The photo can be found at Nick's web site - http://www.mccmedia.com/RECONwtc.jpg (Thanks Nick!) KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Army News Service, Jan. 23, 2002) -- An aircraft filled with 101st Airborne Division soldiers en route to Afghanistan circled the World Trade Center disaster site in lower Manhattan last week to remind the troops of why they were deploying. It was the first time since Sept. 11 that the Federal Aviation Administration allowed a commercial plane to fly over the site. Capt. Richard Osborne, pilot of MD-11 World Airways, radioed 20 minutes ahead to coordinate the maneuver and the air traffic controllers were notably moved by the request. "They were happy to do it when we told them the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) was on board," said Osborne. "These people are going over there and are literally risking their lives in response to the terror that occurred at that place; it was very significant that they get an opportunity to see it."
For the soldiers of Task Force 187 making the trip, it was a reminder of what the mission is all about. "It was definitely a sobering moment, (a reminder) of what we're doing here," said Spc. Raymond Ballance, Company D, 311th Military Intelligence, ground surveillance. "It brought it back to the front of my mind, of why we're doing this, by seeing those two barren sites." Nerd From Hell
