Col. Aaron Barta, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, speaks with employees during an Aug. 29 visit to the LA District's Carlsbad Regulatory Office in Carlsbad, California. Early in Barta's military career, he served as a company commander for the Military District of Washington Engineer Company, located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, now called the 911th Engineer Company. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Barta and his company served on a search-and-rescue team at the Pentagon. He recently reflected on his own experience as the events of that day unfolded.