NATCHEZ &8212; Lance Cpl. Charles Powers of the Marine Corps, was a 10th-grader at Cathedral High School when he saw the footage of the World Trade Center being attacked.

&8220;I had a gut feeling that this was the beginning of something awful,&8221; Powers said.

Powers signed the contract with the Marines on June 14, 2004, and he is currently stationed in Djibouti, Africa.

Though he can&8217;t say much about being there, Powers said he wanted to let everyone know he is safe and doing fine.

Powers said many things drove him to the decision to join the military.

&8220;I was raised by an extremely patriotic family, who has an extended history of military service since the Revolutionary War,&8221; Powers said. &8220;I also saw the need to join instead of my friends.&8221;

Powers said his family supported him in his decision to join the Marines.

&8220;My father was proud and so was mom, but she was particularly worried, and still is, actually,&8221; Powers said.

&8220;They have always supported this decision because after all, they had to sign the papers for me because I was only 17 when I enlisted.&8221;

Powers said he has mixed feelings about his enlistment now that he looks back.

&8220;I still love standing on the wall between civilization and anarchy, to put it in superfluous terms, but I wish nothing more to be safe back at home with my family and girlfriend,&8221; Powers said.

Lance Cpl. Ian Doherty said the events on Sept. 11 made him feel more obligated to join the military.

&8220;I just felt I should go as a tribute to my country,&8221; Doherty said.

Doherty signed up for the Marines a year after the attacks and said he was almost immediately shipped off to Iraq.

After seeing action throughout the Al-Anbar Province in Iraq, including Fallujah, Doherty said he still feels proud of his service to his country.

&8220;A lot of people find it easy to look at the bad of the war but I like to think a lot of good came from it, including liberating a country and protecting it from terrorists,&8221; Doherty said.

Doherty said his family, especially his mom, was worried when they learned he was going to Iraq.

&8220;Before I went into Fallujah, I talked to my mom and told her I was leaving on a laundry detail so that she wouldn&8217;t be worried,&8221; Doherty said.

&8220;I think she figured out I lied when I wasn&8217;t able to call for a month.

Doherty said his only regret for joining the military was losing valuable time in school.

Doherty is a student at University of Louisiana, Lafayette.

&8220;It stinks being two years behind my friends who have already graduated but going to war I think made me a better person and I learned a lot of things about myself.&8221;