INTERVIEW: Sky Soldier, New York City Native, Reflects on 9/11

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Video by Capt. Jennifer French

INTERVIEW: Sky Soldier, New York City Native, Reflects on 9/11

173rd Airborne Brigade

Sept. 2, 2025 | 4:34

On Sept. 11, 2001, Master Sgt. Kelvin Reynosofernandez was a college student riding a bus from New York City into the Bronx when he saw smoke rising from the World Trade Center.

“I was crossing the bridge and saw smoke from one of the buildings,” said Reynosofernandez, a New York City native now serving with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. “The second airplane was coming toward the second tower when we were crossing. When I got to college, I went to the lunchroom and it was on TV. That day was bad.”

Traffic gridlocked as thousands tried to leave Manhattan. For Reynosofernandez, then a student at Bronx Community College, the sight of people fleeing, smoke billowing over lower Manhattan, and the images of people jumping from the towers are seared in his memory.

“I didn’t know what was going on. At first, I thought it was just a fire downtown,” he said. “Then I saw the second aircraft hit the second tower. When I got to my university, everything was on the news.”

Reynosofernandez, originally from the Dominican Republic, had long considered serving in the U.S. Army.

“I was going to college for computer science, but I always wanted to serve my country,” he said. “It was a way to get out of New York and serve. My 21 years in the service have been great—no regrets. Serving your country is the best experience ever.”

Reynosofernandez earned his U.S. citizenship while in uniform and has deployed multiple times. Still, he says the shock of that September morning in New York remains the most haunting experience of his life.

“9/11 taught me to value life,” he said. “Seeing 9/11 was the worst situation of my life. I’ve been deployed from E5 all the way to first sergeant. That’s something I would not want to see ever again. It’s something that’s going to stay with me until I die.”
Each year, Reynosofernandez joins soldiers across the Army in pausing to remember.

“Every year when 9/11 comes, the whole Army knows,” he said. “Even when I was deployed, we had a memorial for that day. Losing people on 9/11 is the same feeling as when you lose your battle buddy during a deployment.”

For Reynosofernandez, the memory of 9/11 is not just about what was lost. It is also about what endures: service, resilience and the unshakable bond of those who witnessed history and chose to act.