09/12/2026
Twenty-five years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 reshaped the nation and shifted the military’s focus, Lt. Col. Kevin Leslie of the 412th Theater Engineer Command can still remember exactly where he was when history changed.
At the time, Leslie was working as an insurance adjuster in his home state of Indiana. Like millions of Americans, he watched the tragedy unfold in real time. As the scope of the attacks became clear, his office organized a trip to the local blood bank, eager to do something, anything, to help.
That desire to serve was not new.
Over a dozen years earlier, shortly after graduating from high school, Leslie had enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve, serving as both a combat engineer and combat medic. Although he served during Operation Desert Storm, he was never mobilized. After completing his six-year commitment, he stepped away from military service and focused on building his civilian future.
“My grandfather served in World War II so I followed his legacy of serving the country,” said Leslie. “I did my six years, used the GI Bill to help pay for some of my undergraduate degree and I thought I did my part to serve in the military.”
For Leslie, military service seemed to be a completed chapter.
Then came 9/11.
The attacks altered not only the course of the nation but also the trajectory of his own life.
“I had just finished law school and was looking for my first law role when the planes hit the Twin Towers,” Leslie recalled. “Within a few months after the attacks, I knew I wanted to rejoin the military, so I found a position with the Indiana Air National Guard as a medic.”
What began as a return to service quickly became a long-term commitment. After spending about a year with the Air National Guard, Leslie transferred to the Army National Guard, where he served as a military police officer. In 2004, he deployed to Afghanistan.
Following that deployment, he attended Officer Candidate School and earned his commission as a second lieutenant in the Field Artillery branch. At the same time, his civilian career as a practicing attorney opened new opportunities within the military. He accepted a military technician position in a legal office and later transferred to the Judge Advocate General's Corps, aligning his military responsibilities with his professional expertise.
His service continued to expand.
In 2009, Leslie deployed to Iraq as a Judge Advocate General officer. Five years later, seeking a new challenge, he applied to the U.S. Army Reserve's Active Guard Reserve program and transitioned into full-time military service.
“Sometime after my Iraq deployment, I asked my wife, ‘Let’s do something different,’” Leslie said. “Being different was packing up and moving from Indiana to Savannah, Georgia, to fill this position. It was a great decision.”
Nearly two decades after rejoining the military in the wake of 9/11, Leslie remained committed to serving wherever he was needed. In 2023, he deployed to Qatar as a Judge Advocate General officer supporting the Multifunctional Medical Battalion.
Looking back, Leslie recognizes that the attacks of Sept. 11 fundamentally changed the path he thought his life would take.
“I thought I did my part by serving in the military after high school. I had no plans to rejoin the military until 9/11 happened,” said Leslie. “I felt this intrinsic need to be a part of what the military was doing, out of patriotism.”
For Leslie, what began as a desire to help in a moment of national tragedy became a second military career spanning more than two decades, multiple deployments, and a continued commitment to serving the nation when it needed him most.
U.S. Army
U.S. Army Reserve
