“The first thing I remember about Sept. 11 was a story my middle school teacher told me -- turning on the TV while it was going on and then immediately shutting off when the second tower went down,” recounts U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Brandon Spaulding, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Aug. 31, 2021. “I am a first responder, it means I am a high necessity, I don’t get days off on the weekends, I don’t get federal holidays, I am needed for the mission to go on so I always have to be ready.” (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Micaiah Anthony)