Reflecting on 9/11: Where Was Scotty When the World Changed

I graduated from Sulphur High School, Class of 2001—Go Tors! After graduation, I started working at Fletcher's Feed Store in Sulphur, LA. It was a simple job, but I was just starting out, trying to figure out life after high school. Then came September 11th, 2001, a day none of us will ever forget.

I remember being in the feed room that morning. We didn’t have a TV or anything like that—just an old radio. That radio was all we had to stay connected to the world outside. As the news started coming in about the attacks, I remember feeling scared, really scared. It was hard to wrap my head around what was happening. All we could do was listen and try to make sense of it.

The reports kept coming in—first the World Trade Center, then the Pentagon, and then that plane crash in Pennsylvania. It was like the world was falling apart, and we were just standing there in the feed store, listening to it all unfold over the radio. The fear wasn’t just about what had already happened, but about what might happen next. It felt like everything was changing right before our eyes.

Looking back, that day is still so vivid in my mind. It’s one of those moments that stays with you, no matter how much time passes. I think about how scared I was, but also how it brought people together in a way. Even though we were all afraid, there was this feeling that we were in it together, facing it as one.

Now, years later, I still carry those memories with me. It’s a big reason why I’m so passionate about giving back to the community and working on events like the Scotty Schadler Gator Hunt and Boobs Cruise to raise money for breast cancer. That day taught me a lot about the importance of unity, resilience, and coming together when it really counts.

God Bless our Country and God Bless our Troops
-Scotty