The Role of the Army Reserve 

in the 11 September Attacks: 

The Pentagon 

OFFICE OF ARMY RESERVE HISTORY 

HEADQUARTERS 

UNITED STATES ARMY RESERVE COMMAND 

FORT McPHERSON, GEORGIA

The Role of the Army Reserve 

in the 11 September Attacks: 

The Pentagon 

90th Military History Detachment 

Captain Suzanne Summers 

Sergeant William Miller 

Specialist Imelda Salazar 

Editors 

Dr. Kathryn Roe Coker 

MG David T. Zabecki 

Ms. Deborah Foster-King 

Office of Army Reserve History 

United States Army Reserve Command 

Fort McPherson, Georgia 

2003

FOREWORD 

 On 11 September 2001, unimaginable horror came to our country as terrorists turned 

airliners filled with innocent people into lethal weapons. As one terrible blow after another hit in 

New York City, at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania, ordinary Americans -- citizens and citizensoldiers -- responded heroically to these extraordinary events. 

 We in the Army Reserve are particularly proud of our own who displayed the highest 

qualities of courage and selflessness on 11 September, whether that meant rushing into the 

World Trade Center, regardless of personal safety concerns, helping injured comrades out of the 

burning Pentagon or organizing rescue and recovery activities. 

 We especially remember those we lost on 11 September. There were the five citizensoldiers of the 77th Regional Support Command who were members of the Fire Department of 

New York. They, along with hundreds of their comrades, died saving the lives of thousands of 

others at the World Trade Center. There was the 77th RSC Judge Advocate General officer, also 

at work in his civilian job, who died in Tower Two of the World Trade Center. There was the 

retired colonel, a security chief for an investment company in Tower Two, who got all but six of 

his firm's 2,700 employees out safely and then lost his life when he went back to find those still 

missing. And there were the Active Guard Reserve (AGR) colonel and the retired AGR colonel 

who were at their appointed place of duty in the Pentagon at the time that place of duty became 

the point of impact. 

 These are the names of those we should never forget, our first casualties in the war on 

terrorism: 

 Warrant Officer 1 Ronald P. Bucca, fire marshal, New York Fire Department (FDNY), killed 

 during rescue efforts at the World Trade Center. 

 Staff Sergeant Frederick J. Ill, captain, NYFD, killed during rescue efforts at the World 

 Trade Center. 

 Retired Colonel Ronald F. Golinski, Department of Army Civilian, killed while on duty at 

 the Pentagon. 

 Captain Michael D. Mullan, fireman, NYFD, killed during rescue efforts at the World Trade 

 Center. 

 Lieutenant Colonel William H. Pohlmann, lawyer, working on the 91st floor of Tower Two, 

 killed at the World Trade Center. 

 Sergeant Shawn Powell, fireman, NYFD, killed during rescue efforts at the World Trade 

 Center. 

 Retired Colonel Rick Rescorla, director of security for Morgan Stanley in Tower Two, killed 

 while helping others escape at the World Trade Center. 

 Colonel David M. Scales, AGR officer, killed while on duty at the Pentagon. 

iii
 Captain Mark P. Whitford, fireman, NYFD, killed during rescue efforts at the World Trade 

 Center. 

 These were not our only heroes on 11 September, nor did the Army Reserve's response 

end after the initial attacks. It was only beginning. Army Reservists on site in the Pentagon and 

New York City areas took immediate action to help the injured, to try to reach other survivors, 

and to assist other rescue workers. 

 Even as rescue workers fought the flames, the Army Reserve response grew, all across 

America, with crisis action teams standing up and in full operation in every major Army Reserve 

command headquarters within hours. Military Police units quickly took up station at key 

facilities. 

 In New York City, the 77th RSC reacted swiftly to the disaster, quickly appropriating and 

delivering hundreds of support items in short order to assist in the disaster recovery effort. 

Equally quick to respond and critical to the rescue and recovery operation were the Army 

Reserve Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officers in the New York City area. They arrived on 

the scene immediately to facilitate support requests from civilian agencies as quickly and 

effectively as possible. 

 Thousands of trained and ready Army Reserve men and women came forward, first as 

volunteers and then in response to the partial mobilization ordered by the president on 14 

September, just three days after the attacks. Among the first soldiers to move out and begin 

operations was the 311th Quartermaster Company (Mortuary Affairs) from Aguadilla, Puerto 

Rico. Seventy-two hours after the call went out for volunteers from the 311th, they had deployed 

to the Pentagon and were searching through debris for the remains of victims. By the time the 

unit was mobilized a week later, it had already been "at war" for a week. 

 Two of our Military History Detachments have worked hard to capture the events of 11 

September and the weeks that followed from the perspective of the Army Reserve. The 311th 

Military History Detachment from Fort Totten, New York, commanded by Major Robert 

Bensburg, and the 90th Military History Detachment from San Antonio, Texas, commanded by 

Captain Suzanne Summers, were called up soon after 11 September. The 311th was assigned to 

cover the New York City story and the 90th covered the Washington, D.C. area. The soldiers of 

these two small detachments gathered information and material, documented what had taken 

place and conducted numerous oral history interviews with participants. In doing their mission, 

they had to go into the damaged section of the Pentagon and also look out over what is now 

known as Ground Zero in New York City. They interviewed survivors of the Pentagon attack 

and others who had performed the grim task of recovering those who had not survived. They 

talked with heroes and those who supported the heroes. 

 The monographs they have produced provide a flavor of what it was like on the scene at 

one of the greatest days of tragedy in American history, told mostly from the points of view of 

those who were there. A day of tragedy to be sure, but also a day when the best of America 

iv 
came through loud and clear. What you will read is the first chapter in the story of the Army 

Reserve's role in the global war on terrorism, the beginning of what was and continues to be a 

decisive and extraordinarily rapid response to a national crisis. This is the start to a story that 

will not end until the United States achieves the inevitable victory over the terrorists. 

The Army Reserve was on the front lines of this war when it began on 11 September. 

We will be there at the finish, too. 

 Thomas J. Plewes 

 Lieutenant General, U.S. Army 

 Chief, Army Reserve 

 21 May 2002 

v
vi 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

 When the Army Reserve called us to active duty we never imagined we would write the 

acknowledgements to a publication. Traditionally military history detachments (MHD) collect 

and preserve data for the Army’s historical record. They accomplish this task by conducting oral 

history interviews, taking photographs, examining documents and records and then selecting the 

historically significant ones and archiving them, by searching for artifacts of historical value to 

be added to one of the Army’s many museums, and a myriad of other tasks. While MHDs 

collect the data this is the first time, along with the 311th MHD writing about the Army Reserve 

role in New York, that a MHD used the information it gathered to produce a publication. 

 Therefore we believe it is appropriate to first thank Brigadier General David Zabecki for 

suggesting that the 90th and 311th MHDs go beyond their traditional roles and write about the 

attacks in New York and the Pentagon and the Army Reserve response to them. The Office of 

Army Reserve History provided the framework, guidance, and support to make such an endeavor 

possible. They also served as the initial editors of this report and as frequently occurs between 

those writing and those editing there were differences of opinion but the process of working 

through those differences led to a better product, a stronger work relationship, and friendship. 

Our thanks to Dr. Lee Harford, Dr. Kathryn Coker, and Ms. Deborah Foster-King whose efforts, 

patience, and dedication are appreciated. 

 The 90th MHD operated in the Military District of Washington and was assigned to the 

Office, Chief Army Reserve, who we are heavily indebted to for the support they provided. 

MHDs operate in three person detachments consisting of a commander, photojournalist, and 

administrative specialist. All too often when a three person detachment is attached to a larger 

organization it seems to be on the low end of the priority list but that was never the case at 

OCAR. There, the motto “It is never not my problem” was a reality and it was with sadness that 

we witnessed this organization’s reduction as the Army reorganized its staff and headquarters. 

No doubt those who continue working at OCAR, will ensure that it remains a quality 

organization and those who left OCAR will make their mark wherever they go. 

 Regrettably, space limits us from mentioning all of the people who supported our efforts, 

otherwise this would look like a roll call of the CAR support staff. We can only provide a 

sampling of those who ensured our needs in Washington, D.C. were met. Some of these are the 

same people you will read about in this report. This list includes Colonel Malcolm Bruce 

Westcott, Colonel Mitchell Bisanar and Colonel Cary Threat; Lieutenant Colonel James Sample, 

Lieutenant Colonel Charles Hash, Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Ackman, Lieutenant Colonel 

Jerome Duncan, Lieutenant Colonel Sue Jones and Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence Collins; Major 

Will Flucker and Major Gregory Martin; and Chief Warrant Officer 5 Donald Garlow. Master 

Sergeant Larry Ledbetter; Sergeant First Class Mark Jackson, Sergeant First Class Silva PorterDeal, Sergeant First Class Maria Gonzalez, Sergeant First Class Chris McCreary, Sergeant First 

vii
Class Karen Henderson, Sergeant First Class Ronald Kelly and Sergeant First Class Monica 

Morris provided noncommissioned officer support. Despite being a three-person unit, an MHD 

must attend to the myriad of details that the Army requires of it. These soldiers provided 

administrative and logistical support, training and advice, and solved supply, funding, and pay 

issues, which helped us meet Army standards. 

 OCAR civilians also supported our endeavor. Ms. Susan Plummer ensured we never ran 

out of office supplies. The computer support staff’s assistance was unwavering and always 

prompt, even when we delivered a last minute request, which happened more often than we or 

they wanted. The ones who handled most of our issues were Ms. Dawn Zacherl, Mr. Robert 

Wilson, Mr. Thomas Jordan, and Mrs. Theresa Lathom. Ms. Debra Martin reserved conference 

rooms for our interviews. 

 Colonel Randy Pullen, a public affairs specialist at OCAR, especially earned our 

gratitude. He and the Office of Army Reserve History, though they did so separately, urged 

Brigadier General Zabecki to call up two MHDs to cover the Army Reserve role at the Pentagon 

and New York, which led to the mobilization of the 90th and 311th MHDs. When the 90th 

MHD arrived in Washington D.C., he provided a list of reservists who contributed to the Army 

Reserve’s efforts at the Pentagon on 11 September 2001. Furthermore, he edited our 

monograph, answered any questions we had, and contributed photographs that are included in 

this publication. We also received photographs from Corporal Nathaniel Penn (United States 

Marine Corps). 

 The Center of Military History and two MHDs, the 46th and 305th, which recorded the 

Army’s role at the Pentagon on 11 September, also furthered our project. Mr. William Epley, 

Mr. Stephen Lofgren, and Mr. Frank Shirer offered advice based on their experience with 

conducting oral histories and they used their resources to transcribe many of our interviews. The 

46th and 305th MHDs were our friends and often a source of information as we shared 

experiences. The 46th MHD consisted of Major Keith Dover, Master Sergeant Donna Majors, 

and Specialist Kelly Strand, who provided us copies of the unit’s photographs, which are in this 

report. The 305th MHD included Major Robert Smith, Sergeant First Class Dennis Lapic, and 

Corporal Austin Shellenberger. Corporal Schellenberger went out of his way to answer 

questions and assist us on special projects. 

 The 90th MHD currently operates at the USARC in Atlanta. We are indebted to the staff 

here including Major Mark Young, Mr. Steven Farmer, Mr. David Moyer, Mr. Bill Choate, Ms. 

Ovetta Robinson, and Mr. Orlando Castro. Command Sergeant Major Nicholas Piacentini, 

Sergeant Major Wilbert Thompson, Master Sergeant Norah Rentillo, and Staff Sergeant Mike 

Robinson. Our unit has been combined with the 311th MHD, consisting of Major Robert 

Bensburg and Sergeant First Class Christina Steiner, whose ideas and experience benefited this 

book. Finally, thanks go to all of the interviewees who used their valuable time to participate in 

the interviews and our friends and family members who supported us and reminded us of the 

viii
reasons why we serve. The 90th MHD has learned that the effort behind a book goes beyond 

what the author writes and to everyone mentioned and unmentioned: Thank you. 

ix
x 
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword...........................................................................................................iii 

Acknowledgements..............................................................................................vii 

Introduction.....................................................................................................xvii 

About the Authors...................................................................................153 

Chapter 1............................................................................................................3 

Lieutenant Colonel Isabelle Slifer-Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel 

[DSCPER], Headquarters, Department of the Army [HQDA] 

Chapter 2............................................................................................................9 

Lieutenant Colonel Victor M. Correa-DSCPER, HQDA 

Chapter 3..........................................................................................................13 

Lieutenant General Thomas J. Plewes-Chief, Army Reserve, Office, Chief Army 

Reserve [OCAR] 

Chapter 4.........................................................................................................19 

Colonel Malcolm B. Westcott-Deputy Chief, Army Reserve, OCAR 

Chapter 5........................................................................................................25 

Command Sergeant Major Alex R. Lackey-Command Sergeant Major of the Army 

Reserve, OCAR 

Chapter 6.......................................................................................................29 

Sergeant Janice Ann Jackson-Civilian Contractor/Army Reservist 

Chapter 7.......................................................................................................35 

Lieutenant Colonel Sean Kelly-Quadrennial Defense Review, HQDA 

Chapter 8.......................................................................................................39 

Major General Karol A. Kennedy-Commander, 99th Regional Support Command 

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Chapter 9.....................................................................................................49 

Major General David R. Bockel-Commander, 90th Regional Support Command 

Chapter 10...................................................................................................53 

Major Michael J. Coughlin-Deputy Legal Counsel for OCAR 

Chapter 11....................................................................................................81 

Lieutenant Colonel Timon Oujiri- Legislative Liaison Officer for OCAR 

Chapter 12...................................................................................................87 

Major Tyree Webster-Crisis Action Team, Chief, Operations, OCAR 

Captain Will Flucker-Operations Office, OCAR 

Chapter 13..................................................................................................95 

Major Gregory Martin-Member of Crisis Action Team, OCAR 

Chapter 14................................................................................................101 

Sergeant First Class Karen Henderson-Administrative Support Noncommissioned 

Officer for OCAR 

Chapter 15...............................................................................................105 

Sergeant First Class Monica B. Morris- Administrative Noncommissioned 

Officer for the Director of Staff, OCAR 

Chapter 16...............................................................................................109 

Chaplain (Colonel) Larry W. Racster-Reserve Advisor to the Chief of Chaplains, 

HQDA 

Chapter 17.............................................................................................115 

Major General Robert Diamond-Special Assistant to the Administrative 

Assistant to the Secretary of the Army 

Chapter 18............................................................................................121 

Lieutenant Colonel Bienvenido Rivera-Force Integrator, HQDA 

Chapter 19...........................................................................................127 

First Lieutenant Hector S. Martinez-Commander, 311th Quartermaster Company 

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Chapter 20..........................................................................................133 

Special Agent Samuel Simon-Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation 

Chapter 21..........................................................................................139 

Chaplain (Lieutenant Colonel) Bert S. Kozen-55th Brigade, 28th Infantry Division, 

Pennsylvania National Guard 

Chapter 22...........................................................................................145 

Sergeant First Class Jose N. Cruz-Platoon Sergeant, 311th Quartermaster Company 

Chapter 23.........................................................................................149 

First Sergeant Jose Santiago-Non Commissioned Officer in Charge, 311th 

Quartermaster Company 

Photographs 

Lieutenant Colonel Isabelle Slifer................................................................2 

Lieutenant Colonel Victor M. Correa.............................................................8 

Lieutenant General Thomas J. Plewes....................................................................12 

