On 9-11 I was in Buffalo City Court having coffee with fellow police officers waiting for our cases to be heard when we were notified of the attacks. As soon as I could get out of court I raced home listening to the news reports on the radio. At the time I was also in the New York Army National Guard. Upon arriving home I contacted my unit and was told we would probably be activated. I packed all my gear, went to the armory and spent the night loading gear on our vehicles. The next morning we made the long convoy to the NYC area. I remember every car passing us on the thruway honking horns and yelling at us in support. It was one of my proudest moments as an American.
I was close to the 20 year mark and prior to 9-11 I was going to take my 20 year letter and retire. I ended up staying in another nine years. Those nine years after 9-11 were the most challenging and rewarding of my military career. I retired in 2010 with twenty-nine years of military service. My only regret is that I wasn’t a younger man at the time so I could continue to serve my country.
Steve Malkowski
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