9/11 Inspired Sgt. Andrew Frame to Follow His Dream to Serve

Sgt. Andrew Frame

Sergeant, E-5

Fort Wainwright, Fairbanks, Alaska

Self-photo taken May, 2007

On September 11, 2001 “I just sat in my bathroom and cried because I was selling advertising space at The Journal News instead of serving in the military,” said Sgt. Andrew Frame, a 1996 Hendrick Hudson graduate and current Cortlandt resident.

For Frame, 9/11 was a wake up call. He had felt a lifetime of guilt for having never joined the service. He had always wanted to be in the military but when he came of age in the late 1990s he had a newborn child, Sophia, on the way and chose to stay home to help raise her.

The terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 influenced him to follow his life-long dream of joining the military and serving his country. After working for five more years as the Iraq and Afghanistan wars continued, Frame decided to join the military in April 2005.  

Even though Frame comes from a family of military men, he developed his affinity for service at a young age more from watching WWII documentaries than from pressure from his family. “As I got older I sincerely believed in concept of service, duty and honor,” Frame said.

He has been on two tours of Iraq – a one-month tour in 2006 and then a one-year-long tour from Sept. 2008 to Sept. 2009 – and he is glad he had the opportunity to serve.

“I now feel that I have accomplished something and paid my debt to society.”

Peekskill-Cortlandt Patch is gathering  local images of 9/11 and its aftermath. If you have images related to this day in our nation's history—whether it be a train ticket you were carrying in your pocket that day, a keepsake from a loved one or even a photo of where you were on 9/11, we'd like to include it in our gallery. We're also looking for people to interview who have a moving and engaging story to tell about Sept. 11. If you started a charity to help local 9/11 families or first responders, if you decided to become a police officer or joined the Armed Services because of 9/11, or if your life has been indelibly changed by the events of that day, we want to hear from you. Email elizabeth.giegerich@patch.com if interested.

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