Sept. 11, 2001, is etched in our collective memory as a day of profound tragedy and heroism. It was a time when duty demanded unwavering resolve in the face of unprecedented threats.
On that day, I was a lieutenant in the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C., responsible for the security planning for all the major events in the city and supporting the Secret Service in protecting the president and vice president.
At 9:03 a.m., I was on the phone with the Secret Service when I watched in horror as the second plane struck the World Trade Center on live television. At 9:37 a.m., a tremor passed through my office as American Airlines Flight 77, crashed into the Pentagon just two miles away.
Moments later, I would be running onto the White House grounds to help implement enhanced security measures around the complex.
Over the next several years, I worked…