Colonel Malcolm B. Westcott................................................................................18 

Command Sergeant Major Alex R. Lackey....................................................24 

Sergeant Janice Ann Jackson.................................................................................28 

Lieutenant Colonel Sean Kelly.................................................................34 

Major General Karol A. Kennedy.........................................................................38 

Major General David R. Bockel............................................................................48 

Major Michael J. Coughlin....................................................................................52 

Army Reservists Killed at the Pentagon .......................................................59 

xiii
External View of Smoke Rising from the Pentagon..........................................60 

Aerial View of Damaged Pentagon and Flight 77 Path of Destruction.................61 

Flames Coming From the Pentagon............................................................62 

Command Sergeant Major Lackey on the Phone [Pentagon]................................63 

311th Quartermaster Company Sets Up at the Pentagon.......................................63 

Photograph of the Pentagon at Night on 9-11...................................................64 

Flag Raised at the Damaged Section of the Pentagon...........................................65 

The Pentagon Three Days After the Terrorist Attack..........................................66 

Interior View of Damage Inside the Pentagon.......................................................67 

Different Interior View of Damage Inside the Pentagon.....................................68 

Interior View of Pentagon Room Being Torn Down.............................................69 

External View of Damaged Section Being Torn Down......................................70 

Construction Equipment Removing Debris.....................................................71 

Specialist Strand Working Outside of the Pentagon............................................72 

Major General Bockel Surveys the Damage..................................................73 

Ceremony Honoring Colonel David Scales..................................................74 

Flag Presentation at the Funeral................................................................74 

311th Quartermaster Soldier Says Goodbye to His Son.....................................75 

Building 228 Used by 311th Quartermaster Company......................................76 

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Building 227 Used by 311th Quartermaster Company......................................76 

External View of Pentagon Being Rebuilt............................................................77 

Interior View of Cleared Pentagon Section..................................................78 

The Pentagon’s Damaged Section Rebuilt....................................................79 

Lieutenant Colonel Timon Oujiri.........................................................................80 

Captain Will Flucker............................................................................................86 

Major Tyree Webster...........................................................................................86 

Major Gregory Martin............................................................................94 

Sergeant First Class Karen Henderson..............................................................100 

Sergeant First Class Monica B. Morris.............................................................104 

Chaplain (Colonel) Larry W. Racster...............................................................108 

Major General Robert Diamond.......................................................................114 

Lieutenant Colonel Bienvenido Rivera...................................................120 

First Lieutenant Hector S. Martinez......................................................126 

Special Agent Samuel Simon...........................................................................132 

Chaplain (Lieutenant Colonel) Bert S. Kozen.................................................138 

Sergeant First Class Jose N. Cruz.........................................................144 

First Sergeant Jose Santiago............................................................................148 

Unit Picture of the 90th Military History Detachment....................................153 

xv
xvi 
INTRODUCTION 

 

 The morning of 11 September 2001 began like any other in the Washington, D.C. area. 

Army Reservists headed off to work with their thoughts on the business of the day ahead. 

Despite the appearance of normality, this day would end like no other in living memory. 

According to the Washington Post, the Washington, D.C. region suffered more casualties on 11 

September than any day since the Civil War. The death toll at the Pentagon alone stood at 189. 

The dead and missing included both military and civilians.1 

 At approximately 9:40 a.m., an American Airlines jet, Flight 77, hijacked by al Qaeda 

terrorists, flew directly into the Pentagon, symbol of American military power since its 

construction during World War II. The plane, scheduled to fly to Los Angeles from Dulles 

Airport, initially traveled west, but then executed a sharp turn, aiming the plane toward the White 

House and into restricted airspace. Watching the plane travel at full throttle, horrified flight 

controllers at Dulles warned their counterparts at Reagan National Airport of the unauthorized 

flight headed toward the White House. The plane then turned a sharp 270 degrees to the right, 

falling below radar level and off controllers’ screens, heading directly toward the Pentagon 

instead. The rapid pace of events that Indian summer morning precluded military aircraft from 

intercepting the flight.2 

 According to one account, “The jetliner hit the Pentagon low and diagonally, first striking 

the renovated section of wedge 1 before passing into an unrenovated area of wedge 2, which was 

being prepared for renovation.” When it struck the Pentagon, the impact left a hole in the 

building stretching between 75 and 100 feet. The Boeing 757 carried 10,000 gallons of fuel. 

The explosion generated by the crash resulted in the outbreak of fires and the collapse of the 

affected wedge. By the end of the day, a section of the outer ring located in that wedge of the 

 

1 Articles, Jamie Stockwell, “Crews Approaching Heart of Pentagon Crash Site,” Washington Post, 15 September 

2001; Carol Morello and Steve Vogel, “Slowly, Signs of a Return to Normalcy,” Washington Post, 18 September 

2001 and Steve Vogel, “12 Remains From Pentagon are Identified,” Washington Post, 20 September 2001, 

Operation Noble Eagle Collection (90th MHD), United States Army Reserve Historical Research Collection, Office 

of Army Reserve History, United States Army Reserve Command. Unless otherwise noted all records are part of 

this collection. 

2 Articles, Serge Schmemann, “Hijacked Jets Destroy Twin Towers and Hit Pentagon,” New York Times, 12 

September 2001; Marc Fisher and Don Phillips, “On Flight 77: ‘Our Plane is Being Hijacked,’” Washington Post, 

12 September 2001; Michael Grunwald, “Terrorists Hijack 4 Airliners, Destroy World Trade Center, Hit Pentagon; 

Hundreds Dead: Bush Promises Retribution; Military Put on Highest Alert,” Washington Post, 12 September 2001; 

Bradley Graham, “Military Alerted Before Attacks,” Washington Post, 15 September 2001; Bradley Graham, “At 

the Pentagon: Response Hampered by Confusion, Lack of Preparedness,” Washington Post, 16 September 2001 and 

Carol Morello and Steve Vogel, “189 Believed Dead in Pentagon Attack,” Washington Post, 14 September 2001.

xvii
five-sided fortress had collapsed from structural damage caused by the intense heat generated by 

the explosion of jet fuel.3

 The War Department, predecessor of today’s Department of the Army, built the 

Pentagon, one of the world’s largest office buildings (it has 6.5 million square feet of space), 

during the early years of World War II under the guidance of Brigadier General Brehon B. 

Sommervell, chief of the Construction Division of the Office of the Quartermaster General. The 

Pentagon represented Sommervell’s solution to the War Department’s need for additional office 

space. Ironically, defense officials held the groundbreaking ceremony on 11 September 1941, 

exactly sixty years before the plane crash that would destroy a substantial part of the building. 

On 15 January 1943, at a cost of $2.2 million, officials dedicated the new star-shaped structure, 

although workers had occupied parts of the building since 29 April 1942. In all, the Pentagon 

complex occupies 583 acres of land with the actual structure covering twenty-nine acres, in 

addition to an open-air center court totaling five acres. Although it includes 17.5 miles of 

hallways, its unique design ensures that one can travel from any point in the building to an 

opposite location in seven minutes. Normally, the Pentagon houses approximately 26,000 

military and civilian employees and about 3,000 non-defense support personnel.4

 By the afternoon of 11 September, however, normality seemed like a distant memory. 

Rescuers described a scene resembling “something . . . out of a movie” with concrete boulders 

and collapsed metal beams. Army Staff Sergeant Brock Bowman said, “Think of your worst 

nightmare. Everything is knocked down, ripped apart, torn up. It’s pretty much the worst thing 

you could imagine seeing.” Commenting on the wreckage, one firefighter noted, “I was 

speechless. I have been on the job for twelve years. I have never seen anything like this.” 5 

 The section of the Pentagon affected by the crash housed a mix of Army and Navy 

offices.6 These included the Department of the Army’s Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for 

Personnel, which had recently relocated into the wing that was hit. Construction crews had just 

completed a three-year renovation program of the wing containing wedge 1 of the venerable 

building at a cost of $258 million. These improvements, which included installing windows 

made of safety glass, as well as the use of steel beams and Kevlar cloth, ultimately saved many 

 

3 Articles, Larry Flynn, “Pentagon emerges from rubble,” Building Design & Construction, October 2001; D’Vera 

Cohn and Steve Vogel, “Black Boxes Recovered at Pentagon,” Washington Post, 14 September 2001 and Robert P. 

Mader, “Tougher Pentagon to Rise,” CONTRACTORmag.com, July 2001. 4

 Articles, United States Department of Defense, “About the Pentagon,” 16 January 2001; “The Pentagon: Facts & 

Figures” 2 March 2002 and Defense Technology Information Center, “Welcome to the Pentagon: General 

Information,” 2 March 2002. 

5

 Articles, Statement by the Chief, Army Reserve [Lieutenant General Thomas J. Plewes], “Attack on America – 30 

Days Later,” 11 October 2001; Lieutenant Colonel Randy Pullen, “’A First-Class Outfit’ – The 311th Quartermaster 

Company on Duty at the Pentagon,” 12 October 2001 and Gary Sheftick, Defense Technology Information Center, 

“Soldiers Lift Rubble, Hope for Miracle,” 14 September 2001. 

xviii
lives. Fortunately, two-thirds of those working in wedge 2 had already moved out in anticipation 

of renovations due to begin there. The casualty figures would have been much higher 

otherwise.7

 

 As horrific as the physical destruction was, the human toll was much worse. In all, the 

crash took the lives of 125 people inside the Pentagon and 64 aboard Flight 77. The rolls of the 

dead included one current and one retired Army Reservist, Active Guard Reserve officer 

Lieutenant Colonel David M. Scales (posthumously promoted to Colonel) and Colonel (Retired) 

Ronald F. Golinski. Their presence in the Pentagon symbolized the integration of the Army 

Reserve into the Army’s structure. Both men worked in Headquarters, Department of the Army 

(HQDA).8

 Since May 2001, Lieutenant Colonel David Scales served as the personnel policy 

integrator at the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel. Previously, he served in the 

Forces Management Directorate at the Office of the Chief, Army Reserve (OCAR) in nearby 

Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia. Described as “an extremely professional, dedicated officer,” 

Lieutenant Colonel Scales gave his life for his country two weeks before his 45th birthday. He 

left behind a wife and twelve-year old son.9

 Colonel (Retired) Ronald Golinski also worked for 

the Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel. He retired from the Active Guard Reserve program in 

1996, but continued his connection with the Army in his civilian career. Another Army 

Reservist, Sergeant Janice Ann Jackson, worked in the Pentagon as a civilian contractor. 

Jackson, who received severe burns after the crash, managed to escape the burning building. 

Drawing on her Army Reserve training, she helped to pull a wounded co-worker to safety despite 

her own injuries. 

 On 23 October 2001, the Army leadership gathered at Fort Myer, Virginia, to honor those 

who had put their lives at risk to aid others at the Pentagon crash. Seventy military and civilian 

recipients received awards ranging from the Purple Heart and the Soldier’s Medal, the Army’s 

highest award for non-combat bravery, to the Defense of Freedom Medal, given to civilians who 

were wounded in the attack. Several Army Reservists received awards that day. They included 

Lieutenant Colonel Victor M. Correa who received both a Soldier's Medal and the Purple Heart, 

and Sergeant Janice Ann Jackson who was awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal for 

 6 Articles, D'Vera Cohn, “Pentagon Fire Out; Interim Morgue Set Up,” Washington Post, 12 September 2001 and 

Mary Beth Sheridan, “Loud Boom, Then Flames in the Hallway,”Washington Post, 12 September 2001. 7

 Article, Steve Vogel, “New Pentagon Pays Off,” Washington Post, 23 September 2001. 8

 Articles, Richard Whittle, “Pentagon honors those lost in terrorist attack three months ago,” Dallas Morning News, 

12 December 2001; Michael P. Bruno, “Pentagon Efforts Turn to Recovery,” Washington Post, 13 September 2001 

and D’Vera Cohn and Steve Vogel, “Black Boxes Recovered at Pentagon,” Washington Post, 14 September 2001. 9

 Articles, Lieutenant Colonel Randy Pullen, “Lieutenant Colonel David Scales: ‘A Good, Professional Army 

Reserve Officer,’” OCAR website, 18 September 2001; transcript, Colonel Malcolm B. Westcott, interview by 

Captain Suzanne L. Summers and Sergeant William L. Miller, tape recording with transcript, OCAR, 7 November 

2001 and Email, Lieutenant Colonel Randy Pullen to Captain Suzanne Summers, “The Army Reserve Response at 

9-11 Plus 50,” 31 October 2001. 

xix
Bravery. 10 Active Guard Reserve officers assigned to the Pentagon, Lieutenant Colonel Correa 

and his colleague Lieutenant Colonel Isabelle Slifer, pulled a number of injured people out of the 

burning building.11 

 Active Guard Reserve officer Lieutenant Colonel Sean Kelly and Captain Darrell Oliver 

lifted a desk off of a secretary. Captain Oliver then put the woman on his back and carried her 

out of the Pentagon. For his actions, Captain Oliver received the Soldier's Medal and the Purple 

Heart.12 Colonel Junro E. Wakayama, an Army Reserve Medical Service Corps officer on a 

one-year tour of duty with the Director for Operational Test and Evaluation, Office of the 

Secretary of Defense (OSD), received the Soldier's Medal on 6 March 2002, for his actions 

during the 11 September attack. Colonel Wakayama re-entered the Pentagon three times, despite 

the danger from raging fires, heavy smoke and the threat of additional attacks, leading several 

people to safety. He continued his efforts until smoke and heat forced him to evacuate. After he 

made it out of the building, he spent the rest of that day and the following nine days working 

more than twelve hours a day and providing medical assistance on site.13 

 Other Army Reservists in the National Capitol Region (NCR) also played vital roles in 

the hours and days after the attack. Retired Army Reserve Colonel William B. Croom, assistant 

deputy, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Logistics, and Active Guard 

Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Douglas R. Thomson, the executive officer and assistant for Army 

Reserve logistics, were both in their Pentagon offices when the attack occurred. The force of the 

impact was so great that it flung people against the wall or out of their chairs. Croom and 

Thomson went into action immediately. Their concern was to get people evacuated and to secure 

the area. For seven hours after exiting the building, Croom and Thomson assisted medical 

personnel as litter bearers, moving injured people to a safe place, setting up triage sites, and 

comforting victims. “I was just feeling like I needed to be there to do whatever I could,” Croom 

said later.14 

 After he and his wife, fellow Active Guard Reserve officer Major Desiree Wineland, 

located their children at the Pentagon daycare center, Captain Calvin D. Wineland, assigned to 

OCAR, transported a wounded soldier suffering severe burns to a hospital in Washington, D.C. 

 

10 Email, Mr. Tom Ryan to Captain Suzanne Summers, 29 October 2001, “Pentagon honors its heroes” and Article, 

“Answering the Call – Individual Accounts, Lieutenant Colonel Vic Correa,” OCAR website, 20 September 2001. 

11 Article, “Answering the Call – Individual Accounts, Lieutenant Colonel Vic Correa,” OCAR website, 20 

September 2001 and Email, Lieutenant Colonel Randy Pullen,“ Army Reserve Response at 9-11 Plus 50,” 31 

October 2001. 

12 Email, Lieutenant Colonel Randy Pullen to Captain Suzanne Summers, “The Army Reserve Response at 9-11 

Plus 50,” 31 October 2001. 

