Ten Years After 9/11: DMACC Student Takes Nothing for Granted

When he was growing up, serving in the National Guard was never in the cards for 27-year-old Doug Lasher. 

But after spending Sept. 11, 2001, glued to the television with his classmates, watching history unfold as two planes crashed into the towers of the World Trade Center, the military was about to become his future.

“All I could think is, ‘Are we going to go to war? What’s going to happen?’” said Lasher, who is now a student at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny. “I wanted to do my part.” 

Lasher, a Carter Lake native who now lives in Ankeny, joined the Iowa National Guard in November 2001 at 17 years old. 

His mother had to sign the consent form for him to enlist. 

“She was not happy,” Lasher said of his decision. “She knew eventually we were going over (to the Middle East), even though the recruiter assured us we would not be deployed.” 

That didn’t stop him, though.  

“I didn’t want to just sit back and watch,” he said. 

Lasher went to basic training in June 2002. In February 2004, he received mobilization orders to deploy with the Delta Company 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry, based in Denison.  

Lasher was deployed to Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan, where he spent a year doing combat patrols and protection missions. He and his company provided protection to city residents during the country’s first democratic election.  

Lasher returned home in July 2005. He attended college before he was deployed again in June 2007, this time to Baghdad, Iraq. 

“It was a different way of life over there — the world really does move faster than them,” he said. “We taught them how to read, we gave them computers —all the kids asked for was pencils and candy.”

During his two deployments, Lasher learned about himself, too. 

“Being there makes you realize what you’re fully capable of,” he said. “Everything comes into play – how you’re raised, your state of mind and how confident you are in yourself.”  

He also learned how to play the guitar while deployed in Iraq. 

Upon returning home in 2008, Lasher moved to Ankeny to attend DMACC. He’s one semester away from obtaining a degree in the fire science program.  

On Nov. 13, 2010, Lasher finished his Guard service. Each day since Sept. 11, 2001, has taught him something. 

“I learn everything I can to broaden my horizons,” he said. “I have fun in life and I don’t take a day for granted.”