Community Corner

The Lasting Impact of 9/11 in Los Alamitos and Seal Beach

Local images of military sacrifice join a national gallery, commemorating a decade since the tragedy that changed America.

It's a simple question: How did 9/11 change you?

All of us were affected in some way.

There was the initial disbelief – a plane struck one of the twin towers, and so many of us wanted to believe it was a terrible accident.

Find out what's happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There was the horror – three more planes were hijacked, and, as a nation, we watched helplessly as people jumped to their deaths and as the towers fell.

There was the anger at an unspeakable evil, the anxious realization that America is vulnerable, the unity of a nation brought together by adversity and the pride that we would overcome.

Find out what's happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Over the years, we settled into a new ‘normal.’

Part of that new normal has been a decade of warfare. Since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, we have deployed hundreds of thousands of soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan. Here in Seal Beach and Los Alamitos, two military communities, those wars come a little closer to home.  On any given day, we see the soldiers who have and who will fight those wars. In Seal Beach with the Naval Weapons Station, we see the sailors and marines come and go. The soldiers in fatigues and the camouflaged Humvee’s are a fixture on Katella Avenue. Many are family members. Some are graduates from Los Alamitos High School, fighting in a war that began when they were children.

These wars have become part of us. This morning at the pool on the joint forces training base, a nonprofit will teach veterans how to scuba dive, a form of therapy for veterans with physical and mental wounds from the war. Last week hundreds attended a solemn ceremony to honor the returning remains of , an Air Force pilot killed in the single deadliest day for America in the Afghan War. Last month hundreds more turned out to celebrate the return of the from a yearlong deployment in Iraq.

Each Patch city—more than 800—was asked to contribute to a gallery of images that helped answer the question in 200 words or less. Click on the photos to see the Los Alamitos-Seal Beach contributions—the story of military family and sacrifice.

As part of remembering those who died as victims and those who died as heroes, of celebrating the efforts of those who helped clean up, and those who held down the fort, Patch is also asking Americans to step up and share their story in the comments below by answering the question: How did 9/11 change you?

  • To view the gallery of contributions from Patch cities across America, click this Huffington Post link that goes live on Sunday, Sept. 11.
  • If you would like to tell the country how you're taking positive action in your community, check out ActionAmerica.com.

Martin Henderson contributed to this report.


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