story2552.xml

story2552.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

Sep 11,2001

We parked the car in the parking lot on the south side of I395; the parking ticket indicates 0921 A.M. Our goal was to be in the TRADOC Liaison office to meet up with our SES, Mr. Sakowitz, and prepare him for the meeting scheduled for 1030 A.M. We collected our brief cases and coats, locked the car and headed for the tunnel walkway under the Interstate. As we walked through the tunnel there was small talk between us that related to the meeting and wondering where Mr. Sakowitz was at the moment, was he waiting for us or was he going to be late. Exchanges of morning hellos to passer-byes were plentiful and the mix of people consisted of uniformed military personnel and civilians, all coming or going from the Pentagon. We exited the tunnel and viewed the Pentagon on this bright sunshiny day, but we had to cross the large parking lot to get to the building.

As we walked across the parking lot, I glanced at my watch taking note that we would not be in the liaison office at 0930, the time we were suppose to meet with Mr. Sakowitz. We kept up a steady brisk pace towards the Pentagon and stepped up on the curb to figure out which door to enter. The Southside entrance to the building has two footways that pedestrians use to enter the building. Not knowing if the entrances have a name designation, I can only state one was on my left side and the other on the right. We noticed the majority of people were using the right crossover, then noticed the left one was apparently closed. So we followed suit and proceeded up the stairs to crossover on the right stairwell. At the top of the steps we turned left and headed for the entrance. My Colonel was behind me and I noticed as we walked, all the military personnel leaving the building were rendering salutes to him. I thought to myself that this was one place where military courtesy is more noticeable than other places I have been. Halfway across the gangway I changed my thoughts to entering the building and started to reach for my wallet to get my ID ready to show the security guard. I had never entered the Pentagon from this side before and wasn?t sure what the screening process was going to be at this entrance. I knew I was on the access roster, didn't anticipate any problem. I was walking beside one of my colleges, Mr. White, as we were about to enter the building when for some unknown reason I looked to my left. In an instant, I observed an airplane crossing over I395 at about 200-300 feet and descending, but in controlled flight. My estimate was the plane was traveling at approximately 300-400 MPH. Once I could see the entire plane it was quite clear it was an American Airlines commercial airplane, in trouble and flying in the wrong place. My first thought was that the airplane was not supposed to be there. Then my thoughts switched, the airplane was having an emergency and was looking for an area to set down in. I knew the pilot was trying to avoid hitting the traffic on the highway leading into the downtown D.C. area, while at the same time, avoiding the Pentagon. Maybe he?s going to try and make it around the Pentagon and land at Reagan airport. Then the right wing dipped down and the plane veered to the right and slammed into the Pentagon. I had already stopped walking and blurted out ?oh my god, oh my god, a plane just crashed into the building.? I stared at the fireball and the odor of jet fuel began to fill the air. I started to turn around to get away from the building when I heard some one say that a bomb had just gone off, I shouted out it was an airplane, an airplane crashed into the building. Then shouts and screams of fear and terror filled all around as the panic started to set in. As I approached the steps to get down from the gangway I noticed a security guard jump off his bike and started hollering instructions to the people to get away from the building. I said to myself aloud, ?we?re trying? every time he made that statement. At the bottom of the steps we cleared the curbing and then started to cross the Pentagon parking lot. We headed for the base of the interstate at a point under the overpass and turned to observe the chaos taking place. We had three cell phones between the four of us and we began to start calling family and the office. The phone system was jammed and we couldn?t get out, nothing but busy signals. When I did get through, it was only messaging service, so I left one to my wife?s cell phone number, not knowing if it went through. The Colonel was having trouble also connecting with his phone, so was Tom Massey. We passed our phones to Russ so he could call his wife. It was next to impossible to get out. As I looked at the people gathering on the sidewalks, almost everyone had a cell phone I knew there was an overload of the phone system. I stood there next to the Colonel in disbelief at what I just observed and just couldn?t believe I was seeing this disaster. As we stood there, I think I was describing to the Colonel what I saw when a LTC from the Air Force moved and stood in front of us. He turned around and stated that a plane hit the World Trade Center in