13 Email, Lieutenant Colonel Randy Pullen to Captain Suzanne Summers, “Army Reserve September 11 Hero 

Decorated,” 6 March 2002, Executive Summary. 14 Email, Lieutenant Colonel Randy Pullen to Captain Suzanne Summers, “The Army Reserve Response at 9-11 

Plus 50,” 31 October 2001. 

xx 
A Navy sailor on a motorcycle acted as a guide, leading Captain Wineland and his party to the 

hospital.15 Master Sergeant Jacqueline Gopie, a medical policy noncommissioned officer at 

OCAR, employed her training as a medic to assist litter teams moving casualties.16 Major 

Eugene Swisher, an Active Guard Reserve officer, had already out-processed from his 

assignment at the Office of the Secretary of Defense and was preparing to move to a new 

assignment in New Orleans when the plane hit. After witnessing the plane crash, he stopped by 

the Navy Exchange gas station/convenience store where he found the store manager emptying 

shelves of food, water, and soft drinks to send to the site for support of the firefighters. He asked 

Swisher if he could help transport the items to the Pentagon site. Swisher found himself 

involved in coordinating the logistics for the vendors in support of firefighters and other first 

responders at the site.17

 Despite the attack, command and control of the nation’s armed forces never lapsed. The 

Chief of the Army Reserve, Lieutenant General Thomas J. Plewes, was working in his office in 

the Pentagon when the attack occurred. Key defense leaders, including General Plewes, 

participated in the building’s evacuation before they were whisked away to Site R, also known as 

the Alternate Joint Communications Center, a secure location on the Maryland-Pennsylvania 

border. For a time, General Plewes was the ranking military official at the site, considered to be 

the “back up” command and control center for the Pentagon.18 

 On the morning of 11 September, Brigadier General Karol A. Kennedy, the commander 

of the 99th Regional Support Command, headquartered in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, also found 

herself at the Pentagon for a meeting of senior Army Reserve leaders. After the attack, she 

dispatched military police from her command to provide security to Site R. Although they were 

not federally mobilized, they served on extended active duty for training orders.19 

 Army Reserve senior leaders played special roles in commemorating those who died. 

Two Army Reserve general officers, Major General Sue B. Dueitt and Major General Robert 

Diamond, both of whom serve as individual mobilization augmentees in the Pentagon, delivered 

 

15 Article, “Answering the Call – Individual Accounts, Captain Calvin D. Wineland,” OCAR website, 20 September 

2001. 

16 Article, “Answering the Call – Individual Accounts, Master Sergeant Jacqueline Gopie,” OCAR website, 18 

September 2001. 

17 Email, Lieutenant Colonel Randy Pullen to Captain Suzanne Summers, “The Army Reserve Response at 9-11 

Plus 50,” 31 October 2001. 

18 Lieutenant General Thomas J. Plewes, interview by Captain Suzanne L. Summers and Sergeant William L. 

Miller, tape recording with transcript, 29 April 2002 and Article, “Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists,” The Bulletin

[Internet], November/December 2001, Operation Noble Eagle Collection (311th MHD), United States Army 

Reserve Historical Research Collection, Office of Army Reserve History, United Stares Army Reserve Command. 

19 In civilian life, General Kennedy serves as the deputy chief of financial management at OCAR. Major Paul 

Guilot, interview with Major Robert Bensburg, tape recording with transcript, 22 March 2002, Operation Noble 

Eagle Collection (311th MHD), United States Army Reserve Historical Research Collection, Office of Army 

Reserve History, United Stares Army Reserve Command.

xxi
eulogies and words of comfort to family members and friends suffering painful losses in the 

aftermath of the plane crash.20

 The events of 11 September shocked residents of the Washington, D.C. area for whom 

the Pentagon was a familiar landmark. Nevertheless, the men and women who work in and near 

the Pentagon demonstrated their resiliency in the days after the attack. On 12 September, one 

day after the crash of Flight 77, approximately 10,000 to 11,000 workers, almost half the normal 

Pentagon workforce, returned to work in the fire-scarred structure in a show of their resolve to 

carry on after the tragedy. Late that afternoon, President George W. Bush commented as he 

toured the site, “Coming here makes me sad on the one hand. It also makes me angry.”21

 On 14 September 2001, President Bush ordered a partial mobilization of reserve forces to 

protect the home front and to prosecute the recently declared war on terrorism. This was the first 

partial mobilization of the reserve components since his father, President George H. Bush, served 

as commander-in-chief of American forces during the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Although the 

first call-ups of Army Reserve units did not occur until 22 September, many Army Reservists 

had already been called to or had volunteered for service in a training status. The Army Reserve 

Personnel Command, located in St. Louis, reported that by 12:00 p.m. on 14 September, more 

than 1,900 reservists had called to volunteer. 

 By 22 September, when the first units activated under partial mobilization status received 

their call up, the Army Reserve already had seven units, one installation, six facilities and 

approximately 2,300 personnel supporting Operation NOBLE EAGLE, the protection of the 

domestic front.22 These units included the 311th Quartermaster Company (Mortuary Affairs) 

from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, part of the 65th Regional Support Command. The 311th 

Quartermaster Company played a critical role in the recovery effort at the Pentagon. When the 

call for eighty-five volunteers came, unit members quickly responded. By 15 September, the 

first unit members arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware and made their way to the 

Pentagon site. One such soldier, Private Wilnette Perez-Padilla had just finished her advanced 

individual training at Fort Lee, Virginia, on 28 August, but when the call came, she raised her 

hand. “It’s a sad situation,” she remarked, “but I’m extremely proud to be here to help our 

 

20 Email, Lieutenant Colonel Randy Pullen to Captain Suzanne Summers, 29 October 2001, “Army Reserve 

General's Elegy Honors Active Army Soldier Killed in Pentagon Attack.” Major General Sue B. Dueitt serves as 

the assistant deputy chief of staff for personnel (individual mobilization augmentee), while Major General Robert 

Diamond is the special assistant to the administrative assistant to the secretary of the Army. 

21 Article, Steve Vogel, “Defiant Workers Return to Posts at the Pentagon,” Washington Post, 13 September 2001. 22 Email, Lieutenant Colonel Randy Pullen to Captain Suzanne Summers, “The Army Reserve Response at 9-11 

Plus 50,” 31October 2001 and Email, Colonel Stephanie Jeffords to Colonel Ronald Logsdon, “Noble Eagle 

Update,” 16 September 2001. 

xxii 
nation.” On 17 September, when she and her fellow unit members showed up for duty at the 

Pentagon, President Bush thanked them for their service.23

 Public organizations responded quickly to the recovery effort at the Pentagon. The Red 

Cross and Salvation Army, along with local vendors, set up a tent city called “Camp Unity” 

where rescue and recovery workers, including members of the military, firemen, policemen, and 

FBI agents working at the site could find a hot cup of coffee, a meal, warm clothes, and a 

chaplain as they set about the gruesome task of recovering the dead and their effects. Inside the 

camp, a street sign read “Home Town USA.” People from across the country sent their messages 

of support and solidarity to bolster the morale of Pentagon workers.24

 Army Reservists also sought ways to assist those working in the recovery effort at the 

Pentagon. Their experiences left them changed people. They also illustrated the value of their 

training as soldiers. “I just knew that day that I wanted to be over there to help. I’m a soldier. 

That’s where we should have been,” reflected Major Michael J. Coughlin, deputy legal counsel 

at OCAR.25 Colonel Malcolm B. Westcott, the Deputy Chief, Army Reserve, whose office was 

on the first floor of the Pentagon, close to the crash site, reflected on his experiences. “I think 

mentally most soldiers are prepared for this,” he noted. “Your whole career you are preparing 

for it and you’ve seen this kind of thing before. What was different in this is that it happened on 

our soil, in Washington, in the Pentagon.”26 

 A day after the crash, Lieutenant General Thomas J. Plewes, Chief, Army Reserve, 

reflected the shock and outrage of a horror-struck world. “The tragedy was so heinous,” he 

observed, “that a day later, the numbness has still not worn off.” Speaking of Army Reserve 

capabilities, he promised, “We have a variety of capabilities and experienced personnel which 

can and will be made available as part of the federal response, helping our fellow citizens in the 

best traditions of the citizen-soldier. . . . The men and women of the Army Reserve will do all 

that the Nation expects of us in this national crisis.” Thirty days later, reflecting on the tragedy, 

 

23 Article, Lieutenant Colonel Randy Pullen, “’A First-Class Outfit” – The 311th Quartermaster Company on Duty 

at the Pentagon,” OCAR website, 12 October 2001. 

24 Articles, Janet Chismar, “Salvation Army Serves at ‘Camp Unity’ Pentagon,” Crosswalk.com News Channel; 

Pattie Stechschulte, “Pentagon Workers Find Relief at Camp Unity,” Today’s Chiropractic [Internet]; Hannah Mack 

Lapp, “A Visit at Camp Unity: First Person Reflections,” Footpaths [Internet] Winter 2001 and Anita Parlow, 

“Reflections from the Pentagon,” RedCross.com [Internet], 5 October 2001. 25 Major Michael J. Coughlin, interview by Sergeant William L. Miller, tape recording with transcript, 5 November 

2001 and Article, “Answering the Call – Individual Accounts, Major Michael J. Coughlin,” OCAR website, 18 

September 2001. 

26 Colonel Malcolm B. Westcott, interview by Captain Suzanne L. Summers and Sergeant William L. Miller, tape 

recording with transcript, 7 November 2001. 

xxiii
General Plewes noted, “On the front lines of this new war [on terrorism] from the very outset, 

Army Reservists went into action immediately.”27 

 The bulk of those mobilized in support of Operation NOBLE EAGLE were helping with 

the recovery from the attacks or engaged in the defense of our homeland. The missions 

undertaken by Army Reservists included: force protection and security at installations and 

facilities; intelligence and investigation support; training and training validation; headquarters 

augmentation; garrison support; and legal support; communications, postal and personnel 

support; engineer support; historical documentation; and logistics and transportation operations. 

The Army Reserve also sent units and soldiers in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, 

the military action intended to destroy the al Qaeda network centered in Afghanistan. About 

ninety units and 2,300 citizen-soldiers supported this phase of the war. These mobilized forces 

included public affairs, military intelligence, civil affairs, medical, and other combat support and 

combat service support specialties.28 

 Many Americans share the sentiments of President George W. Bush: “And so, on behalf 

of an entire nation, I want to say thanks to the men and women who wear our uniform, and 

thanks . . . for your sacrifices and your support of our great land.”29 In the pages that follow, 

some of these Army Reservists share their memories and experiences of 11 September, a day that 

changed not only their lives, but the lives of all Americans. 

 

27 Articles, “Statement on the September 11, 2001 Tragedy by the Chief, Army Reserve,” OCAR website, 12 

September 2001 and U.S. Army Reserve Press Release, “Attack on America – 30 Days Later,” OCAR website, 11 

October 2001, Statement by the Chief, Army Reserve. 

28 Lieutenant General Thomas J. Plewes, “9-11 Plus 90, Statement by the Chief, Army Reserve,” OCAR website.

29 Email, Lieutenant Colonel Randy Pullen to Captain Suzanne Summers, 23 January 2002, Remarks by the 

President at Reserve Officers Association Luncheon.

xxiv 
xxv
Lieutenant Colonel Isabelle Slifer 

2 
Chapter 1 

Lieutenant Colonel Isabelle Slifer, Active Guard Reserve Officer, 

Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel, HQDA 

 On the 11th of September, I actually started my sixth day with the DCSPER [Deputy 

Chief of Staff, Personnel] section. I went to work with any kind of apprehensions that any new 

person has, i.e., okay, what is my function, let me read the files that the person that I replaced left 

me. . . . I walked in the building. Again, nothing unusual. Security checks were given as they 

are. It was nothing like we're enduring now since the 11th of September. 

 [She talked to her husband who is the first to tell her about the World Trade Center. 

Then the office staff starts talking about the first plane to hit the World Trade Center, though one 

office report says it is a helicopter.] 

 By the time the majority of us got into [Brigadier General Harry B.] Axson's office to 

watch the television, we witnessed in actuality the second plane going into the Trade Center. As 

everybody would say, a surreal and almost movie-like production [existed]. It was one of those 

dazed situations. . . . The majority of us walked out of General Axson's office back into our 

cubicles, and I know for a fact that a couple of my colleagues were making phone calls home. 

And I started to, when I heard from a Lieutenant Colonel [Reginald] Jordan that the Crisis 

Action Team had stood up. Being new to the area and the duty position, I thought maybe I 

should hang around and find out what is needed. . . . That was probably around 9:36 [a.m.] when 

Lieutenant Colonel Jordan made this sort of announcement without alerting everybody, but the 

people that were in earshot. . . . Two minutes into this . . . spontaneous conversation about the 

Crisis Action Team, the building violently, violently -- and I can't say it, I can't emphasize it 

enough – shook. Almost as fast as you could snap your fingers, while it was shaking and at the 

same time Lieutenant Colonel Deborah Fix shouted, "Get down." The momentum of the sway of 

the building didn't throw you down. . . . [The] force of her body made us all get down. . . . The 

only way I can relate it to you is like a flash tube went out. Some people say there was a fireball. 

Coupled with that and even before the flash was this freight train sound. When I hear people 

report on . . . how a tornado sounds, well, I heard the freight train sound with a mammoth 

whoosh at the same time, that light sensation. And, of course, things were falling. Of course, 

that was the collapse of the ceiling. We were almost, I don't want to say on top of each other, but 

we were in close proximity to each other. I believe it was Sergeant Major [Tony] Rose who 

shouted from a near vicinity, "We have been hit. Move out. Move and move out now. I repeat, 

we've been hit. Move and move out now.”. . . We all began to low crawl. I'd say we low 

crawled maybe about forty feet. I sidebar that remark by saying that if anybody told me at my 

age that I could low crawl as fast as I did, with the combination of I'm sure the almighty God and 

my adrenalin and, of course, former military training [I would not have believed them]. 

3
When we got to the door that led us into the fourth corridor I remember looking to the 

right, i.e., looking down to E ring and seeing this avalanche of smoke coming towards us. It

wasn't black at that time. It was more of a golden brown. When I explained that to someone else 

later after the incident they said that's because the fire was still inside that smoke. I also want to 

say that when we got to the fourth corridor, there was a yellow haze, so my first thought was 

we'd been hit by a chemical missile. The same thing when we got to that double door or that 

door leading into the fourth corridor. We got up off our feet and we made a daisy chain. I 

remember grabbing onto [Master] Sergeant . . . [John] Frazier's belt buckle. . . . We were holding 

hands. Someone was holding my backside pants. It reminded me of when my two boys were 

small. I don't know who that person was, but it was comforting to have people near you. 

 We got up off our feet and we kept low with this daisy chain effect. Someone recognized 

the fact that we couldn't . . . get out of that corridor because the firewall or the fire doors had 

already closed. So someone in the front (I was only about three or four people -- no, actually 

two or three people from the front) led us into an office that was next door to us which got us out 

to the fifth corridor. Getting out to the fifth corridor, it was probably the most beautiful sight in 

the world, because at that time I realized . . . whatever had happened was now behind me. 

 The emotions that I had going through that experience -- you could have told me it 

happened in one second, you could have told me it went on for thirty minutes, which I know it 

didn't. I say that because time stood still. My emotions were not scared, not panicking, but I felt 

calm. I was with my fellow comrades. I mean by that, soldiers. I felt the buddy system was in 

place. I knew I was going to get out okay. That's why after we were told how many were 

actually missing, it just seemed, how could that be. It's not supposed to happen. At least it's not 

supposed to happen at the Pentagon. 

