This is an I-Heart podcast.

And we continue here with our American stories.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Peter Braxton was the first military pilot in the

air over the burning twin towers. It was his first day on the job, and this is his story. Here's Peter.

My name is Peter Braxton from upstate New York, originally, Rome, New York, a little town.

There was a base there called Griffiths Air Force Base.

My father was in the Air Force, and I guess this is where the story begins.

My father sat me down when I was 15, and he, you know, he had this kind of father-to-son conversation,

and he was, you know, a man of few words,

but he said, hey, you should serve this country

before you enjoy this country.

You will look back on your service fondly.

And I, you know, I was 15, I didn't know what that meant, but I did have an older brother

who was about two and a half years older than me, and he ended up going to the Air Force

Academy.

So I'm guessing at this point, you know, he must have had this conversation with him

a couple years prior.

And so now it was my turn.

And I think out of maybe laziness, I just applied to the Air Force Academy, followed my brother there.

I got in.

I got into a number of other kind of Ivy League schools out east.

And my brother, I remember telling me, you know,

...