Ready And Able

Known as The Home Of Air Force One, Camp Springs MD’s Joint Base Andrews played pivotal role in operations on 9/11/01. Today, members of the base are more vigilant than ever. Prince George’s Suite Magazine interviewed Col Janette Thode on active duty at Joint Base Andrews.

PGS: Can you recall that day September 11, 2001?

Col. Thode: Yes. It's a day that I think everyone who experienced it, just like any other event that they know where they were and what was going on that day. For myself, like I said earlier, I was stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base. I was just pulling into the parking lot when I heard just news on the radio of the initial reports that a plane had hit the towers. Certainly we knew our whole life as we knew it was going to change. Stationed we knew as well, my colleagues and I, we knew that we weren't going to deploy and that it was just going to be a matter of not if, but when.

PGS: How did that make you feel? Can you just walk us through that?

Col. Thode: Sure. Certainly, back then cellphones weren't as prevalent, so you're absolutely worried about family, what was going on in other places around the world. Just attempted to try and contact later on when we were allowed to leave our work centers. All the emotions of-- I wasn't married at the time. It was really just my immediate family, my parents and my siblings, but they knew that that was our role that we had signed up to do, that I had signed up to do. If the time came and the nation called, I would go.

PGS: Right. That had to be encouraging, it had to be fulfilling to a certain extent knowing that you were in a position to do something about it.

Col. Thode: Absolutely. Again, I, by nature, not want to let things go by and happen. Always a sense of being able to help our nation was absolutely fulfilling and rewarding that we were going to be able to avenge the nation, in a sense.

PGS: Were you deployed overseas? Just walk us through how that experience of those next few years went for you.

Col. Thode: Yes, I was deployed. I actually was only deployed for three months the first time because I was recalled back to attend a school. Then more training, and then went back. Certainly when Operation Iraqi Freedom happened, very shortly thereafter, we were back and we found ourselves in the Middle East. I know I had another assignment too, so we deployed again for that.

PGS: Do you believe that your efforts made a difference?

Col. Thode: I do. We were able to [add to the quality of life] of people in countries where living and culture are part of the one thing that goes to the wayside when the country is embroiled in wars and under a dictator or a repressive regime. And we were able to see some of Afghan art. The Afghan women and women’s teams and businesses that came out and who were able to participate…it's fascinating. Just to really share that culture. We were able to see that and witness that.

PGS: what is different now?

Col Janette Thode: It's amazing. There are certainly a lot of missed birthdays. My husband, he also serves in the Air Force, he deployed as well, so a lot of missed birthdays and time apart from each other. It's made us realize, again, just being grateful for the time that we have together as family. The fact that I tell my kids a lot, just not to take these things for granted. What's different? I think truly 20 years older and wiser maybe, certainly older, but understanding the complexity of national security and how it's not as simple as going over, dropping some bombs and calling it a day.

PGS: We're still watching it unravel but can you comment on the different America that we live in now?

Col Janette Thode: Everything changed. Immediately after the attack, again, our foundation came together. But I think it did something to the psyche of how vulnerable we really are. Pearl Harbor happened back in 1941.  But Hawaii is away from the homeland. For a nation – on second thought, not even really a nation - for an organization to just mastermind such an attack, and it was a well-coordinated attack, is unbelievable. But we are more ready than ever.