Gen. Hugh Shelton, the 14th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is one of the many Americans who remember where they were during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

Shelton had seen devastation before during two combat tours in Vietnam and the liberation of Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf War.

Still, Shelton’s experience is vastly different from most Americans who first heard of the event through television. Shelton was onboard a 757 heading from Andrews Air Force Base when he heard the first reports of the terrorism. Without hesitation he ordered the pilot to turn around to the Pentagon.

“A few minutes later I thought I had an F-16 pilot up in the cockpit because we pulled about eight G’s as he pulled a 180 and headed back to America,” he said.

He also gave perspective of what it was like for top American officials during the first hours of attack. At first, those who knew what was happening were looking toward him and the military for action, but President George W. Bush stepped in to make it a war on all fronts, he said.

He also touched on why America can be subjected to future attacks

“The same rights and privileges can be our weakness,” he said, pointing out how the structure of American way of life gives way to “a target rich environment” of highly populated areas.

He said the Sept. 11 experience reaffirmed his beliefs.

“I thank God everyday that I wake up for the freedoms, the opportunities and the privileges that we enjoy simply because of birthright,” he said.