This Saturday was as you know the 9th anniversary of the September 11th Terrorist attacks. My initial plan for Saturday was to make sure I had my flag out and perhaps to pause at 8:45 (I knew that was close to the time of the first impact) and think of all those affected by that terrible day. Plans of course are only a starting point and are subject to change. What actually happened is this:
I was up early to take my wife and son to the airport for a flight to the West coast to visit Grandma for a week. Since I was up and the day was supposed to be hot I started to work in the yard. By 9:15 it was already getting pretty hot so I stopped for a quick dip in the pool and went inside for a cool drink. I turned on the TV (for company I suppose) and quickly found myself watching a re-broadcast of September 11 coverage in real time. I was immediately taken back to my own reaction to the events. It happened that I was starting a new job within the Army’s Recruiting Command in September of 2011. I had flown to Milwaukee on the 10th with a team of inspectors to review recruiting operations for the operations run out of that city. On the morning of the 11th I was in a hotel lobby having a quick breakfast with my new boss. Of course we were in uniform and just before we left the hotel manager came over and in said he felt like we should know that an airplane had just crashed into one of the World Trade towers. Our initial reaction was far from exciting as we said something like “Hmm, that’s interesting”. As we drove into the city we started listening to a local radio news report as we be
gan to wonder among ourselves what was happening. We were all thinking small private plane and discussed possible causes like incapacitation of the pilot, mechanical malfunction, and even at some point the possibility of a disgruntled employee taking a drastic action. By the time we reached midtown the news was reporting the impact of a second plane that was, according to witnesses, a commercial airliner. When we arrived at the recruiting headquarters we immediately found a TV and saw the first images of what was happening in New York.
On Saturday I re-lived the next few hours and in hindsight I was struck by just how confused we all seemed to be, especially in the beginning. It was so difficult for us to envision a deliberate attack of this kind that many initial reports were wondering, as I did, what could have caused such a horrible “accident”. As the reality that this was a deliberate attack began to sink in there was still an overwhelming sense of disbelief. The news reporters were trying to stay objective and report what was happening. And there was always the confusion of the initial reports. There was the first report from the Pentagon that a bomb had detonated on the helipad, there was a report that a radical Palestinian group claimed responsibility, there was a report of a bomb going off outside the State Department. I was struck by how the news reports seemed somewhat sterile until just after to
wer 2 collapsed when Matt Lauer pointed out that it was almost certain that rescue operations were still going on in the building when it collapsed and that in a single instant there had been a significant loss of life.
When details of the crash at the Pentagon were reported I started making phone calls. It is a really big building and I only knew a handful of folks who worked there but I wanted to find out if everyone was OK. Of course I didn’t find out much that first day. Late that night I heard from a friend of a friend that Martha was “shook up” but ok. The next days were a blur as we listened to the reports of the death and devastation. By late evening on the 12th I learned that 4 friends were still not accounted for. Ironically they were all in the same meeting at the time of the attack.
This Saturday I shed tears for them once again.
Lieutenant General Tim Maude was the highest ranking officer killed that day. At the time he was the Deputy Chief of Staff for personnel for the Army. I remember him as bright and cheerful, someone who loved the Army and cared deeply about her soldiers. http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/tjmaude.htm
Retired M
aster Sergeant Max Beilke was working on issues affecting retired service members. He was a big friendly guy who always had the time to stop and chat with you for a few minutes. Max was officially the last combat soldier to leave Vietnam. http://www.startribune.com/local/11594516.html
Gary Smith was a retired Lieutenant Colonel. he served as the Chief of retirement services and I remember him as a quiet man who seriously wanted to make a difference. He and max made quit the pair walking the halls of the Pentagon together. http://projects.washingtonpost.com/911victims/gary-f-smith/
Lieutenant Colonel Kip Taylor was the Executive Officer to Lieutenant General Maude. He was quick witted, funny, and loved his family. Although he didn’t take himself too seriously, he was a gifted officer with much still to give to his country. http://projects.washingtonpost.com/911victims/kip-p-taylor/
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