NY earlier and that a second plane hit the second building. I believe he said the buildings had collapsed but I?m not sure. Until that moment, we had no idea the World Trade Centers had been hit by airplanes nor the thoughts of terrorists were involved. Then the Air Force LTC asked me if I saw the plane hit the Pentagon, I answered yes and started to describe to him what I saw. Several people turned and listened and repeatedly asked, ?you saw the plane?? As we stood there in amazement with all the other people, my eyes kept scanning in search of Mr. Sakowitz and Barb Harmon, the two people from TRADOC we were suppose to meet at the liaison office. Emergency vehicles began arriving, fire trucks, ambulances, police cars, all converging into the Pentagon from every conceivable access trying to avoid hitting the many people and cars trying to get out of the way. As I stood there I saw debris scattered all around and watched helicopters starting to fly around the area; I felt they were news helicopters and probably emergency medivac helicopters. The Air Force LTC had walked away while we were standing there, but then returned and approached me and stated the FBI was taking statements from eyewitnesses as to what took place and asked me to go give a statement to them. Colonel Good told me to go give a statement and I asked Russ and Tom to take my briefcase. I started walking the road that circled around the West Side of the Pentagon and located the FBI agents unloading their gear. One agent directed me to another agent who took my statement as to what I saw. As I was talking to him I was noticing the devastation to the building; I was so close to point of impact and in disbelief of what I saw. I looked behind the agent and there was a soldier sitting on the ground bleeding from his hand. Another was laying on a backboard with bandages across his face and chest. Rescuers were scrambling with their backboards towards the burning building as if more injured had been located and needed help. I finished giving my statement to the FBI agent and started to return back to where I left the Colonel, Tom and Russ. I couldn?t help but notice that high overhead was a C-130 aircraft that made an abrupt overhead turn as if he was in the area and saw the airplane flying low and was watching his movements. After the impact he was probably in disbelief of what he saw and then turned to depart the area, something I believe what every military pilot would have done. As massive as it was, maybe he flew high overhead to see the cause of the smoke and flames coming from the Pentagon. As I continued to walk, shouts of terror began flowing from and through the many people on the surrounding grounds to vacate the area, that another plane was inbound and going to crash in the building. People started running to get away from the area as quick as they could. I watched one man try to climb a fence he was so terrified, another person yelled at him ?where do you think you are going, you can?t get far enough away?. The man backed down off the fence and stood there in amazement, I kept walking back to where I left the Colonel earlier. As I approached the area, the Colonel was gone and so were Russ and Tom. I quickly scanned the general area, they weren?t there, obviously they moved to the parking lot where the rental car was parked. So I walked under the overpass and crossed two roadways and entered the opposite end of the parking lot where the car was parked. People were tying to leave the area and traffic had already begun to jam up. I was about halfway through the parking lot and I noticed several people who were to be in the 1030 meeting. Standing there was Colonel Brown, Ms. Shands, and two others. I asked Colonel Brown if he had seen Mr. Sakowitz and he said no. I looked at Ms. Shands and noticed the look of fear in her eyes. I?ve known her some time and knew she was truly shaken at what had just taken place. I continued on towards the rental car and saw my three fellow office workers standing there waiting for me. I had the rental car keys in my pocket and they weren?t going anywhere till I showed up. We put our briefcases and coats in the trunk and the Colonel stated we needed to get out of here now, but I95 was not the way to go. We decided highway 1 South was the way to go and headed out of the parking lot. Traffic was bumper to bumper with a mass exodus to get away from the Pentagon. We continued to try calling out on the cell phones and routinely heard busy signals over and over again. Colonel Good was able to get through to the office on his phone and through all the commotion, was able to have the office people call our families to let them know we were okay. He was also able to get the word Mr. Sakowitz and Barbara Harmon were okay, all TRADOC people were accounted for. Colonel Good dialed my Barbara?s cell phone on his phone and I was able to talk to Barbara and tell her I was okay and where we were. She told me she was on I95 heading south for home; I can?t remember where she said she was at the time. I think I told her we were going to stop somewhere and I would give her a call, If I couldn?t get through, not to worry, I?d be home late that night.

