Gunnery Sgt. John J. Ulmer, 39 — Milton, Pennsylvania I was at Marine Corps Base Quantico when the first plane hit the tower. Everyone thought it was an accident — a civilian plane had maybe gone off course. I can remember going to the duty hut and watching it live on TV. About 45 minutes later the second one hit, and that’s when reality struck us. This was not an accident. At first, I was shocked. I didn’t think anything like that could happen. Anger and frustration set in once we realized what had actually happened. I joined in 1998, so I really think after this, things became a lot more real; we’re here to do a certain job. This isn’t peacetime any more. I used to drive a general officer to the Pentagon. I used to drop the General off at the helo pad near the old Navy Annex at Henderson Hall and wait, and I can remember watching planes fly over the Pentagon going to Reagan thinking to myself “Wow, wouldn’t it be crazy if one of them ran into the Pentagon?” Never thought it would happen. The spot I parked at was probably 50 feet from where it hit the Pentagon. I was a recruiter from ’05 to ’08, and you saw men and women who really could do whatever they wanted to do with their life, but they chose to serve their country because of 9/11. I think we’ve evolved as an organization for the better.