SEPTEMBER 10, 2026 – It’s been 25 years of remembering 9/11, honoring the lives lost and recognizing the generations that have grown up in its aftermath. That day marked a turning point in American history, bringing unimaginable tragedy while also uniting a nation around a promise to never forget.
For some, remembering means passing the stories of that day from one generation to the next. For others, it means answering the call to serve as a soldier, police officer, firefighter or other first responder, picking up the torch carried by those who came before them.
“I already knew I wanted to serve, but 9/11 made that passion stronger, and it continues to this day,” said Army 1st Sgt. Robert Henderson, assigned to the 211th Military Police Company.
On his birthday, Henderson was walking into his chorus class when he saw the devastating news of the planes hitting the twin towers. Like so many who witnessed one of America’s greatest tragedies, he did not know how to make sense of what he was seeing.
“I didn’t know how to feel at the time,” he said. “I was just 16.”
Shortly after graduating, Henderson knew exactly what he wanted to do: serve. Growing up, he always wanted to either be a police officer or a soldier but did not know he could do both.
“9/11 made that passion stronger, and it continues to this day,” he said.
Highly motivated by what he saw on the news that day, Henderson spoke with a recruiter in 2004 about joining the National Guard. Shortly after, he graduated basic and advanced individual training, becoming a military police soldier. He then returned to North Carolina and was assigned to the new Detachment 1, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 30th Brigade Special Troops Battalion.
“The ones we lost that day were real people who went to work that morning, with real families who never got to see them again,” Henderson said. “An entire generation of people’s lives changed because of what happened that day and the subsequent war on terror, which is often forgotten.”
In 2009, his detachment deployed to Iraq, where they served as a convoy security detail, and Henderson also worked in the unit’s tactical operations center. After returning home, he pursued his dual calling to serve by attending basic law enforcement training before deploying to Afghanistan as a staff sergeant assigned to the 211th Military Police Company. His dual service was a way for him to honor those memories he had when he was 16 years old.
“We need to continue remembering that day by honoring the ones we lost,” he said. “This doesn’t mean you have to put on a uniform, but if an opportunity comes to be part of something bigger than yourself, don’t be afraid to answer the call.”
Henderson’s career in both the military and law enforcement continues to evolve. He was sworn in with the Apex Police Department in 2017 and became the 211th MPC first sergeant in 2025; his commitment to service has never wavered. Henderson carries the torch for those who were lost on that tragic day, allowing their sacrifice to continue to shape his own service while reminding the next generation why we must never forget.
“Eventually, everyone who personally remembers 9/11 will be gone,” he said. “The responsibility falls on this generation to make sure the memory doesn’t fade, and to understand what was sacrificed to preserve the freedoms they inherited.”
By Army Sgt. Wesley Riley
North Carolina National Guard