From the time we left the parking lot to where we stopped at a restaurant in Alexandria, it took us 2? hours. We hadn?t eaten that morning, the Colonel bought me a cup of coffee at the airport when we picked the car up, we were planning on getting a bite in the Pentagon, so we looked for the first restaurant that we could pull into to get something to eat. Here for the fist time in all the confusion I was able to call Barb and have a decent conversation with her. I assured her everyone was fine and relieved we were able to get out of the area. I told her we were getting something to eat and we would be back on the road as soon as we could. She said she probably would expect to see me later that night and to drive safe. I told her not to be surprised if she didn?t hear from me any time soon because the phone system was impossible to get through. While sitting in the restaurant we were able to see the television and the pictures of the World Trade Center incidents that took place prior to the Pentagon incident. We had the radio on when we left the parking lot at the Pentagon and was listening to the news reports, but had no idea of the magnitude the damage and destruction until we saw it on the television. We finished eating, jumped back into the car and headed home. Colonel Good was able to talk to the office again on his cell phone and I could hear Tom in the back seat talking on his as I drove. Traffic thinned out enough that we made good time heading south, our first stop was to drop Tom and Russ off at their cars that they parked at the Days Inn that morning. The Colonel and I continued down I64 heading for his house so I could drop him off and turn in the rental car at the airport. I turned the car in and jumped in my truck. I no sooner got on the interstate then I called Barb and told her where I was at and would be at the house in about 20-25 minutes. I pulled into the drive and the garage door was opened and Barb?s car parked inside. I shut the truck off and started to get out of the truck and Barb came out of the house. We hugged and kissed as if we hadn?t seen each other for months. Barb told me that even though we had talked; her fist thoughts were that something had happened to me, I kept assuring her I was all right. We came into the house and I immediately took a shower, dressed and came downstairs to watch the horror on the TV that I had personally witnessed that morning. Over and over again I watched the replays of the day's events and just couldn?t believe what had happened.




From the very moment I first saw the airplane coming over the road to when it crashed into the building, not more than 2-3 seconds of time elapsed. Yet the horror of it all was put into slow motion in my mind and it seemed like it stretched over a longer period of time. I first saw the nose of the plane and then it grew in size exposing its wings with the gigantic engines followed by the tail and the distinct emblem of American Airlines. The plane was flying fast, very fast. I?d estimate between 300-400 MPH and descending. I thought there was an emergency, but saw no smoke or visible damage to the aircraft; it looked totally in tact. I feared for the people commuting on the highway, I thought for sure that the plane was going to crash on them, killing, maiming, burning, and destroying everything in its path. At the same time I feared for the passengers on the plane, they were helpless; they didn?t know what was about to happen to them. I pictured in my mind a plane full of helpless people strapped into their seats and the impact that awaits them. I could see the cockpit windows quite clear, but I couldn?t see the pilots or the fear on their faces. I could only visualize their frantic efforts to fly the plane with whatever emergency they were trying to handle. The plane kept descending and the roar of the massive engines could be heard and the air seemed to start vibrating. The right wing dipped down, I felt sure the tip would hit the ground and send the plane into a cartwheel. Instead, the plane veered right and plowed into the wall of the Pentagon. The ball of fire and black billowing smoke quickly filled the air followed by the absolute smell of jet fuel. Debris was everywhere, I noticed the traffic on the highway had come to a complete standstill, I felt sure their were mass casualties along the entire west side of the Pentagon. At the time, I had no earthly clue what I was observing was a terrorist act in the making. I strongly felt the plane was having an emergency and the pilot was doing everything he could to save the lives of everyone on board. My god I could have been on that plane. My wife could have been on that plane. My worst fears were starting to play the "what if" game with my mind. What if the plane had been on a flight path that was a few degrees more to the right, the four of us wouldn?t be here today. What coincidence is it that we happened to be at the Pentagon on this particular day at this particular time? Most of all, what would I have done if I had looked up and saw the plane coming directly at us? I know what the obvious answer would be and realize those passengers couldn?t do anything either.



I went to bed that night with mixed emotions knowing the entire world was not going to be the same yet the next morning I was going to go into the office. I had called my team and told them not to come to the office until I had called them, only the team chiefs were to come in. My mind raced as I lay there, re-living the events of the day. The most vivid scene constantly being replayed was what I had observed that morning on the walkway into the Pentagon. I'll forever remember and relive those few seconds of terror that took place for the rest of my life. My day ended, I was home, safe and sound.