Sept. 11, 2001. Many of us saw the smoke rise into the sky as flames poured out of the North Tower.

There are others who felt the rumble as the South Tower collapsed. Millions around the world watched in horror as the events of that terrorist attack unfolded, and saw what many thought of as impossible.

It is a day that will forever be burned into the hearts and minds of New Yorkers and those around the globe. Many loved ones were lost, as well as the heroes who put their own safety aside in an effort to save others. To honor one of the most significant events in the history of our nation, on Sept. 11, multipurpose amphibious assault ship, USS Bataan (LHD 5) hosted a ceremony on the mess decks in remembrance of those who personified the Navy's core values of honor, courage and commitment in the face of great adversity.

During the memorial ceremony, Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate Karl Kundrat spoke of his personal experience the day in New York during the attacks. He was a petty officer second class assigned to recruiting duty with Navy Recruiting District New York. He was listening to the radio while on his way downtown to pick up some police records for potential candidates when he heard the towers had been hit.

"I thought it was a bad joke, listening to Howard Stern on the radio," explained Kundrat. "I went up to the roof of our building and saw the smoke and flames come out of the tower."

Kundrat went on to explain that the feelings and emotions don't get easier as time passes.

"Every year the emotion is the same - sadness and darkness," said Kundrat.

Engineman 2nd Class Averry Woods was also in New York that fateful day. Woods recounted his experience in his apartment in the borough of Queens watching the towers fall.

"I lived by the 59th Street bridge, so I woke up every morning with the towers in my view," said Woods. "I should have been at school that morning, but I was sick so I stayed home watching cartoons. I remember the news interrupting and saying that a plane had crashed into one of the towers and it was on fire. I ran to the window to see, and then woke my parents up. We watched together as the second plane hit, and throughout the day watching both towers fall. It was devastating."

Woods went on the share that it was a defining moment for him and influenced not only his decision to join the Navy, but his brother as well.

"My brother worked in a building behind the towers," said Woods. "He could have been at work when the towers got hit. We enlisted because we wanted to go out and help prevent things like this from happening again."

Two separate lives impacted by a pivotal moment in history are now tied together with the lives of a nation, and serving aboard Bataan highlights the phrase, "Always Remember, Never Forget."

It is testament held true these past 16 years as our generation has been forever changed, and will continue to remember and be influenced by as we stretch forth into the future carrying with us the spirits of our lost brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends and fellow countrymen.

Bataan is currently on a scheduled port visit to Palma De Mallorca, Spain while deployed with the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.

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For more news from USS Bataan (LHD 5), visit http://www.navy.mil/.