SEPTEMBER 11, 2026 – Twenty-five years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the images of that day remain part of the nation’s collective memory. For Sandra Nunez-Lopez, the memories are also deeply personal.
Nunez-Lopez, a medical support assistant at Kenner Army Health Clinic, was living and working in New York City when the attacks occurred. That morning, she was supposed to be at the World Trade Center.
At the time, Nunez-Lopez worked for American Express Travel and was scheduled to meet a colleague at the Marsh McLennan offices in the World Trade Center. The day before the meeting, she and her supervisor decided it would be more convenient for the colleague to meet Nunez-Lopez at her office on 47th Street in Midtown Manhattan instead.
It was a routine decision that ultimately kept her away from the World Trade Center.
Nunez-Lopez had only been in the office for two or three minutes when she realized something was wrong. Her supervisor, who had been on the phone with a coworker at the World Trade Center, was suddenly disconnected as the building was hit. As reports began to unfold, Nunez-Lopez realized the United States was under attack.
“This is an attack,” Nunez-Lopez remembered thinking.
The realization that she could have been at the World Trade Center that morning profoundly changed her outlook on life.
“It changed my life,” Nunez-Lopez said.
A mother, Nunez-Lopez began questioning the amount of time she spent working and what she wanted for her daughter. Eventually, she left New York and moved to Virginia to be closer to family.
Today, Nunez-Lopez supports service members, families and other beneficiaries as part of the military health system. Her experience also changed how she sees the men and women in uniform around her.
Twenty-five years after the attacks, Nunez-Lopez said Sept. 11 remains a reminder that the nation can never assume it is beyond the reach of an unexpected threat.
That lesson continues to resonate within military medicine, where readiness requires both a medically ready force and medical professionals prepared to support the mission when called upon.
“September 11th truly showed that the U.S. military may be called upon at any time,” said Maj. Mary C. Gasser, chief medical officer at Kenner Army Health Clinic. “Having a medically ready force and a prepared medical military team is critical to mission success, at home and abroad.”
At Fort Lee, Kenner supports that mission by developing and sustaining medic competencies, maintaining provider skills and training non-medical personnel as combat lifesavers. The clinic also supports Force Health Protection efforts aimed at preventing illness and injury and returning sick and injured service members to duty as quickly as possible.
For Gasser, the lessons of Sept. 11 also reinforce the importance of preparing for threats that cannot always be anticipated.
“Military medicine should always remain postured to support the mission by maintaining skill currency, training the next generation of the military medical force, and remaining agile and adaptable to face unknown challenges that any new threat may bring,” Gasser said.
For Nunez-Lopez, remembrance is personal. For military medicine, it is also tied to readiness.
Twenty-five years after a routine change of plans altered the course of Nunez–Lopez’s life, the anniversary serves as both a reflection on those lost and a reminder of an enduring mission — to remain ready when the nation calls.
Story by Shanita Dorsey
Kenner Army Health Clinic