Master Sgt. Melissa Branch, the Alaska Army National Guard state religious affairs noncommissioned officer, poses for a photo at the Alaska National Guard Armory on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Aug. 26, 2021. Branch, who was serving in the Marine Corps at the time when 9/11 happened, was stationed at the Navy Annex building next to the Pentagon in Washington, and was there when the American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon during the terrorist attack that sparked a 20-year-long war. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Edward Eagerton)