Honored members

Your Board of Directors has accepted the resignation of BG Harry J. Mott III. Gen Mott found it necessary to submit his resignation as he is relocating to Texas. In respect for his many years of Board participation and his many contributions to the organization as a Board member he has been named as a Director Emeritus by unanimous vote of the Board.

MSG Chester Marcus, recently returned from deployment to Iraq, was unanimously elected to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of BG Mott. Welcome back Chester.

The following excerpt was taken from Warrior Citizen, the official magazine of the U.S. Army Reserve: More than a decade has passed since our country was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, yet many of us still vividly remember where we were at a moment that galvanized communities, cities, a nation and our military forces in support of our country. Maj Tom Sullivan (then Capt) was the aide-de-camp to the commanding general of the 77th Regional Readiness Command, and a financial planner on the 95th floor of the South Tower at the World Trade Center. When Sullivan reported to work that day, he was looking forward to sharing the news that he and his wife were expecting twins.

Sullivan said he and his boss were talking and laughing about the coming births when something caight their attention. "At the speed and size of a plane that was coming it looked like it was heading right for us," he said. "It impacted the north tower as best we could figure right above us." Sullivan and his boss started clearing the floor. "My duties (as deputy fire warden for the floor) were to clear cubicles, bathrooms, copy rooms. Things were developing very fast. We were looking at an inferno."

As the employees filed down the stairwell, it happened. "Somewhere around the 68th floor our building shook tremendously. The stairwell doors were opening up from other floors and people were screaming that a second plane had hit our tower." When they reached the plaza level, the group was redirected to the east side basement exit due to falling debris outside.

"It as a very different picture that I had gotten just an hour and a half before that. This beautiful sky was now filled with smoke. Both buildings engulfed and the whole plaza and surrounding area looked like a war zone."

He said by this time there were hundreds if not thousands in the streets moving away from the towers. Before they could make it to the Brooklyn Bridge and to safety, both towers collapsed.
He and the others eventually did make it across the river. But the days immediately following the attack didn't get much better. There were memorial services for months afterwards.

"We lost 104 from our company," said Sullivan. "Many of these same people were at our wedding, kids' christenings and vice-versa."
"I had only hoped that my involvement, my service would somehow bring honor to all those that we had lost," said Maj Sullivan.

Maj. Thomas Sullivan was awarded the Soldier's Medal for his heroic actions on the day of the Sept. 11 attacks.

(Editor's Note: We hope to see Maj Sullivan and many of our Association members at the upcoming 21 March mid-winter social and meeting at the Swan Club)