Just prior to 9/11, I started training to be a firefighter in the mixed volunteer / full-time fire department for the county in which I lived at the time. In fact, I had been to exactly one session prior to the event. The second session, which was a few days after 9/11, was a memorable experience. This is one of the things I remember most about the event, so I have changed my avatar to be an image of that county's fire department patch at the time.