A local Army National Guard captain who has twice been deployed to Afghanistan will give a presentation on the history of Sept. 11, 2001 in advance of the 15-year anniversary of the attacks.
“When I first went to Afghanistan, I didn’t really understand the historical background — it was important for me to know why we were there,” said Army National Guard Capt. Charles Sanders of Greenport. “I started reading books about the war and the history behind the attacks.”
Sanders has compiled his research into a multimedia presentation he will give Sept. 7 at the Peconic Community Center in Peconic. The discussion will cover the Cold War, the Gulf War, Sept. 11 and the aftermath of the attacks.
Sanders realized the importance of studying the history behind the war when he was deployed to Afghanistan a second time.
“I had the soldiers go into a classroom. I had noticed they didn’t have the patch on their arm that shows they’ve been overseas,” Sanders said. That made him curious about their ages. When he asked the soldiers how old they were, he discovered that most of them were only “six or seven” on Sept. 11, 2001.
“And here they are, about to go to Afghanistan, to potentially fight and come back in a box — it’s pretty amazing,” Sanders said.
Sanders, commander of the Southold American Legion, returned from his most recent deployment in January. He is currently earning a master’s degree in United States history from Norwich University in Vermont.
Sanders’ presentation will be on Sept. 7 at 6:30 p.m. Those interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP at: tracey1989@optonline.net. The Peconic Community Center is located at on Peconic Lane in Peconic.
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