BY SHERI TRUSTY

ELMORE – Serving in the military gives many veterans, like Bill Sorg of Elmore, a unique perspective on the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Sorg fought against U.S. enemies on the other side of the world during the Vietnam War, but on 9/11, the enemy came to American soil. Sorg was eating lunch at his home in Elmore that day, waiting for his second shift job at Carmeuse Lime & Stone in Millersville to begin, when news of the attacks was announced on television.

“It was unbelievable,” he said. “My wife, Diane, was working at Union Cemetery. She and her helper were mowing, so I drove down to tell them what happened. At first, they didn’t believe me.”

Disbelieve was a common emotion across the country on 9/11.

Ironically, Millersville, where Sorg was employed, was the hometown of Teresa Miller-Martin, who was killed in the attack on the Pentagon on 9/11. Miller-Martin was a civilian employee working at the Pentagon when it was struck.

In 2023, a portion of State Route 19 between Oak Harbor and Fremont was dedicated as the “Teresa Miller-Martin 9/11 Memorial Highway” in her honor, giving the local community a constant reminder of the lives impacted by the attacks. Miller-Martin’s family still lives in the area, and she is buried in McGormley Cemetery in Ballville Township.

Although their lives intertwined, Sorg never met Miller-Martin. Like many Americans, he was horrified by the 9/11 attacks, but as a Vietnam Veteran, he had mixed emotions in the months that followed. The attacks spurred fresh patriotism across the nation, and Sorg was grateful, and understandably a bit resentful, of the reaction. When he returned from the horrors of the Vietnam War, where he risked his life in jungle combat, his service was not respected and he did not receive the hero’s welcome he deserved.

“It felt good that Americans were coming together, and I was happy that America stood behind our men who were fighting, but I felt a little jealous,” he said.

Many Vietnam veterans carry the physical scars inflicted by the enemy, and many carry the emotional scars inflicted by their own countrymen. Sorg is grateful that the military personnel fighting in the aftermath of 9/11 received honor and support.

“I was really happy for the boys. I support the troops. I know what it’s like to serve,” he said.

Sorg was happy for them but also fearful.

“I was afraid for the young men after 9/11, especially the infantry because I was infantry. It’s a hard job,” he said. “When your country calls you, you do what you have to do. I’m just glad the boys did what they did for our country after 9/11.”