 Running out, which I believe was the fifth corridor, I remember looking at people. . . . 

They were carrying things out because I guess they were informed it was a bomb scare or it was 

a bomb. They were looking at us because we were shouting, "We're okay, we're okay." I think 

they were probably wondering why we are shouting. But at the same time, people had already 

gotten to the center court of the Pentagon and . . . they saw the smoke that was bellowing up 

from wedge 1, which was hit. So, I know there was confusion going on. We knew what 

happened. People in the courtyard didn't know exactly what happened but could see smoke 

rising. But the people leaving the building looking at us running toward them probably were in a 

very confused state of mind. 

 [Once outside, Lieutenant Colonel Slifer led a small group in prayer. She estimated that 

there were about 10,000 people in the courtyard.] 

 In just military training, we seemed to rally together, and we started to look out for each 

other. . . .“Have you seen so-and-so?” Names just start coming out. People would give yes 

answers, of course, if they had. And if you didn't, well, of course, you didn't answer. 

 [Police led the group out of the courtyard into the north parking lot because no one knew 

what would happen next. A SWAT team in the parking lot provided instructions. Once outside, 

4 
Lieutenant Colonel Slifer spotted a co-worker whose hair was singed and was a “bundle of 

nerves,” shaking frantically. Afraid the co-worker might go into shock she took her to a triage 

spot where she was diagnosed as being okay.] 

 There were . . . people telling us to please move from where we were . . . because it was 

told that another plane was missing from Dulles and may be the second plane into the Pentagon 

or second attack into the Pentagon. That was the word used. So, of course, having gone through 

it once, I didn't want to be part of another attack like that. We kept walking away. . . . As we 

were leaving, I believe that's when I heard . . . [what] turned out to be a fighter jet coming over 

the Pentagon. My feeling at that point was this has got to be a horrible movie. . . things that you 

sit through, the Schwarzenegger-type movie, action movie. . . . I don't even like them, let alone 

sit through it and let alone be part of one. 

 [At a nearby hotel, an Air Force doctor diagnosed Lieutenant Colonel Slifer’s co-worker 

with shock. The co-worker complained about the burned feeling on her hands. Lieutenant 

Colonel Slifer reiterated her belief that it could have been a chemical missile.] 

 I remember saying to the doctor, because I was feeling warm like many other people 

were, "Was this a chemical attack?" And he said, "No, it was a plane." And that's when I 

couldn't just put it all together. My mind was just accepting so much. 

 [She heard about the hijacked plane that crashed near Pittsburgh, her hometown.] I 

thought, "Now what?" I mean, this is really getting almost out of hand for my mind just to 

comprehend. 

 [The hotel staff let people take showers to cool down, which helped relieve the flash 

burns, many, including Lieutenant Colonel Slifer, had suffered. At that point, everyone was told 

to go home and that some Metro stations were open. The Pentagon station was closed. 

Lieutenant Colonel Slifer walked with six or seven others to Pentagon City, a shopping area 

across the street from the Pentagon.] 

 I have to emphasize the majority of us, at least the females who carried purses with 

wallets inside those purses and left them behind, had no money. . . . So, we had no money to ride 

the VRE [Virginia Railway Express]. When we got to the Pentagon City Metro station, I 

remember saying to one of the Metro officials, "We're in a circumstance here. We have no 

money." And he said, "Where do you want to go?" I said probably the best word I could think 

of, and that was, "Home." And he just was saying, "Then walk right through." We waited for 

the Metro. And again, it's a surreal experience, because here you are waiting for a Metro like 

you would any ordinary day . . . . 

 [She talked about her family being worried about her because they knew where she 

worked and how they feared she died. She received so many emails and calls from friends 

asking about her well-being, She was humbled and flattered. One call from a World War II vet, 

who fought at the Battle of the Bulge stood out. She told him that her experience paled 

compared to his.] 

5
“Well, Isabelle,” [he said,] “let me put it to you that everyday I went into battle, I 

expected to get hit. You went into your office area at the Pentagon never expecting what you 

went through, and there's the difference.” 

 [About two weeks after the incident, she was working the night shift at the Army 

Operations Center representing the Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel. She walked outside to view 

the damage for the first time.] 

 I just looked at the area and felt that I had been violated because somebody who has such 

a feeling, a fanatical feeling, felt that the only way to express those feelings was to kill people, 

innocent people. . . . Standing there, I just began to cry because of the emotions that I was 

thinking of, the feeling of guilt which I had right after the incident when I found out how many 

of my colleagues were missing and now determined killed, anger because why would anybody 

do this. It just doesn't make a common sense thing to do. That's saying it lightly. And then [I 

felt] a little bit of paranoia because who can you trust? . . . Standing in front of that building, all 

those rages came to -- or those emotions, rather, seemed to come to me and began to just fester 

and I cried like I hadn't cried since the death of my mother and father. . . . It came from the 

depths. In fact, a police officer, if I remember, came over to me and just put his arm around [me] 

and said, "You know, it's going to be okay. It really is going to be okay." I needed to hear that. 

It was the right time to hear that. I know it's going to be okay. 30

 

 

30 Lieutenant Colonel Isabelle Slifer, interview by Lieutenant Colonel Robert Rossow, tape recording with 

transcript, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel (hereafter cited as ODCSPER), 8 October 2001, 

Department of the Army Center of Military History (hereafter cited as DA-CMH). 

6 
7
Lieutenant Colonel Victor M. Correa 

8 
Chapter 2 

Lieutenant Colonel Victor M. Correa, Active Guard Reserve Officer, 

Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel, HQDA

 [Lieutenant Colonel Correa described how his day started out on 11 September. It began 

with him turning on the computer and reading through the email. His office area was an open 

bay with several work areas.] 

 [On the morning of 11 September, his co-worker, Major John Jessup, looked at him.] 

“You know sir, we are as vulnerable as the World Towers. If they wanted to they could hit us 

right now,” or something to those lines. He had not finished saying that when the airplane 

attacked the Pentagon. First thing that I recall is I got off the floor. I am assuming that I was not 

at the same area that I was when I stood up, so I am assuming that the collapse threw me. I can’t 

tell you if it was up in the air or if it was rolling. I was on the floor, and as I looked up I saw a 

ball of fire come over my head. This is happening within seconds. The windows that were in B 

ring, I saw them go out [from the pressure of the blast]. . . . I thank God that they invested I 

heard $21,000 in each window. So that was their job: not to shatter and spread debris and 

become projectiles. So it did work. The roof started coming down, some of it. . . . The fire 

alarm system goes off and it says "Fire has been detected in your area. Please evacuate." The 

water sprinklers started coming down. As soon as the ball of fire retreat[ed], a pall of smoke just 

dropped immediately. I can’t tell you if it was one second or half a second, but that was what I 

was able to capture in that short period. . . . 

 I was already on my feet and Mr. Moon [Song, a civilian budget analyst], who sat two 

cubicles away, was on the floor crawling, half-stunned or dazed. I picked him up and -- I say 

threw him or led him. He says I threw him to where John Jessup was, so he could show him the 

way out. A civilian lady came out half-dazed. So I took her and also led her to John. He 

pointed her to the right direction. Because of the smoke . . . you could not see. I started 

screaming. First of all, the folks that I saw around me I told them to “Get out, get out, get out!!” 

 [He then guided them to Room 2C450]. . . . The cloud had dropped very low, so I started 

screaming, “If you can hear my voice, listen to me, focus on my voice. Come towards me. 

There is a way out here. I can help you.” I started yelling as loud as I could because I could not 

go into the smoke, or I could, but I could not go far because it was so thick and you could hardly 

see anything in front of you. I don’t know how long I did that but -- a couple of seconds and 

more people started walking out of that area. At that time, I felt I had cleared the area of folks 

that could make it out. I ran toward the exit, and I looked to my right and there was a person that 

was badly burned, badly injured. So between four of us . . . we picked him up and carried him to 

the A ring and dropped him. [We] left him there because there was a group of paramedics there. 

9
 [After dropping the wounded off,] I looked and just saw a lot of smoke filling the A ring, 

going toward the A ring, and I noticed that the fire doors . . . [were] closed. I knew that there 

were still some folks out there. So the first fire door that I came to, which was on the A corridor 

. . . the A ring, I pushed it open. Then I went to our corridor and that fire door had closed. . . . So 

I went and I don’t know if I did it by myself. I don’t know if there were other folks with me. I 

am not sure. To this day, nobody has come and said that they helped me or anything. I just 

opened it and when I opened it more people started coming out. . . . They were coming from the 

DCSPER [Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel] office. . . . We were like bees. We knew there were 

folks that needed help so we started yelling some more. . . . 

 [He said that he did not believe that there were sprinklers on that hallway, corridor 2.] 

 We took our shirts off and soaked them in a water fountain that was nearby and put 

[them] around us to help us try to breathe and block some of the smoke away. Again, we started 

screaming and went as far as we could to help folks come out. . . . 

 [He followed another group who tried to help and ended up on the first floor toward the 

B ring. They wanted to enter E ring but could not because of fire and smoke and heat. He did 

not see fire, just smoke and heat. He wanted to enter a stairwell and come out on E ring behind 

the fire.] 

 We made the attempt and found ourselves on the floor and when we looked we saw some 

huge gaps in the walls. I think that was where the aircraft had gone through. 

 [He helped some people move a dumpster toward a window so those inside could climb 

down from the second floor to the dumpster and get out. Then, he followed the other group 

looking for ways to get in but could not. This was in an alley between the rings.] 

 When we looked through there [referring to some holes in the wall], we thought it was a 

series of explosions, that somebody had gotten in and laid different bombs [be]cause we saw the 

holes and all that. At that time, we did not know it was an airplane.... 

 [He went on to attempt another rescue.] At that time, they were telling us that we needed 

to evacuate because there was another second aircraft incoming. We were forcefully told to 

leave cause of the second aircraft. We knew there were some folks back there and we still 

wanted to attempt to get back there, but we just could not. . . . 

 [Lieutenant Colonel Correa went to the center courtyard and was again told to leave the 

area. He then went to the north parking lot.] 

 As I was walking, trying to find my section or folks that work with me, people were 

coming up to me and asking if I was okay, and I said “Sure, I am okay.” [After] about the third 

or fourth person I said, “Why do you ask?”. . .They said, “You got blood all over you.” And I 

said, “Blood, what do you mean?” When I looked there were blood stains with some other stuff 

on my shirt. What I . . . assumed happened was that the officer we helped carry . . . was badly 

burned and that some of it stayed on my uniform, the blood and all that. They were asking for 

volunteers and they were forming groups. They had already formed a group. Then I said, “I am 

not going to stay out here." I jumped in front of the line and made myself a member of the group 

10 
and just added my name to the list. We went into the Pentagon. . . . Our task initially was to go 

in and help folks. Then after awhile, the fire department could not control the fire. So we were 

kept on standby and then it changed to "Okay, we are going to convert you guys to probably 

recovery." 

 [Upon first noticing the cave-in in the afternoon, he saw that there was more damage 

than he had thought.] From the inside, you could not tell how much damage was done. . . . 

 [Lieutenant Colonel Correa remained at the Pentagon until the Third Infantry got there 

and relieved the volunteer litter teams. Then he went home.] 

The shower started up, and I was going through what happened that day and that was 

why I started crying. . . . 

 [Later, lying in bed, thinking about what happened during the day, he felt a sharp pain 

down his leg and started to limp.]. . . . In the initial blast when I was thrown, I landed wrong and 

then since my mind was focused on trying to help other folks and all of that the adrenaline rush 

kept that blocked until I got home. . . . 

 [Believing others needed medical treatment more urgently than he did, he did not go to a 

hospital for treatment. At around 10 or 11 p.m., he returned to the Pentagon.] 

 I knew they had all the help that they needed, but it was more trying to deal with it, 

because I really did not have time to think about what had happened with everything that had 

gone on. My focus was on how could I help?. . . Yeah, I knew there was a lot of damage, but I 

did not focus on the details of things. Could I have done more or could I have done something 

better? 

 [He wanted to go back to work and did. Superiors had said if people needed time off, 

they could have it.] . . . . For me, it was more personal. I was not going to let these terrorists 

think that they stopped us from functioning. . . . Even though they hit us hard, that was no reason 

for us to stop showing to work, to scare us away from what we love to do, from what we enjoy in 

life. I have been working since [except for] a couple days off here and there. . . . 

 [Lieutenant Colonel Correa was asked about lessons learned.] Your military training will 

always kick in naturally, because we train, we train, and we train until it is something that comes 

natural to us. 

 [Later, he met Lieutenant Colonel Phil Smith, one of those he rescued. He came up to 

him.] “Hey, I owe you my life.” I don’t remember . . . carrying him or dragging him or any 

thing like that. He said, “It was your voice. If it had not been [for] your voice, I would have 

probably made the wrong turn and landed into the fire. . . .” Now when he sees me it is not a 

handshake, it is a hug. . . . 31

 

31 Lieutenant Colonel Victor M. Correa, interview by Sergeant First Class Dennis Lapic, 7 November 2001, DACMH. 

11
12 

Lieutenant General Thomas J. Plewes 
Chapter 3 

Lieutenant General Thomas J. Plewes, Chief, Army Reserve 

INTERVIEWER: What we would like to do this afternoon, sir, is to ask you about your 

recollections of 11 September. 

PLEWES: I was in the building [the Pentagon]. Earlier that morning, I had a meeting with the 

deputy chief of staff for logistics of the Army in the immediate area of where the attack took 

place. I was there about 0800 and I returned to my office. 

 At the time of the attack, the first attack on the Trade Towers, I was in my office talking 

about a legal matter with the judge advocate of the Army. We turned on the television set and 

saw the horrific act there and the plane hitting, of course, the first tower, and then the attack 

came on the Pentagon. We were both in the office and we heard a concussion, but it was not 

very loud. The first notification we had of it was the screaming of the people in the hallways and 

telling us that there was an evacuation. So, we very quickly left the building. . . . I thought it was 

prescient. I left everything else here, but I grabbed my cell phone. I said, “Well, I am going to 

establish communication when I get out there.” I think that was all I grabbed, and we went out 

as we thought we could. 

 One thing that became very evident was that we had not practiced evacuations in the 

building. It was a very haphazard thing and, of course, evacuations are tough in real 

circumstances, in any regard. They were especially tough that day. There was no official 

notification to evacuate. We just knew we had to evacuate when people started yelling and 

screaming. We saw none of the injured. We were about three corridors away from the blast 

area, and so we just ran outside. We ran to the site. It just drew us as a magnet. 

 The word was, as we got out, that a helicopter hit the building. We thought it was a 

helicopter because that was the location of the helipad. . . . When we got to the site, it became 

obvious that something else had happened. There were bits and pieces of things that were 

clearly not a helicopter. I was not able to identify whether it was American Airlines or United or 

anything like that, but we knew that there was something much larger. 

 It was basic pandemonium out there. There were about four different things going at 

once. There was an attempt by many to rush to the scene to see what they could do. Same thing 

was going on in the inside of the building. We were outside. There was a “Let’s get organized. 

Let’s do this.” There was a small attempt by the protective police, the Department of Defense 

protective police, to establish a cordon, but the cordon was not very good. I remember a couple 

[of] acts of great heroism. I remember, for example, Brigadier General Fuzzy Webster, assistant 

DCSOPS[Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations], was one of those who organized a party. They 

13
ran into the fire, and they ran back out again because it was just too hot. They could not do 

anything. 

