brothers and sisters in the Big Apple.
It was now day three, and it was time to head to Newark International Airport, where one of the hijacked planes had struck the World Trade Center complex. Melissa’s mom drove her to the airport, and they both saw the city skyline. Melissa noticed an emptiness in the city’s skyline. Melissa said, you see things every day and see people you know, believing that the buildings and people will always be there; then, one day, an event like 9/11 happens, and things change, and it is gone. Her mother, as they are near the airport, you mean like the World Trade Center building, the tallest building in the New York City sky view, and it is no longer there!
Melissa said exactly, Mom! Melissa’s mom said except when 9/11 happened, many of the men and women who responded to the World Trade Center disaster call never came home! Both of them wept and remembered those lost, mom lost her husband, and Melissa lost her father. Then she said Mom, I will never see Daddy come home again, they both wiped their tears as they pulled into the garage parking at the airport.
As Melissa’s mom parked the car and Melissa took out her suitcase, her mother locked the car, and both walked to the airport terminals so Melissa could catch her flight to San Antonio. She and her mom went to the check-in at the ticket counter with American Airlines to check in her luggage. Two uniformed officers were standing behind her, and the male officer said I need to see your I.D., please, and her mom smiled.
When Melissa turned around, Ben Jackson and Oliva Fernandes surprised her. Melissa hugged them both and was happy to see them. Melissa said Mom, these are coworkers I went with during the police academy together. Officers Jackson and Officer Fernandes said nice to meet the mother of Melissa, Jackson said I would hear your voice on the intercity police channels, Mrs. Pratt said yes, I am a supervisor for the dispatch center. Officer Fernandes said I heard to what happened to Ladder 118, that all six men were lost, and your husband was the fire officer in charge of Ladder 118, Officer Jackson said you have our condolences, Mrs. Pratt.
She wept and said excuse me, I need to go to the lady’s room crying. Officer Fernandes asked Melissa if we said anything wrong, and no! It has been over a month since I lost my dad. She was a working dispatch; she was the one who dispatched Ladder 118, and she felt responsible for my dad’s death. Melissa was still waiting to get her boarding pass. Officer Jackson stayed with her, and Officer Fernandes walked behind Melissa’s mom.
Officer Frenandes walked into the ladies’ restroom and saw Mrs. Pratt cry in front of the mirror; as Officer Frenandes approached, Mrs. Pratt said I understand your pain! Mrs. Pratt lashed out at the officer, “No, you do not understand or know the pain of losing a husband; the love of my life is gone forever.” Officer Fernandes said you can call me by my first name, Olivia! I understand what you are going through, what the citizens of New York went through that day and the following days!
I had not seen Melissa in a long time and knew she lost her father at the towers. She did not know that the same day my father, Paul Fernandes, who is a third-grade detective, would retire after twenty-five years of service to the NYPD and the City of New York; he was supposed to retire at the end of his shift. I was working that same day, and my mother, Anna Fernandes, was so happy he was going to retire and had been careful all those years, and then this happened. I cried too to Mrs. Pratt, my dad, when I went back into the towers to help evacuate people, and he too never came out, and the building collapsed; I never saw my dad again!
As Mrs. Pratt wiped her tears, she hugged Oliva and said you understood! Oliva said yes, I do! Both walked out of the restroom together and as her mom and Officer Fernandes approached Melissa and Officer Jackson, are you okay, Mom? I am okay! At least Oliva understood what I was going through, and Oliva smiled! Both officers said goodbye, Melissa, and we needed to return to our beat. Melissa said it was perfect seeing you both. Melissa hugged them, and Melissa’s mom hugged Olvia and thanked her for her support. Melissa’s mom hugged Officer Jackson. Jackson said Mrs. Pratt, “We are all here for you; you are part of the New York City of Family Employees!
Melissa and her mom walked to the airport security checkpoint carrying her backpack. Her mother could not accompany Melissa to the gate because of security regulations. Her mom said take care, Melissa, “I love you,” and Melissa said, “I love you too, Mom.” They kissed each other on the cheek, hugged, and then parted ways. Her mom returned, thinking of all the good times she, her husband, and Melissa had as she walked back to her car to go home. Melissa also thought of the good times she, her mother, and father had as a family; she smiled and said, “Memories are good.” She boarded Flight 108 to San Antonio to fly into her new future!
She was ready to become an active United States Air Force member and do her duty for the nation.