HOUSTON – Twenty-five years after the September 11 terrorist attacks changed the course of American history, two Houston-area Marine veterans are reflecting on the day that helped shape their military service – and the sacrifices that followed.
For Mia Garcia, the timing was especially striking.
Garcia was just 18 years old when she signed up for the United States Marine Corps, only two weeks before the attacks of September 11, 2001.
“I remember feeling just such loss,” Garcia said.
As she watched firefighters, police officers and other first responders run toward the burning World Trade Center towers, Garcia said their willingness to risk their lives for others reinforced her own desire to serve.
“Seeing those few people run into those buildings so selfless, what selfless action,” Garcia said. “I think that’s really what did it for me, is, I want to be that person.”
Garcia went on to serve eight years in the Marine Corps as a logistics Marine and deployed to Kuwait during the Iraq War.
For fellow Marine veteran John Smith, 9/11 also marked the beginning of a new chapter.
“We were on the trajectory of ready to leave and go fight somebody,” Smith recalled.
Smith served nine years in the Marine Corps as a structural aviation mechanic and eventually deployed to Iraq. He volunteered to be part of a pre-workup crew as Marines prepared for deployment.
His service would also expose him to the human cost of war.
Smith remembers the shock of losing fellow Marines with whom he had served closely.
“It’s initially shock, because again, you’re right there with them, and then the next minute, they’re not around anymore,” he said.
The effects did not end when Smith returned home.
He was eventually diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and continues receiving treatment today.
“All the signs were there, but when you’re in it, you don’t see it,” Smith said.
Smith said long-term counseling has helped him manage the condition, but he cautions other veterans against viewing PTSD treatment as a quick fix.
“I’ve been seeing the same counselor for a long time. Why? Because it’s effective and it works,” he said. “I don’t want any veteran to come to a couple treatments and say, ‘Oh, I’m cured.’ It’s not a cure, it’s management. You have to manage the PTSD.”
Dr. Deleene Menefe, PTSD Program Director at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, works with veterans dealing with PTSD, depression, anxiety and other mental health challenges.
Menefee said the enormity of September 11 continues to resonate a quarter-century later.
“It was so big,” she said. “Everyone remembers where they were that day.”
For veterans living with PTSD, Menefee said treatment can involve psychotherapy, medication or a combination of approaches, depending on the individual.
“We find that the best oftentimes is the interaction of both, having maybe some treatment for the depressive symptoms of PTSD or anxiety, as well as the talk therapy,” Menefee said.
The message, she said, is that veterans do not have to struggle alone and that effective treatment is available.
Twenty-five years after 9/11, Garcia also hopes younger Americans who have no personal memory of the attacks will understand the courage displayed that day – and the spirit of service that followed.
“I do hope that the younger generation can see, like, the bravery in that, putting your own life ahead of others, or putting others’ lives ahead of you, and that can motivate them to join the military,” Garcia said.
For Smith, the trauma he experienced has not diminished his pride in having served.
“We just celebrated 250 years of being a free country. Free country doesn’t come without a cost,” Smith said. “And so I’m very proud to be part of that 6% of the nation that has risen my right hand to serve. And I would absolutely do it again.”
A quarter-century after a day that transformed the country, the memories of September 11 remain vivid for those whose lives were redirected by it.
For some, the legacy is found in service.
For others, it remains in wounds that are still being treated.
And for veterans like Garcia and Smith, it is also found in the enduring belief that answering the call to serve was worth the sacrifice.
Veterans seeking help for PTSD or other mental health concerns can contact the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston AT (713) 794-8700.
The Veterans Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day for veterans experiencing a mental health crisis. That number is 988*1 and features a chat line for texting.
Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.