 The second part was to establish a kind of triage, a little aid station out there where 

people began to assemble over time. I remember Lieutenant Colonel Sean Kelly coming up to 

me and saying that, “We have some people there at the aid station.” We had a Staff Sergeant 

[Janice] Jackson who was there. 

 But by that time, I was trying to get up closer so I could go to the aid station. I was held 

back by the Department of Defense police who had at that point established, after the initial run 

in, . . . a cordon. Then a little organization started taking place at the sight. We started to see 

people with medical skills, some of our own people, [like] Colonel [Malcolm B.] Westcott . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Was it your sense that this was something that spontaneously organized? 

PLEWES: No, no, there were a lot of people: the local first responders, the fire department, and 

the EMTs [emergency medical technicians] [who] began to arrive. There began to come some 

order from this. I don’t think that there was any one person, but there was a semblance of 

becoming organized at that point. There were just various things. There was, I remember, a 

middle-aged elderly lady who was with a young child. She was clearly in shock, and . . . had to 

be taken care of. We moved her into the cordoned area. There were other examples like that. 

 Meanwhile, I was trying to figure out what was going on with the Army Reserve. I was 

trying to call out with my cell phone. It was impossible to establish any kind of communication 

whatsoever. I talked to some of the people in the press about what was going on. The word was 

that there was another plane in the air. That eventually was, of course, the plane in 

[Shanksville,] Pennsylvania. That plane was headed toward Washington, also. People knew 

about that. Then anybody who was not immediately involved in the rescue effort was asked to 

move farther away from the Pentagon. So, we retreated another couple hundred of yards and 

started to scatter a bit. I talked to various people [and] tried to re-establish what was happening, 

[but was] not able to do that. 

 Finally, after about an hour, I was able to establish contact by calling down to USARC 

[United States Army Reserve Command] headquarters and then having them relay messages 

back to OCAR [Office, Chief Army Reserve] and to figure out what was going on. . . . It was 

clear that things were beginning to be organized. I felt that what I had to do was try to figure out 

now what is happening with the Army Reserve. So, the new Deputy Assistant Secretary, Mr. 

Richard Whiston, who was with the Office of the Assistant Secretary Army for Manpower and 

Reserve Affairs, said, “Well, I have a home here in Rosslyn. Let us go and try to turn that into a 

little command post.”. . . We walked over to the subway, got on. The subway was still running 

at that point. [We] got on and went to Rosslyn. [We] went to his home and established a little 

communications zone there. 

14 
The first thing that was important for us was to figure out who from the Army Reserve 

was involved. It was hard. It was easier to do it in terms of the OCAR staff who were in Crystal 

City. It was hard doing it in terms of folks who were in the Pentagon. In fact, we really did not 

have a good view on the potential impact on the Army Reserve until maybe twenty-four hours 

when we tried to figure out are there any soldiers who are on special duty, ADSW [active duty 

for special work] duty, any reservists who were with other staff agencies, public affairs, the 

administrative agency, or, of course, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel Office. We really 

had a tough time doing that, but that was the first night. Who was there? What was the status of 

our people? That was our first concern. 

 The second is: okay, here is a reaction. Now we are going to have to get involved in 

this. What do they want from the Army Reserve? We were not sure whether or not the 

Department of the Army was capable of setting up an Emergency Operations Center because the 

lights were off in most of the building. There was smoke damage throughout . . . . 

 [Lieutenant General Plewes went home around 2130 or 2200.] By then we had turned 

full-time to figuring out who was where and double counting. We had huge gaps in our 

knowledge of who was there, but every hour we got closer to figuring it out. Then very early the 

next morning, about 0400, we were back on the site again and again trying to bring some order 

out of chaos and figure out what the damage was to our areas. 

 

INTERVIEWER: In the days immediately following the 11th, what guidance did you get or 

what discussions were you present for regarding how the Army Reserve might be called upon to 

serve? 

PLEWES: First of all there were a lot of actions going on that we were just trying to get our 

hands on. The major points of action, of course, were here at the Pentagon, first of all on an 

individual basis and secondly as we were trying to organize way ahead, and up in New York 

City. . . . 

 The 77th RSC [Regional Support Command], under [Brigadier] General [Richard] Colt, 

very quickly responded. We had recently provided that headquarters emergency center 

operations training. Emergency operations center training was designed primarily for following 

a mobilization-deployment kind of scenario. It had nothing to do with airplanes hitting the Trade 

Towers. But they had practiced it, and so within a couple of hours they were stood up and 

operating up there. The people were in full communication. They were responding to requests 

as the city was identifying what their requests were: cots, blankets, areas to work from. These 

decisions were made very, very quickly: opening our center in Edison, New Jersey, as an 

alternate FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency], which was not part of the plan; 

turning over some of our areas up there; establishing almost a medevac facility and then later a 

kind of overflow morgue facility at the hospital complex up there. So, all those things they were 

doing as they were trying to gain accountability, also. That was a major site happening. We 

15
16 

kept in constant contact with them. [It was basically], “What could we do for you?” Everything 

they did was under life and limb, and so we had no issues with what is the proper role and who is 

going to do what and so forth. Anything you want to do, that is fine. 

 Here in the Pentagon, there were a lot of questions. Who are going to be the guards? We 

had some military police units, locally. They selected a Maryland military police [unit] from the 

National Guard to come in here and control the Pentagon. We are not going to do that. What 

else do you need? It soon became obvious that what they needed was mortuary affairs and we 

quickly, working through Forces Command and our USARC folks, identified the 311th Mortuary 

Affairs Company. Within a day, we had given them an initial alert and within two days had 

eighty-five people ready to go and three days they had people working, even before the 

mobilization. There were operations like that going on and again we were trying to maintain 

Emergency Operations Center capability with a few of our folks here at the Pentagon. A lot of 

our folks were at Crystal City. The main effort [was] in organizing this down at USARC 

headquarters, which was unscathed. 

 So, we did that and then finally, the third activity we had going was diffuse around the 

country, and that was beginning to stand up a higher force protection as we went to threatcon 

[threat condition] Delta in some cases and Charlie. There was a need to quickly bring on 

reservists to protect ourselves, to protect our centers, to protect everything. So we quickly did 

that. We went into an unpracticed mode where we stood up threatcons we had never seen 

before. Those were the three major focuses of activity that consumed our first couple of days.32

 

32 Lieutenant General Thomas Plewes, interview by Captain Suzanne L. Summers and Sergeant William L. Miller, 

tape recording with transcript, 29 April 2002. 
17
Colonel Malcolm B. Westcott

18 
Chapter 4 

Colonel Malcolm B. Westcott, the Deputy Chief, Army Reserve 

INTERVIEWER: Sir, can you begin by telling us a little bit about how your day began on 11 

September? 

WESTCOTT: It was just a routine day. . . . The Pentagon is the Pentagon. 

INTERVIEWER: Your office is in the Pentagon? 

WESTCOTT: Yes, there was nothing of consequence, just a routine day . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: How did you first hear about the plane crash in the Pentagon? 

WESTCOTT: I didn’t hear about the plane crash in the Pentagon. . . . Some of the staff from 

next door in the JAG [Judge Advocate General] office came in and said there had been an 

accident at first in New York City. I turned on my television. I was in the process of watching 

one of the Twin Towers in flames. I thought it was interesting, that it had to be a large plane, 

and I wondered how it got that far off course. Then I saw the second plane hit, and I knew that 

we were not talking about something normal here. This was an actual attack. 

INTERVIEWER: Did you worry at that point about your safety? 

WESTCOTT: No, I think I’ve been a soldier for too long to worry about my personal safety. 

I’ve always believed that when it’s your time to go, you’re going to go. And I just put that out of 

my mind. I wasn’t even concerned that while we were at the Pentagon that we would be on the 

target list. It just didn’t register that someone would have the capability. . . . It was funny, but 

the building didn’t shake . . . but there was an effect of movement. People started running down 

the hall in the corridor where we are. It was different than normal. There was the look of panic, 

confusion, and dismay. People were yelling that this wasn’t a drill and, quite frankly, no one 

knew what we were talking about at this point. [Colonel] Bruce Kramme who is the executive 

officer in the [Office of the Chief, Army Reserve] decided to call the Army Operations Center. 

Only it wasn’t an operation center then. It was a peacetime command and control center for the 

Pentagon. He asked if anything happened and they said “No, nothing.” Then it got more 

stressful in terms of the people running by, so we started to evacuate. . . . We ended up in a place 

of the Pentagon I had never been to before. . . . At that time, I could smell jet fuel and I knew 

exactly what had happened. The boss [Chief, Army Reserve Lieutenant General Thomas J. 

19
Plewes] was safe . . . so I proceeded to walk around to the side of the Pentagon. I just kept 

making turns until I saw the hole in the wall. 

 

INTERVIEWER: What were your impressions at that first glance? 

WESTCOTT: It was a small hole. I expected much bigger. When I got on the scene, the fire 

had not erupted, at least not outwardly. Now that I think back, it had a shape of a plane. There 

was some notion of wings and pieces of the plane and debris were everywhere. You were 

walking on littered grass. There was a piece of the tail section that had a big “A” on it. At the 

time it didn’t register American Airlines, but now that I think back on it that was a piece of it, 

and lots of aluminum . . . very small pieces, nothing large, nothing bigger than a trash can. 

INTERVIEWER: Could you see any movement of passengers in the plane? 

WESTCOTT: No, the plane was already in the building. Then the fire erupted, and when that 

happened, things got a little hectic. It was incredible. . . . I was really looking for patients and 

casualties. My previous training was as a medic. I knew there would not be enough medical 

personnel. It was funny that a lot of the older people of my grade and experience all did the 

same thing. If they were a medic at any point in their career, they came to the crash site. We set 

up an impromptu medical treatment facility. I wouldn’t say a facility, I’d say point on the 

ground. As the fire was burning, people started to walk out on their own with injuries. A nurse, 

whose name I still don’t know, came from the Army clinic with an aid bag. That was all we had, 

and it didn’t have a lot in it for burn causalities. We saw about thirty people, twenty of those had 

burns, shock, and then some were severely wounded. I don’t know if they made it or not. . . . We 

stayed at our impromptu facility it seems about two or three hours. It seemed like a much shorter 

time because it was happening rather quickly. We stabilized and comforted the patients until the 

civilian ambulances showed up. . . . I remembered how to start an IV, which I hadn’t done in a 

long time. We mostly did patient triage. The seriously wounded and those in the greatest pain 

were evacuated first and everyone else later. While this was going on, the fire department from 

Reagan National Airport showed up with two yellow aviation fire trucks and started to put out 

most of the flames at the hole in the wall. At that point, the building collapsed and it made not a 

large sound, but it did grab your attention from whatever you were doing. At that point, I felt 

that anyone who was in there was really . . . well, there wasn’t going to be many more survivors, 

at least on my side of the building. Then the FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] showed up 

along with the firefighters. They told us that there was a second plane coming and that we had to 

move to the other side of the road. 

INTERVIEWER: Were they referring to the plane that crashed outside of Pittsburgh? 

20 
WESTCOTT: Yes. They said the second plane was inbound and that it was sixty miles away, 

and we had about twelve minutes before impact. So we moved our patients and all the people 

that were around the overpass. We set up another patient treatment site. The second plane did 

not materialize. We did that back and forth thing several times and after that, it finally crashed. 

There was an all-clear sign. I remember seeing an Air Force F16 fly over and feeling great relief 

that the good guys were finally on the scene. . . . 

 We set up stations that were very well stocked. During this time more and more help was 

coming all the time. The Arlington Fire Department showed up in great numbers, the Red Cross, 

and lots of military volunteers, which I find funny in that you think of the military or the 

Pentagon as a military reservation or a military installation. The FBI personnel were telling us 

we were not to collect military volunteers and press them to serve. All of us got a kick out of 

that. I was a military volunteer at that point. There were about maybe 125 soldiers, sailors, Air 

Force, Marines, and [Department of the Army] civilians, and other civilians of other services 

who would be volunteers for evacuations. That lasted from 11:00 [a.m.] to early afternoon . . . . 

We did that up until about 1400 hours, and then at that point the Old Guard came. They started 

to take over from the military volunteers. We were dismissed about 1730 hours. . . . 

 The fire that I described was overwhelming in terms of intensity and heat. There were 

cars that were on fire. Their gas tanks were exploding. The area was full of concrete from both 

the rubble and the explosion. The sheer magnitude of the size of the fire, the hole in the wall was 

very small, but it destroyed a whole section of the Pentagon. The fire literally burned out of 

control for several hours before the jet fuel, in my opinion, burned out and the fire finally 

stopped. There was, I found out later, 1,000 [10,000 approximately] gallons of jet fuel in the 

Pentagon. So it was a pretty horrific sight. 

INTERVIEWER: Did you all on the ground hear any of the discussion about potential casualty 

figures? 

WESTCOTT: It was an Army wing, so the Army people knew. . . . Sometimes you’re in the 

right place at exactly the right time. It was a new section of the Pentagon. It had just been 

remodeled. The walls had been reinforced, the windows were shatterproof, and all the sprinkler 

systems were brand new. No one was in it. They were in the process of moving offices from 

other parts of the Pentagon and other parts of the National Capital back in. So I had it in my 

mind that there could not have been more than 300 people in there, give or take. And that is 

what happened. I believe the official casualty count was about 188 or 189. We were just lucky 

they hit the wrong side of the building. It’s still a very tragic and significant loss of life, but not 

as bad as it could have been. Had they turned the corner and hit the other side the numbers 

would have been in the thousands . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: What was it like going back to work? 

21
22 

WESTCOTT: There were two things that bothered me. First, the personal losses were terrible. 

[Lieutenant Colonel] David Scales had worked for me for years off and on, so I knew him 

personally and I knew he was missing. The DSCPER [Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel] of the 

Army [Lieutenant General Timothy J. Maude] was also a personal friend. . . . You didn’t know 

who was where the first day. I was listed as missing from OCAR because we stayed there and 

they couldn’t verify by personal contact that I was okay. It really doesn’t bother you when you 

are doing something. It bothers you when you think about it. I think mentally most soldiers are 

prepared for this. Your whole career you are preparing for it and you’ve seen this kind of thing 

before. What was different in this is that it happened on our soil, in Washington, at the 

Pentagon. The immensity of that doesn’t sink in for several days. . . . I think the second thing is 

that not six months before, our offices, the OCAR staff, had been in corridors 3 and 4 right 

behind the helipad. Had we not just moved to JP II [Jefferson Plaza II in Crystal City], all of 

OCAR, some 200 people, would have been casualties. When I look at the building, my old 

office was exactly where the plane impacted. It’s just amazing. That’s a very sobering thought. 

To be three corridors away and walk away without a scratch. It just wasn’t my time to go. But 

in the back of your mind you realize it could have been me. . . . Freedom is not free . . . . 33

 

33 Colonel Malcolm B. Westcott, interview by Captain Suzanne L. Summers and Sergeant William L. Miller, tape 

recording with transcript, 7 November 2001. 
23
Command Sergeant Major Alex R. Lackey 

24 
Chapter 5 

Command Sergeant Major Alex R. Lackey 

Command Sergeant Major of the Army Reserve 

INTERVIEWER: Can you tell us how your day started on 11 September? 

LACKEY: I was in the office about 7:00 in the morning. I was . . . re-doing the email from 

previous trips . . . . My assistant came in, . . . Sergeant First Class Paul Mantha, and he said, . . . 

