9/11 Survivor to Speak in Barrington

The direction that Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ryan Yantis' life was going dramatically changed on Sept. 11, 2001. 

Yantis was assigned to the Pentagon as a media relations officer at the time of the attacks. He had plans to retire from the Army in 2003 after his assignment was finished to spend more time with his family. Those plans were tossed aside when Yantis witnessed first hand the attacks on our country.

Yantis was working in the Pentagon when a commercial airliner struck the building, killing 183 people including many of Yantis’ friends and colleagues. Yantis sprung into action with hundreds of other military trained personnel and did what he could to save lives.

“Part of my job as a media officer was to work on a list of missing or presumed dead. The initial list was huge. We didn’t know if we’d lost 100 or 1,000,” Yantis said.

Yantis said the attacks on our country were a reminder and a wake up call for him.

“My focus changed shortly after 9/11,” he said. “There were things I had to do.”

Yantis stayed in the military until 2006 working to keep Americans safe.

He will be speaking at the Bagels, Politics & BIZ event on Sept. 8 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at The . The cost is $20 per ticket, or $140 for a table of eight. Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP. 

Read more of Yantis' story on Barrington Patch later this week.