Where were you when the world stopped turning?
By Bonita Wilborn
Derek Rosson, Rainsville native and current Rainsville City Council member, has a history of serving his fellow man. Derek served in the United States Marine Corps from March 6, 2006 – September 10, 2010. He was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, from 2006 until 2009, and then he came back to the United States and spent his final year stationed in Kingsbury, Georgia. During his time in the military, Derek completed two tours of duty in Iraq and traveled to various places throughout the world.
Most people who are old enough to remember the 2001 attacks on the United States know exactly what they were doing when they learned of the attacks. Country singer Alan Jackson even wrote a song titled “Where were you when the world stopped turning?” While we know the world didn’t literally stop turning on September 11, 2001, the world as we knew it did, at least for a while. It was a time of fear, sadness, and heartbreak for the hundreds of lives lost that day. It soon became a time of anger that we would be attacked on our own soil.
Derek stated, “The reason I decided to join was really 9/11. When Mr. Ayers came into Coach McFall’s room and said, ‘Turn the TV on, we’ve been hit.’ I didn’t know what he was talking about. But when the TV came on, and I saw it, that’s when I decided that I wanted to join the Marines. I was in ninth grade at that time.”
This 14-year-old boy’s outrage didn’t go away with the news stories of the attack on New York’s World Trade Center and the United States Pentagon in Washington, D.C. At the age of 19, Derek’s determination to fight for his country came to fruition.
Derek said of his time in the Marine Corps, “It was great. The camaraderie was great. I got to do something that only a few people have gotten to do: I got to see the world. I love Rainsville, Alabama, but there’s more out there. It was a lot of good experience. It was fun at times, and it was really hard at times. I lost a lot of really good friends, but they didn’t die in vain. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it were not for the Marine Corps.”
When asked what the most valuable thing he learned from the Marine Corps is, Derek said, without hesitation, “Discipline. Discipline, and never giving up anything. Just keep grinding, keep fighting. And getting up early; not wasting the day.”
Derek’s advice to young people today would be to join the military. “I personally think it would be good for every young man and woman. The discipline is one of the biggest things these young kids need to learn.”
During Derek’s four years of service to the United States of America and its citizens, he went in as a private but attained the rank of Sergeant when his time ended. He served as a Field Radio Operator. “I got to communicate with a lot of jets, planes, artillery…a lot of cool stuff. As a 19-year-old, that was a lot of fun, a little country boy like me controlling million-dollar aircraft. It was crazy.”
Derek’s radio call sign was “Country” because he was the only one in his unit from Alabama. With that southern drawl, no doubt the country label seemed to fit.
Derek has several family members who have served in the United States military, so joining the military was not unfamiliar to them. Although Derek’s grandfather, a Navy man, jokingly told him that he had “jumped ship”.
One thing Derek continually mentions to me when I see him is that while serving in Iraq, he received a handmade blanket from home. “It had an American flag on it. I wrapped up in it every night. I loved it. I still do.”
MVN would like to take this opportunity to thank all the men and women who have sacrificed their time to serve the United States of America. All gave some – Some gave all.