“You need to turn on the TV. There has been a plane that has hit the World Trade Center.” I 

turned the TV on, and as I was watching the TV, a second plane came in and hit the World Trade 

Center. I was seeing flashes of the previous one, but when I saw the second one, I knew as well 

as everyone else that we were under attack. At that time, just a few minutes later, because of the 

delayed time between the TV and the time here, we started hearing some noise down the 

hallway. There was an explosion. I personally did not think about it because . . . we have been 

under renovation for years. . . . I was oblivious to the explosion . . . thinking that it was part of 

the remodeling. 

INTERVIEWER: As you were watching the TV and you saw the second plane hit the World 

Trade Center, did it ever occur to you that the Pentagon might be subject to that sort of attack? 

LACKEY: As soon as it hit, I knew we were under attack. I really did not think of it that 

moment, but as soon as I observed that . . . within minutes there were people coming down the 

hallway, and they were yelling, “Everybody get out of the building.” At that time I thought . . . 

there were no alarms or anything that went off, so I just figured they were evacuating the 

building in the event of a problem. But as soon as we got to the door, I could see the fear in 

these people’s faces. . . . If you look at the distance, we are about a . . . football field and a half 

away from where the nose of the aircraft landed. . . . As I saw these people coming out and the 

smoke started coming this direction, I knew there was something wrong. We started going out of 

the building. We cleared the office. . . . At the time I got upstairs and walked out the door, the 

mall entrance, that was when I knew. I could see the smoke. I knew that we had been attacked, 

but nothing until then. I did not know what was going on. . . . 

INTERVIEWER: When you made it outside, what was the scene that you came upon? 

LACKEY: Everybody was evacuating the building. . . . We went directly around the side of the 

building. . . . I turned with Sergeant First Class Mantha and we went toward the fire. 

 

25
INTERVIEWER: What was the scene there? Describe that for us. What did you see? 

LACKEY: First of all, there were police officers there that did not want to let us go into the 

area, but we did not allow that to stop us....[A policeman said,] “You need to stay away.” 

“Well,” I said, “people are going to need help . . . we got to get in there.” We got up within a 

couple of feet of the building and had a couple of other people joining us. . . . People from 

corridor 1 were taking survivors out. As we were going into a door there was a car. It was some 

kind of a Nissan 300ZX or something that the guy at the helipad parks his car there everyday. It 

had a secondary explosion on it and there was also a secondary explosion within the building. 

We were waiting . . . and when that exploded, we backed up a little bit, and then we were going 

back in. At that time, the aircraft [the fourth one] was headed this direction and there were some 

security people that said, “You have to move across the street . . . .” 

INTERVIEWER: What were you thinking when you saw the Pentagon the first time? What 

was going through your mind? 

LACKEY: I was worried because I knew where it was and I knew who was there. I knew I had 

friends there and I had Army Reservists there. I was concerned for the safety of the soldiers and 

the civilians and my friends and getting there to do whatever I could to help out. 

INTERVIEWER: My understanding is that the wing that was hit housed quite a number of 

AGR [Active Guard Reserve] soldiers. Is that correct? 

LACKEY: We had about . . . maybe five or six AGRs out in the DCSPER section. Lieutenant 

Colonel [David] Scales died in that attack. Also, one of our Army Reservists, Sergeant Janice 

Jackson, who is a TPU [troop program unit] member, was there as a contractor and was severely 

burned in the building. . . . She is home and out of the hospital. I have not been in contact with 

her since she went home, but I know she was awarded the [Distinguished Civilian Service Medal 

for Bravery] as a civilian. . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Aside from seeing people coming out, streaming out, what was the scene 

like? Were there medical personnel on the scene fairly quickly? 

LACKEY: When we got there, there were not a lot of medical, just the people pulling people 

out of the building and helping treat for first-aid and shock. As we got around there and as the 

scene progressed, yes, there were immediately people on the scene from DiLorenzo [Medical] 

Clinic [which is housed in the Pentagon]. They were very responsive . . . . 

26 
27

INTERVIEWER: What do you think the impact of 11 September for the long run will be for 

Army Reservists? 

LACKEY: I think that it is not business as usual in several aspects. Number one, we did not 

sign up to be full-time soldiers . . . but we did sign up to be there when we are needed. I think 

we are needed now . . . . 34

 

34 Command Sergeant Major Alex R. Lackey, interview by Captain Suzanne Summers and Sergeant William Miller, 

tape recording with transcript, 8 November 2001 and Article, “Answering the Call – Individual Accounts, LackeyMantha Team,” OCAR website, 20 September 2001. 
28 

Sergeant Janice Ann Jackson 
Chapter 6 

Sergeant Janice Ann Jackson, Civilian Contractor/Army Reservist 

JACKSON: My office was Information Management, which was [Room] 1D520. 

INTERVIEWER: Where were you located in relation to the attack? 

JACKSON: I was located in the D ring. Where the attack took place was in the E ring, which 

was less than 100 feet away from where the incident actually took place . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Did you have any indication of an impending attack upon the Pentagon? 

JACKSON: No. 

INTERVIEWER: Please describe what happened upon the impact of the aircraft. 

JACKSON: We were sitting at our desks and we were . . . looking at the computer. We were 

looking at the stuff that was on the Internet in reference to the attack in New York. I'd say less 

than five minutes after that [there] was this loud explosion. It happened so quickly. The only 

thing that we actually saw was fire. . . . It's like a fireball that just . . . came through. It just threw 

us all over the place. . . . All I knew was that some heat was over my head. I didn't realize that 

my hair was on fire until a co-worker of mine, whose name is Stuart Fluke, said, "J.J., . . . your 

hair is on fire." So he took off his shirt, and he put the fire out on my hair. My hands had 

already got burned from the flames just coming that way. . . .Wherever we ended up at, there was 

a baby, and they were pulling the baby out. I was trying to get across the rubble . . . and stuff in 

there. As I was going out, I said to one of my coworkers . . . "I can't hardly breathe." He was 

saying that he couldn't hardly breathe either because the smoke was so thick. It was really, 

really, really thick. It . . . was really kind of hard to breathe. 

 We managed to walk out. . . . It was looking like there wasn't any way out of there. But 

what we noticed is there was a . . . large hole . . . in the far right corner. . . Some of our 

coworkers there [said] . . . "Come this way. Come this way." So we managed to cross some of 

that debris and to climb over that way. . . . As I [was] walking out, there was a coworker of mine, 

Racquel Kelly. . . . I guess she spotted me, because she was down low. . . . She was stuck up 

under all that debris and all that rubble and stuff. It was stacked up on top of her. She was 

saying, "J.J., please help me." And so what I did was I pulled her out. I managed to pull her out, 

because it was really stacked up on her and it was really heavy. Once I pulled her out, she was 

able to walk some on her own. We had to climb up all this other debris [to] . . . where the hole 

29
was in the wall. We had to actually climb up a lot of stuff in order . . . to get out of there. But 

we managed to get out. It was really stacked up really high. 

INTERVIEWER: Did that put you on the roof of the building or just into another section? 

JACKSON: It was right where the actual impact took place . . . where the helicopter was. . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Now you said you were blown down the hall. Did the force of the blast 

blow you there? 

JACKSON: Yes, it just threw us all over . . . . It threw us . . . further down into another ring. 

There was no way that we were still in our office, because in our office were computers, 

computer systems, PCUs. . . . You couldn't see that. There was nothing there anymore. The only 

thing you could see was debris. . . . I think the second floor caved in because I know something 

fell on my back. So, that's how I got the burns on my back . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Do you have any idea how long it took you from the time of impact until 

you got out of the building? 

JACKSON: Well, to me, it seemed like it was . . . more than twenty minutes, but I know for a 

fact it had to have been less than five minutes. 

INTERVIEWER: Once you got out of the building, what happened next? 

JACKSON: Well, when I . . . got out of the building, I was pretty blown away. I was 

hysterical. . . . I was kind of out of control because my hands felt like they were still on fire here. 

My whole body felt like it was still on fire. So, I was doing a lot of crying. . . . They guided us 

out to the edge . . . of the grass because everybody was coming. . . . So they had us lay down, and 

they were pouring some cold water on it to cool it off, because it was just that bad. . . . I'd say we 

had to wait there for about twenty minutes because the traffic was so bad. It was all backed up, 

and the ambulances were trying to get in. So it took awhile for the ambulances to get in. So 

what they did was they tried to pick out . . . the victims that were the most . . . wounded. . . . I 

know we waited for about twenty minutes. And in between that, they came over and tried to 

console us. The chaplain came over and talked to us, read verses out of the Bible . . . to keep us 

in high spirits, because it was -- it was just horrifying. 

INTERVIEWER: Once you were put in the ambulance, where did you go? Where did they 

take you? 

30 
JACKSON: To the Arlington Hospital. [She talked of her hospital treatment.] I was in the 

emergency room briefly, but . . . because I had smoke . . . they had to send me to the ICU 

[intensive care unit]. They gave me that . . . ventilator . . . to clear out my lungs. . . . They gave 

me two treatments of that because I think I had a lot of smoke at the time. I think I stayed in the 

ICU for about three days. I think I stayed in there until Thursday. 

 [On Friday, 14 September, she was transferred to Walter Reed Hospital.]

 When it . . . [the plane crash] first happened, I actually didn't believe it. Actually, the 

honest truth, I thought I was dreaming it. So it took a few minutes for it to actually set in and I 

actually felt my legs moving. That's when I actually felt that it was really happening. What 

came across my mind . . . (because I'm also in the military, I'm in the Army Reserve) . . . were 

two things. One, I know I had two kids and I was going to get out. And the other thing that 

crossed my mind is the military always taught us never give up. So those were the two things 

that strengthened me to get out of there. 

INTERVIEWER: You are in the Army Reserve? 

JACKSON: Yeah. [She is an E-5 (sergeant) in the 55th Maintenance and Materials Center 

located on Fort Belvoir where she works in supply and automation.] 

INTERVIEWER: Did anything else come out of all your training that you think helped you? 

JACKSON: Yeah, I think the overall training . . . of how they . . . instilled in us . . . how to 

fight and not to give up. I think all that leadership training . . . kicked in. . . . It made me want to 

fight. I said, "I'm not going to die in here. I'm getting out of here." That's what I said. 

INTERVIEWER: Do you remember any sounds from the impact of the plane? 

JACKSON: That was the first thing. It sounded like a bomb. I thought it was a bomb, because, 

I guess, maybe it was because the impact was so close and . . . it hit so fast. It's like you didn't 

know what hit you. When it hit, it just threw us. It just threw us all over the room. And right 

after that, at first, it was fire. Then, after that it was a big thick patch of smoke. That's all you 

saw was smoke, and everything you touched was . . . like fire. Everything you touched, and stuff 

was falling all over me. It was really, really, really, really terrible. . . . There were seven of us. 

From what I know one of the guys didn't make it that was in the office. . . . He was nowhere to 

be found. 

 [She discussed her efforts to pull a co-worker out of the building.]....Well, the only thing 

I thought was striking is that I was able, as a soldier, . . . to pull her out and to help her. 

INTERVIEWER: You went into military mode? 

31
JACKSON: Yeah, I went into military mode, because she weighs way more than I do....But I 

was able. . . even though my hands were all burned up, badly burned, . . . to pull her out. 

INTERVIEWER: What about the pain? Were you numb? 

 

JACKSON: I didn't feel the pain . . . especially because she was crying for my help. There was 

no way I would have left her there. There's no way. 

INTERVIEWER: How long did it take before the pain hit you? 

JACKSON: It was like, all before, I was . . . numb or something. I guess it really. . . hadn't hit 

me yet. But once I stepped . . . through that hole, that's when it hit me. Everything just hit . . . .35

 

35 Janice A. Jackson, interview by Frank Shirer and Beau Whittington, 19 September 2001, DA-CMH. 

32 
33
34 

Lieutenant Colonel Sean Kelly 
Chapter 7 

Lieutenant Colonel Sean Kelly, Active Guard Reserve Officer, 

Quadrennial Defense Review Office, HQDA 

 [In September 2001, Lieutenant Colonel Kelly was finishing the Quadrennial Report that 

was due 11 September. He described the morning of 11 September.] 

 I finally sat down at my computer when I got knocked down on the floor. I felt . . . I got 

moved about ten feet to the right along with all my office furniture, got knocked into a wall. I 

heard a big loud noise. It . . . sounded like a noise coming from a long way away. It was very, 

very loud. At the same time the lights went out. . . .There was a lot of dust in the air. 

 I heard a lot of noise. But the first thing I heard was people talking to each other, “Hey, 

who needs help?” I heard that about fifteen to twenty times. “Does anybody need help?” I 

heard a couple of people say, “Yeah, I am buried under a desk. I can’t get out.” Then, I heard a 

lot of “Hang on, I am coming to you.” I picked myself up off the ground and the first thing I 

thought to myself was “Great, I don’t have to do this briefing. There is no light.” That is exactly 

what I thought. I don’t have to worry about this briefing today. And then I stumbled over to 

where Colonel [Mark W.] Perrin was, the deputy director [of the Army Quadrennial Defense 

Review (QDR) Office, where Lieutenant Colonel Kelly was assigned]. [Brigadier] General 

Hartsell, the director, was on leave. 

 Colonel Perrin was the senior man. . . . The first thing I did, and I was still pretty 

shocked, I started counting off on my fingers who I had seen and who I knew was out of the 

building. The soldier’s first thought is accountability. Take care of people. I told him that 

Major Shelley Wells was out of the building, had not shown up to work yet. I told him that 

Lieutenant Colonel Harlan Cashdollar [an Active Guard Reserve officer serving as Chief of the 

QDR Operations Team #1] had left the building to go run an errand. I told him that I had not 

seen [Lieutenant Colonel (Retired)] Tim Muchmore [a consultant from James Benevuto & 

Associates, Inc.], and I had not seen [Lieutenant Colonel Ralph] “Rocky” Ebener [chief of the 

Quadrennial Defense Review Operations Team #2]. And he said, “I know where Tim is, and I 

have not seen Rocky.” He started yelling out Rocky’s name, and Rocky replied, so he was okay. 

We got accountability. We yelled out the names of the people we had not seen so we knew who 

was where and that was when Major Rob Waring [Quadrennial Defense Review operations 

officer] yelled, “Hey, follow the sound of my voice. I . . . found a way out.” I guess he was 

outside of . . . the room because our exits were blocked. That’s the main entrance to 1Delta536. 

He found a way for us to get out and we started pushing. 

 People started moving out. [Captain Darrell] “Dee” Oliver [Quadrennial Defense Review 

operations officer] walked by me with Desiree [Duckett, the secretary]. He basically had picked 

her up. A little bit later he had gotten Theo, the janitor. . . . She was very hysterical. He 

basically carried her up. There was a wall that was at about a 45-degree angle. That was kind of 

35
an obstacle for us. So, I started seeing people moving out, kind of helping people go. I . . . 

positioned myself on . . . our side of the wall, so I was kind of pushing people up over the wall. 

 The next thing I know is Colonel Perrin told me to move out. I guess we were the last 

ones there. So I went over the wall. Then Colonel Perrin went over the wall. Then we found 

our way out. The one thing I remember was that there was a Defense Protective Service police 

officer, right here. When we got out into the corridor, number 5, he was waving at us telling us, 

“This is the way. Go out this way,” . . . right, into the fifth corridor, . . . . So we got out and went 

out to the air and we saw little pieces of metal all over the ground. The fire trucks started to 

respond. 

