BANGOR – When terrorists struck the twin towers at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, Maj. Gen. Douglas Farnham was working at Getchell Bros., his family’s business in Brewer. His brother, Don, heard about the first plane hit on the radio and called Farnham. He then turned on the TV just in time to see a plane strike the second tower as the first one was burning.

“I said, ‘This is not an accident,’” he recalled. “One of the guys there in the office said, ‘Is this going to affect you in the Guard?’ I always remember that question because that completely changed everything for me. I wouldn't be doing this if it hadn’t been for that day.”

The Maine Regional Training Institute grand opening

BANGOR There's a new training space for Maine's National Guard tucked away on Hildreth Street. Many wouldn't even know that a new 105,849 square-foot state-of-the-art facility even exists. But it does, and members of the National Guard from across the country are making use of the training offered there.

Officially called the 240th Regiment Regional Training Institute (RTI), it is the primary military training site for military personnel in the state. And they don't use the term 'state of the art' lightly. The campus offers something called 'flexible training space,' which allows the classrooms to be adapted to suit various applications. Though it technically opened for classes in early August, the RTI held its grand opening ribbon cutting on Oct. 12.

The Maine Regional Training Institute

BANGOR There's a new training space for Maine's National Guard tucked away on Hildreth Street. Many wouldn't even know that a new 105,849 square-foot state-of-the-art facility even exists. But it does, and members of the National Guard from across the country are making use of the training offered there.

Officially called the 240th Regiment Regional Training Institute (RTI), it is the primary military training site for military personnel in the state. And they don't use the term 'state of the art' lightly. The campus offers something called 'flexible training space,' which allows the classrooms to be adapted to suit various applications.