Like many Americans, Master Sgt. Ardell W. Brown remembers exactly what he was doing when the World Trade Center went down on the morning of September 11, 2001.

It was business as usual in the National Capital Region while Brown went about his workday as Marine Helicopter Squadron One communications systems operator. Brown, along with the other Marines of HMX-1 were tasked with the safe transportation of the president and his staff, along with other vital responsibilities on a daily basis. When news of the attack reached Brown’s command on that Tuesday, however, it stopped being just another day.

As Brown watched the towers crumbling on the television screen, feelings of anxiety and anger, followed by a calm resolution flooded through him, Brown said.

“A lot of Marines had the same feeling as me,” Brown said. “We knew this was our moment.”

Although Brown was a little shaken by the news, he and the other crew of HMX-1 still had important duties to perform. The safety of the president during that uncertain time was their highest priority.

“Viewing the Pentagon smoldering and seeing the fire and rescue folks around it from the air was pretty surreal,” Brown said. “We saw the National Mall deserted. There was no one on the streets. It was like a ghost town.”

Witnessing the devastating effects on the Pentagon was when reality truly hit home, Brown said.

“I got that sinking feeling because it was in my backyard,” Brown said. “It was on U.S. soil.”

Brown, who had served for 11 years at the time of the attacks, realized then that the second half of his Marine Corps career would be very different from the first. He knew that war was eminent and as a Marine; he took pride in knowing that he would be ready for whatever would happen.

Since then, Brown has deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan to do his part in preventing any more terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. As the ten-year memorial of September 11 approaches, Brown finds himself back at HMX-1 for another tour, this time as the communications chief.

“It’s kind of ironic after ten years that I’m back at HMX-1,” Brown said. “I try to talk to the new Marines here about how important it is to always be prepared. Every morning you wake up and you’re on duty in the National Capital Region and you think that nothing’s going to happen here. But I saw with my own two eyes what happened that day. You can never let your guard down.”