 One of the contractors, Lee Newman, who was a newly commissioned second lieutenant, 

military intelligence officer, Army Reservist, had said to me, “You gotta help Danny,” meaning 

Danny Jamison. He is another one of the contractors for SAIC [Science Applied International 

Corporation] “He needs medical attention and he won’t . . . he refuses to get it.” So I went over 

to Danny and put my arm around him and said, “Okay, Danny, we’re going,” and walked him 

over to the nearest ambulance, which was probably about 100 meters away. . . . He was 

conscious, he was standing, but he was very much in shock. He was talking to me. He wasn’t 

making sense. He wasn’t saying things. I got him over to where the ambulance was and I guess 

they took care of him. 

 [Lieutenant Colonel Kelly then went back to the Pentagon. Wondering what to do next, 

he reported in to Colonel Perrin and heard requests for people to hold intravenous bags and to 

work as litter bearers. He volunteered to be part of a litter squad.] 

 After we got outside of the Pentagon, we got dispersed. What happened was I hung 

around for about an hour or so, maybe half an hour, forty-five minutes. Then, they started with, 

“There is an airplane in the air, you know. Run away from the Pentagon.” 

 [He then told Colonel Perrin that he would go to his nearby home and call families on 

the alert roster to let them know it was okay. This was forty-five minutes to an hour after the 

attack. The availability of telephone service was spotty, but he managed to reach most of the 

names on the alert roster either by telephone or email. By Thursday, 14 September, the office 

had set up in temporary space. Everyone was back to work by Friday the 15th. He was asked 

about the difficulty of setting up again because much of their work was lost.] 

 I would say that the military people, their training gives them a lot of flexibility. So it 

was not like they were grumpy. It was like, “Okay, let’s get back to work. We got this job we 

need to get done and the fact that we don’t have our coffee mugs or we don’t have our pictures 

on the wall does not really mean much. We still got the information we need and we can still 

accomplish our mission. . . . ” 

 [He was asked about other people’s reactions.] During the event, I saw a lot of calm 

people. I saw a lot of people just taking care of business. I think we were all surprised. I think 

we were all shocked. . . . Everybody . . . seemed to be very, very matter of fact, very quick to 

36 
react and not to let it bother them . . . I think that we did a good job of taking care of each other 

and getting each other out. . . . 

 [He was asked about his reaction to seeing the damage to the outside of the Pentagon] I 

did not see the size of the hole because there was a lot of smoke and flames . . . . Somebody told 

me that it took seven minutes from the time the aircraft hit to the time that the flames, the fuel 

started igniting it. I think that we got out in about five minutes. . . . When I found out it was a 

767 [actually it was a Boeing 757], I was absolutely stunned because the pieces of the airplane 

were so small. I thought it was a small airplane. I did not realize how deep it had penetrated. 

 I was very impressed with the soldiers in the office. They reacted quickly. They oriented 

themselves, and . . . we kind of came together for a common purpose, which was to get each 

other to help each other get out of the office. To me that was a tremendously satisfying, 

rewarding thing to see fellow soldiers operate like that. No one was trying to beat each other out 

of the door. Everybody was kind of like “Let me help you out. Let me help you out. You first.” 

It was rewarding, satisfying . . . . 36

 

36 Lieutenant Colonel Sean Kelly, interview by Corporal Robert Shellenberger, tape recording, 1 November 2001, 

DA-CMH. 

37
38 

Major General Karol A. Kennedy
Chapter 8 

Major General Karol A. Kennedy,

Commander, 99th Regional Support Command 

KENNEDY: On 11 September, I was not a civilian. I was on military duty in uniform serving 

as a member of the Army Reserve Forces Policy Committee, which is the reason I was in the 

Pentagon . . . . Every quarter for three days the Army Reserve Forces Policy Committee meets. 

We meet physically in the Pentagon because we have access to Army and DOD [Department of 

Defense] leaders, both civilian and military. We address issues, policy issues, operational issues 

that affect the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard, and we advise and consult with 

Army and DOD staff and then we brief recommendations and concerns to the secretary of the 

Army and/or his representative and the vice-chief of staff of the Army . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Where were you physically meeting in the Pentagon on that day? 

KENNEDY: We were meeting in 6E632, I believe. It is one of those cipher-locked meeting 

rooms along that corridor in that hallway. 

INTERVIEWER: How did your day begin? 

KENNEDY: Normally. We usually convene at the hotel where most of the members who do 

not live in the city stay, which is right next door here [Jefferson Plaza II], the Crowne Plaza. 

Then we are transported over to the building and then go to our respective meeting rooms, which 

is the scenario we were following that morning. 

INTERVIEWER: Were you aware of any of the events that happened that morning, 

specifically, either of the attacks on the World Trade Center? 

KENNEDY: Are we talking at 8 o'clock? 

INTERVIEWER: We’re talking about as the morning goes along. Were you aware of any of 

the attacks on the World Trade Center? 

KENNEDY: Oh, absolutely, absolutely. I was sitting in the meeting. I sort of joked about this. 

It was kind of long. Even at that point, I was a little distracted. I have a little pager with a 

keyboard on it, and I sent my husband a message and said, “How's your morning going?” He 

responded almost immediately and he said, "Fine. Things pretty normal." Then he said, "News 

flash. Have you heard . . . ," and he indicated that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. 

39
Almost simultaneously, our committee chair, Major General John Kane, was called out of the 

room. We had no idea why. Again, it was almost coincidental when as he came back in to tell 

us what happened, which is why he was called out of the room, my husband’s message was "Oh, 

my gosh! Another plane has hit the other tower." Our committee chair was informing us of that. 

So I was responding to that message saying, "Oh, how terrible! Could this be an accident?" It 

didn't seem possible. 

 As all of that was going on and time gets a little mixed up, we had resumed our meeting. 

Then we felt the concussion. We just looked at one another. There was a briefer on the platform 

at the time. It seemed that within seconds the NCO [noncommissioned officer] who basically 

runs and manages that conference room came in. He had thrown his backpack over his shoulder 

and said, "We’ve got to get out of here." Really, that was all we knew. 

 As we began to exit the building, as soon as you got out in the hallway, there were 

already security guards trying to channel people [in] a particular direction. Things were fairly 

unclear. There were sounds coming over the speakers that we couldn't understand. People were 

trying to stand under the speakers to try to figure out the garbled instructions that were being 

given. It appeared to me that the best course of action was to follow the directions the security 

guards were saying to go. Everyone was fairly calm but moving quickly. The guards were 

preventing people from heading down the hallway, which would have been the significantly 

impacted corridor, which was only a corridor away. You could already smell something acrid. 

We didn't know what that was either. 

 I still had this little pager in my hand. For some unknown reason I couldn't figure out, I 

had my cup of coffee in my hand that I had just purchased and I had slung my briefcase over my 

shoulder. It turned out to be a good thing because . . . there were a lot of people in the street later 

with no money and no Metro tickets. No phones. No pagers. Nothing. So we were able to help 

one another as the morning ensued. As I was crossing the parking lot, my pager beeped and my 

husband’s message read: "We just heard that a plane hit the Pentagon. Are you okay?" I tried to 

respond to that. 

 Of course, I'm sure you have heard from so many people that pagers weren't working 

initially. Phones weren't working. My aide also had heard and she pages me constantly. She is 

probably the greatest user of that aid. That's Lieutenant Julie Stolzer. She said, "Ma'am, what a 

terrible thing," referring to the Twin Towers, then "we heard that a plane just hit the Pentagon. 

Are you okay?” There were several messages that came in like that. I tried to respond and I 

thought I was responding but found out later that they weren't getting a response. 

 As we were exiting the building, trying to find which may be the best corridor to go, that 

really wasn't clear, I looked out on what we used to call ground zero. We probably won't say that 

anymore, but the center courtyard of the Pentagon. We could see billowing smoke, but at that 

time it really wasn't on the inside of ground zero, the courtyard. It was billowing up from the 

side of the building where the plane had impacted. I thought about going into that area, but then 

reconsidered. Even though it was outside and it was the closest way to be outside, I thought that 

40 
being trapped in that area might not be a good idea since we still didn't know what it was or if 

whatever had occurred had ended. So I kept going down the corridor, which led us out to the 

main concourse, which was where the Metro exits and escalators were. 

 I thought, and I actually did go through this thought process, that [being] a person in 

uniform and a general officer, I thought the best thing that I could do was follow instructions. If 

I decided to go a direction that the security guards and uniform personnel were not directing us, 

that would set a bad precedence, a bad example. People might follow me, which would have 

been a mistake, because I had no better idea than anyone where to go. But if I stayed calm, 

followed directions, and kept walking in the direction that we were being guided, then, 

technically probably more people would get out of the building that way. If we all began to 

panic and second-guess our instructions, that could lead to some real problems. That exit 

seemed to me very orderly, although the instructions weren't clear. As I would see people 

lagging or looking a little concerned, I would say, "Come on, let's go. Let's follow the 

instructions and we will get out of the building." The guards kept saying, "Everyone will get out. 

Everyone will get out. Don't run. Don't panic. Just keep moving quickly." Eventually, many of 

us just flooded out the Metro exits up the escalators and out across the parking lot. People were 

just trying to gain distance from the building. That pretty much was what folks were being 

encouraged to do because I think anyone involved in the evacuation, just as us, had no idea if 

that was the end of it or something else was going to happen. There seemed to be an aftermath 

explosion, which I heard as conjecture later were the gas tanks at the helipad. . . . None of us 

really knew what had caused the shudder, the impact, and the evacuation. 

 So, we all went across the street to the Marriott Residence Inn. They had opened their 

doors. People were in there, I encountered both on the street and in the hotel, people I knew in 

various stages of states of shock and disbelief, some with flash burns, some with blood on their 

clothes. You stop and talk to them. At least the ones I spoke to were not seriously injured. 

Some of the blood they had on their uniforms was, of course, from others and was not their 

[blood]. . . . There were people who had encountered someone who was injured or in some cases 

were cut by something. And there were some who had hasty first aid going on, because at that 

point where we were, there were no first aid folks at all. 

 The hotel opened their doors. They brought out . . . bottles of cold water for everyone. 

They opened all their meeting rooms that had televisions in them. People began to go in those 

rooms to watch the televisions because we didn't know what happened. 

 I had my little pager out at that time because I was still trying to communicate with my 

husband whose message by that time were in all caps: "'TELL ME HOW YOU ARE!" People 

were beginning to try to use cell phones, but they weren't working. When people saw me at a 

table trying to use the pager, they asked me if I was getting through and I said, "I don't know if I 

am or not, but do you need to get a message sent?" I don't really recall in the course of hours or 

so how many messages I sent, but I know I sent one to West Point and another to Egypt and 

several to people's families here in the immediate area. Some of those messages, I learned later, 

41
got out hours, days, weeks later. Many of them finally got out. They were just "I'm okay talk to 

you later, love Mom" and that sort of thing. I know the one got to Egypt. I was told later that 

one got there within hours. Several got to folks in the area. Sometimes that was a real eerie 

feeling because they would get there hours and days later when they had finally had contact. It 

was very jolting to get that message. I had those messages on my pager for quite awhile and 

accidentally I erased them, most of them. I was able to get people to reproduce a couple of them 

for me. My husband re-sent his message, and my aide re-sent her message. But I can almost 

remember them. I read them over and over and over again the next few hours and days. When I 

realized some of them hadn't gone out because there was a symbol that tells you that, I re-sent 

them. I would just re-send them and re-send them until finally I got a signal that they went 

through. It was part of the unfinished business of the day. 

 At one point in the hotel, I said, "Darn, I think my batteries are going out." It is starting 

not to respond. Someone came from behind me. I didn't even know if she heard me or not. She 

was in a white cook’s outfit. She came from the kitchen. She had a package of batteries, and she 

held them over my shoulder. I turned and looked at her and said, "Thank you." I said I would 

pay her for these, but she said "No, no." She was Hispanic and said it was not necessary. But 

these were the kind of things that happened a lot. 

 Some great images: a soldier in dress blues and one of the guides from the Pentagon 

tours. Somewhere, he had secured a shopping cart with bottles of water. I don't know where he 

got them. He was walking up the street like an itinerant merchant handing out bottles of water. 

Strange image. 

 The one that I tell people about all the time, though, is the crocheting lady. Not long 

after we left the building, I saw a woman standing on a grassy slope along the highway. She was 

standing with briefcases and purses all around her feet, and she was crocheting. So I thought that 

something was wrong with this. It doesn't look good. So I went over to talk to her. She 

wouldn't make eye contact, but she kept crocheting. I asked if she was okay and she said, "Yeah, 

I'm okay." She just continued her stitching. I said, "Are all these briefcases yours, all these 

purses?” She said, "No, these are the people who work with me. They just left them here so I 

can watch them." 

 I said, "Is the crocheting calming you," and she said "Mm-hmm." Then tears started to 

well in her eyes. This is the hard part to tell. I said, "My mom does that." She has done it all 

my life. When there is adversity, physical problems, ill health, she still does that. I said, "That is 

a good step to help you feel better." I said, "You will always remember where you started this 

piece of work." She said, "Yes, I will." She never stopped that crocheting. She just kept at it. It 

was probably one of the most significant images. 

 I stayed around about two hours and finally people’s phones would occasionally have a 

breakthrough and the phones would work. There was a woman I had talked to on the street who 

had run out without her purse, without credit cards, without Metro cards, nothing. . . . We had 

exchanged some dialogue, and I said, “How are you going to get home?” She said she hadn't 

42 
any idea. She said, “I don't have any money.” I asked how much it would take for her to get 

home. We dialogued a little bit, and I gave her some money. I said that if I never see you again 

it is the best twenty bucks I have ever spent. 

 But people were doing that kind of thing for one another. You know, it was just 

spontaneous. So many people were saying, “You worry about that person. Don't worry about 

me.” The kind of things people were doing was obviously in the ensuing weeks the good that 

had come out of it. 

 [There was a lady who] had finally been able to contact her husband. He was on the 18th 

hole of whatever golf course. She said, "What are you doing?" He said, "Why are you bothering 

me? I'm just finishing the 18th hole!" And she said (and I won't repeat the expletive) that he 

should get off the golf course and find a television. A lot of people were communicating with 

folks because of where they were or what they were doing who were not aware. It was a very 

strange thing to make that kind of contact and then tell them. 

 Obviously, that was not the case with my husband because they had television and access 

to all of that. But once I got a hold of him, I told him to call my mom, get a hold of my brothers. 

They are all on the West Coast, so they were not aware. They had not gotten up yet. When my 

husband had contacted my uncle, strangely enough, he said, "You’re kidding." My husband 

said, “I kid you about a lot of things, but I am not kidding you about this.” My uncle is a retired 

Navy chief, so he said to turn on the TV and you need to see what is going on. Fortunately, my 

mother hadn't awakened yet. I'm glad we got to her before she got to the TV. That would have 

been pretty bad. She is in her eighties. 

 I finally decided to try to find a way home. I had a lot of trepidation about getting on the 

Metro, a lot of trepidation. My car was parked under my office in this building [Jefferson Plaza 

II in Arlington, Virginia]. I had tried to call people here to see if people were okay, but they had 

already evacuated. I pretty much conjectured that the highways would be just berserk, if you 

could get through at all. By then we knew what had happened. We knew, obviously, that it was 

an intentional attack. It was not simultaneous accidents. So I had some trepidation about going 

underground on public transportation. Finally, that seemed the only recourse, the only way to 

get home. So we went down into the underground. 

