RANSON, W.Va. — Retired Army Officer John Cornelius makes his home in Jefferson County, but on September 11, 2001, he was an 18-year-old student at Greenbrier East High School.
He remembered that morning when he spoke Friday as the Independent Fire Company in Ranson marked the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks and honored first responders.
“Walking through a hall and saw another classroom watching the news and wondering how an airplane could accidentally crash into the towers and then later on, they said a second plane had hit. All the TVs in the school went on at that point. All the kids were scared and went through all the phases of emotions – and ultimately what turned into anger for me.”
Cornelius joined the Army after his graduation from high school.
“I was able to serve from 2002, went to basic training, enlisted as Airborne Infantry, wanted to get to the fight as fast as possible, ended up making a career of it.”
He went on to become a helicopter pilot and a pilot instructor before ending his career following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
Cornelius said he went back and watched the footage of 9/11 before writing the speech he delivered Friday.
“Somebody said a small plane,” Cornelius said. “Somebody said ‘accident’ and then the second one hit.”
Cornelius said he’s used that video to motivate him during his years of military service.
“Any time I was somewhere that it hurt bad enough that I wanted to quit, I would run that tape in my head on purpose and it would buy me another hour,” Cornelius said. “It never came up as sadness, it went straight to anger, every time.”
Cornelius said anger will get you up a hill when nothing else will.
Cornelius said there were people like the first responders, and others who responded, like he did, with a goal of making those responsible pay.
“I didn’t sign up to save anybody. I signed up Airborne infantry and what I said out loud was ‘put me where the fighting is,'” Cornelius said. “I got what I asked for and then the Army put me in a helicopter (for medical evacuations).”
To the first responders gathered Friday, he expressed his gratitude:
“Twenty-five years ago I watched people like you go up while everyone else came down. It’s decided the rest of my life. Thank you. Thank you for that morning and every morning since,” Cornelius said.
Cornelius served 20 years in the U.S. Army and retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 3. He deployed to combat six times: two tours in Iraq, three in Afghanistan, and one to the Middle East with Special Operations aviation.