On Sept. 10, 2001, Maj. Jarrod Gillespie, who now serves as deputy chief of contracting at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), was a junior at Alcorn State University in Mississippi. He enlisted in the Army Reserves right out of high school, and while he enjoyed being a Soldier, his plan was to graduate from Alcorn State, finish his military service and begin civilian life as a culinary arts student with plans to open his own restaurant. The next day, everything changed.