Central Oregon man recalls 9/11 experience, serving in the National Guard

(Update: adding video)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- When it comes to remembering September 11th, many of us weren't there on that fateful day, but our lives were impacted. Today, KTVZ wants to remember some of the ways it changed our lives.

Rick Marshall remembers. On 9/11, Marshall was starting his second day of working with the Connecticut State Guard.

Marshall started the day just like every other person.

At first it was a beautiful, clear, sunny day and at 8:46 a.m., the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

Marshall did not see it at first, but found out by listening to the radio.

Marshall told KTVZ News, "We turned it on because it they had said they had heard something about a plane hitting a building in New York City and it's like, well, that's weird. I pictured in my head, a Cessna type plane. It didn't even occur to me to be a large, you know, passenger jet aircraft. I thought, yeah, maybe some pilot in a Cessna screwed up, hit a building or something, and, then listening to the radio and it's like, whoa, this is bigger."

After some time, Marshall eventually went downstairs to the Joint Operations Center of the Connecticut National Guard, and there he saw the first images of the day he would never forget.

Marshall told KTVZ News"That's when you saw it was like, holy cow, this is this is big. this this is big, and this is this is really bad. Seeing the towers live on tv on fire, you can see the smoke coming out, and you could, you know, you saw the outline of the plane on the one angle of the building. It was just it was like you're kind of in shock,

The shock was felt across the nation. Millions of people felt it as they saw the towers falling down and the blanket of dust that covered lower Manhattan. The nation woke up to find two prominent buildings missing from the New York skyline.

As the day turned from September 11th into September 12th, a feeling of hope and unity took over.

Marshall told KTVZ News, "I think you have to look at what happened after that and the spirit and the resiliency that we showed as a nation. I mean, everybody was flying American flags. I think you go back to the Whitney Houston anthem at the Super Bowl. i mean, just powerful images of what we can do when we do it together"

On that fateful day 24 years ago, more than 2900 people died. Every year we remember all those who lost their lives.