 People were packed like sardines in the subway. They would back up and squeeze as 

close together to try to let someone else on board. That was eventually how I got home. I 

walked about four blocks to my house. That was not particularly unusual because many days 

that is how I do travel. I don't usually drive. 

 When I got home, I called the other hotel where the other general officers were staying. I 

called every one of their rooms to see if they all made it back. Even the small committee that I 

was on, once we left the room, we all lost track of one another. I had one of them contact me the 

next day and several times after saying that he was consumed with guilt because when he left the 

room he lost track of me and he felt that he had done a bad thing by not keeping track of me. We 

had a dialogue about that because he was very troubled that he had done that, that we had all just 

43
followed the instructions and all of us had gotten out, but not necessarily kept track of one 

another. 

 In many cases, I had to leave messages at their rooms. They weren't there. Almost 

without exception, they all called back sometime during the day. They made contact, so I knew 

that they were okay. At the same time, the General Officers Management Office [at OCAR] was 

trying to locate all of us. They felt they had to have personnel accountability, so they did that as 

well. So that was the stream of consciousness that I remember . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: How long did it take you to exit the building that day? 

KENNEDY: Gosh. That is something you always think about is how long did it take? I don't 

think long. When we came out of the conference room, corridor six was the very next turn. It 

was twenty to thirty feet, I would guess. We just kept a steady flow. I would say about seven 

minutes, maybe seven to ten minutes. Maybe, but I doubt it was as long as ten . . . . 

 I only conjecture, there were parts of the building where maybe they didn't feel the 

concussion. It was pronounced where we were, very pronounced. Of course, with the 

information we [had] just gotten, . . . that gave us some additional proof that something really 

serious had happened . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Which Metro line would have you been on? 

KENNEDY: The one I would have been on was not the one that I was on. All of the Metros 

were re-routed. They would tell you to get on the Metro that was not normally your color that 

would have taken you home. They would tell you that they re-routed to do this different thing 

and then you would be able to hook up with your Metro. We were trusting those instructions that 

they were going to get us to that place by having a high level of confidence. At that point 

anything that would get you away was okay, because what was re-routed, obviously, were the 

Metros that would go by the Pentagon. 

INTERVIEWER: Did they actually follow the plan that they had? 

KENNEDY: Yes, the Metro did. When you got off you could hook up with your Metro 

elsewhere. I was home in about forty-five minutes, which is about routine. It's just that people 

were sardined into the Metros. They were terribly crowded, but everyone was very cooperative 

and made room. 

 There were a lot of people angry on the street. One woman in that situation . . . was not 

real rational, but she said, "They won't let me back in there to get my car keys." I said, “Ma'am, 

be glad that you got out of there. Your car keys are something you can deal with at another 

time." She was incensed that they would not let her back in. I imagine her house keys were on 

44 
the car key chain. I thought about it too after I got to the street, and we began to realize what 

was really going on there. I'm not medically trained beyond first aid like anyone. . . . I'll tell you, 

there were security guards and police all over. You could not have gotten back to that building. 

Even if I pulled rank, I don't think they would have let me back because they were not letting 

anyone walk back toward the building. 

INTERVIEWER: By security guards, are you talking about the Defense Protective Service? 

KENNEDY: Everything was out there: the Defense Protective Service, the state police. They 

came from everywhere. Very, very quickly, they were in front of all the entrances and any of the 

road entrances to the building [and] any of the footpaths. . . . . 

 There were some really strange and almost surreal scenes. There was one major with 

whom I work with at the 99th [Regional Support Command]. She is now a lieutenant colonel, 

. . . Elizabeth Slifer. Some of you may have known her when she was the SGS [secretary of the 

general staff] there. She was one of the first I encountered in the hotel. She was assisting a 

civilian who was one of the people I sent a message for. [This civilian] already had a pre-existing 

back problem. So, she was having problems. . . . She had very long hair. It was both wet and 

kind of strange looking. I asked if she was okay, and I reached out to feel her hair. You know 

how when you get too close to a fire and your hair gets all crispy? Her whole head of almost 

waist-long hair was like that. . . . I take it maybe a fire sprinkler had come on or something. She 

was also wet. One of her co-workers, a major who was the officer I sent the message to Egypt 

for because that was where her husband was, was clutching a notebook with a SECRET 

coversheet on it, just clutching it. Obviously, she was not going to put it down. She had walked 

out of her office without securing it. A lot of people were worried about that. “I didn't secure 

my safe. I didn't close the cipher-lock.” 

 [She discussed the immediate aftermath of the plane crash at the Pentagon.] There was 

no organization or sense of command and control. . . . It was . . . informal groupings of people 

helping people. Medics began to arrive fairly quickly -- I would say within a half hour to fortyfive minutes. 

 Then the hotel brought rollaway beds out into the lobby and cordoned off an area because 

there was some hysteria. Some, though not physically injured, were emotionally impacted. 

They were trying to isolate folks and get them calm and let the medics look at them to see if 

there was a medical situation or just an emotional situation. They just needed to be dealt with. 

There really wasn't anything to take charge of. 

 The hotel also opened its gym. They had a workout center so that some folks could go 

and get cleaned up and wash wounds if they had to. They let them use towels. I cannot say 

enough for what that hotel did. I haven't been back to thank them. I feel really bad about that. If 

there was anything we wanted, they had staff meeting people at the door, directing them to 

45
places to go. They did a really, really terrific job. [There was] that kind of control. . . . People 

[were] doing what they could do, even sending messages on a pager. It's amazing how good that 

made you feel to be able help someone communicate with their family. When someone found a 

phone that worked, they started to pass it around and let as many people use it until they lost 

contact again. 

INTERVIEWER: How would you say your Army training allowed you to respond to this 

attack? 

KENNEDY: The Army teaches us to conform in a way that is instinctive. There were 

uniformed people that were prescribed the responsibility of evacuation . . . and we learned to 

listen to that. . . . As a general officer, it was not my responsibility to countermand or contradict. 

Now, if I had seen him [referring to one of those individuals guiding people out of the Pentagon] 

directing someone into a fiery hallway, I would have intervened. But what he was telling folks 

to do seemed to make sense. It seemed to be working because people were getting close to the 

exits and there wasn't any panic. The one thing that I was very conscious of was being in 

uniform. . . . People were probably watching what I was doing. [If] I did something contrary to 

the instructions and then people started looking in my direction instead of toward the uniformed 

person from the Pentagon, they may have felt that I knew something better. . . . I could create a 

problem by doing that. I followed the instructions of the people authorized to get us out of the 

building . . . . 37

 

37 Brigadier General Karol Kennedy, interview by Major Robert Smith and Corporal Robert Shellenberger, 

transcript, 10 December 2001, DA-CMH. 

46 
47
48 

Major General David R. Bockel 
Chapter 9 

Major General David R. Bockel, 

Commander, 90th Regional Support Command 

INTERVIEWER: Could you explain what you were doing on September 11th and what your 

immediate thoughts were? 

BOCKEL: I am now the chairman of the Army Reserve Forces Policy Committee at the 

Pentagon. On September the 11th, I was a committee member of [the] Training subcommittee. 

We were at the Pentagon for the quarterly meeting of the Army Reserve Forces Policy 

Committee. We arrived on September the 9th. We had our first meetings on September the 

10th. On September the 11th we were having follow on subcommittee meetings. 

 We arrived at the Pentagon at about 7:45 [a.m.]. My subcommittee was meeting in the 

Pershing Conference Room on the E ring, the outside ring, directly across from the Deputy Chief 

Staff for Operations Office, which is between corridors 5 and 6. We had started the meeting 

about 8:15. About 9 o'clock we received word of the airplanes crashing into the World Trade 

Center, and we were all a little uncomfortable. We knew that it had to have been a terrorist 

attack [but] did not know how serious it was. Our intent was that as soon as we had an 

opportunity for a break, which was going to be probably in about an hour, that we would go 

across the hall to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Office to watch the news on TV. 

 About . . . twenty or thirty minutes later, I heard a loud explosion. It was apparent that it 

was not an accidental event. We felt in our hearts that. . . we were being attacked. In about ten 

seconds we stood up. We went to the door. When we entered the hallway of the E ring there 

was Pentagon security already in corridor 6. I could see them. I turned to the right to go down 

corridor 6 where he was directing the traffic. Had I turned to the left I would have walked into 

where the plane had crashed. 

INTERVIEWER: Approximately how far away were you from the plane? 

BOCKEL: The plane came in the area around corridors 4 and 5, and we were between corridors 

5 and 6. I'm not sure of the exact distance. I would say it was less than a hundred yards from 

there. Anyway, we traveled down corridor 6. . . .The crowds were converging on that corridor. 

[We] made our way out from the A ring out to the south area where the shopping center is and 

where the metro station is, up the escalators, and into the south parking lot. I stopped when I got 

to the A ring where I could see outside the windows. I could see huge billows of smoke moving 

in the direction that I was traveling. 

 When I got to the escalators, I stopped. I stopped several times, because I wanted to take 

it all in. I wanted to experience it. At one point, I stopped and realized how surreal the situation 

49
was. I felt like I read this. Actually I had read it in a Tom Clancy novel. Also, if you read 

Nelson DeMille, you encounter this kind of trauma. I thought to myself, "I'm glad that I'm 

wearing the uniform. If the United States is going to be attacked, I'm glad that I'm still in 

uniform and not retired or had gotten out of the Reserve." When I got into the shopping mall 

area where the escalators to the south parking lot were, I stopped, because I could hear 

announcements coming through a loudspeaker, but I couldn't hear them very well. So I went and 

I stood close to it so I could hear what was being said. It was a recording. It was something to 

the affect of "The Pentagon is under attack. Proceed to the nearest exit immediately. The 

building is no longer secure." I watched. It's a very long escalator that goes out to the south 

parking lot, or it was then. It's not there anymore. I watched the people going out and decided 

that I would not go up right that second. I would wait. If people started coming back down, then 

I wouldn't go out, because that would mean there was more danger at the top of that escalator. 

But, people did not come back down the escalator, so I went ahead and proceeded up the 

escalator to the south parking lot. 

 The thing that struck me first was the people with cell phones. Everybody seemed to 

have a cell phone, and nobody could make a connection with anybody. I noticed some pay 

phones over by where the bus stops used to be and attempted to get out on my credit card to call 

and let my wife know I was okay. But you could not make a long distance call. So I then 

proceeded to walk back to Crystal City, which is only a couple of miles away. I passed a number 

of people I knew. I had all kinds of experiences on that walk back. I made my way back to the 

hotel, to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Crystal City, where I was able to make contact with my 

office in Little Rock. They were able to make contact with my wife and my office in Atlanta. 

 I did try to go back to the Pentagon. . . . I felt badly that I had not stopped to try and help 

anybody. The way they sent us out was in the exact opposite direction from where all the 

damage and injuries and things were. So I went back to see if I could help. . . .[At] that point 

anybody who had a badge, probably even a school boy patrol, was out directing traffic. They 

would not let you back across the street to the Pentagon. So with that I proceeded back in the 

vicinity of the hotel. 

INTERVIEWER: Sir, when you were leaving the building and you were hearing the 

announcements, what was the situation like in the Pentagon? What were the reactions on the 

faces of people? Were sprinklers going off, were alarms? 

BOCKEL: The thing that struck me the most was the lack of panic. . . . Not that there wasn't 

emotion and not that I didn't see somebody running every now and then, but for the most part 

people were calmly leaving the building. No sprinklers were going off, at least in the area that I 

was in. I did talk to somebody who was a corridor over, Colonel [Robert]Cortez. . . . [He] had 

been a member of the 90th and was an individual mobilization augmentee. He was from New 

Mexico and used to command one of our battalions. . . . He was telling me about doors being 

50 
blown open and ceiling tiles flying out, just one corridor over. So we were very fortunate. The 

alarms, yes, and that one alarm I didn't hear until I got into the main area. . . . [It was] a very 

orderly departure from the building, a lot of security. 

 

INTERVIEWER: At what point were you beginning to think about the Army Reserve and your 

regional support command? What did you think your future missions would be? 

BOCKEL: Well, I didn't give that a whole lot of thought. I already knew in advance that there 

were going to be requirements for the Army Reserve most likely in a homeland defense kind of 

situation because if the United States was being attacked, we weren't at war anyplace else. . . . 

I didn't call it homeland defense. It would be needed just like the National Guard when there is a 

crisis and there is a need for a response. The Army Reserve had to be part of it, because other 

than Oklahoma City where we had Army Reservists responding there, this is the first time that 

there's been a situation of the United States being under attack in this sort of fashion. I was 

reminded of something that General Max Baratz, the former chief of the Army Reserve, said at 

one time. We talked about who the first responders were and who provided that kind of civil 

support. We always focus on the National Guard because it's a state force to the real local force, 

but as General Baratz said, if somebody put poison gas in the Washington subway system and 

affected the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, it suddenly becomes a federal issue. 

The Army Reserve is very important to that. . . . I knew the Army Reserve was going to have to 

be involved. As to what about the 90th, I didn't know at that point, but I knew that the Army 

Reserve was going to be involved. 

INTERVIEWER: As Operation NOBLE EAGLE and ENDURING FREEDOM have 

unfolded, how has your RSC responded? 

BOCKEL: The most immediate needs were for military police at the active Army installations 

in our area: Fort Polk, Fort Hood, Fort Bliss, Fort Sam Houston, Fort Sill. We provided the 

military police from our garrison support units. We provided military police to provide support 

to our aviation activities in South Texas. As far as operations outside of CONUS [Continental 

United States] or not involving homeland support, we've had military intelligence units, 

quartermaster units, medical units, [and] more military police units that have been called to the 

colors for additional support.38

. 

 

38 Major General David R. Bockel, interview by Sergeant William Miller, tape recording with transcript, 22 May 

2002.

51
52 

Major Michael J. Coughlin 
Chapter 10 

Major Michael J. Coughlin, Deputy Legal Counsel for OCAR 

INTERVIEWER : Could you tell me what you were doing on 11 September 2001? 

COUGHLIN: September 11th started as a typical day up here at headquarters. I remember it 

being an exceptionally nice fall day, bright blue sky, almost cloudless, I believe, perfect 

temperature, just starting out to be a perfect fall day. I anticipated coming into the office and 

conducting business as usual . . . . 

INTERVIEWER : What were your plans on this day? 

COUGHLIN: On this particular day, . . . I do remember that I was going to go downstairs to 

the ninth floor of our office building. . . . I was going down to the OSI [Office of Strategic 

Initiatives] to discuss the [HQDA/OCAR] realignment plan. . . . This was shortly before 9:00 

[a.m.]. I came into the office downstairs and Colonel [Terry] Lerch [the OCAR director of staff] 

was there sitting at the conference table along with some other officers . . . . 

 They were watching CNN. It was showing the Twin Towers in New York. One of them 

had smoke pouring out of it. When I came in, I asked what happened. They told me a plane had 

hit it. I said, “It sounds like terrorists attacked.”. . . Nobody knew for sure what happened. . . . 

We were watching the news reports. I recall a second plane coming in from the right-hand side 

of the screen. My immediate thought was, “What is another plane doing in that air space?” In a 

couple of seconds you’re thinking that and you’re thinking, maybe it’s a police or similar law 

enforcement plane. All of a sudden it turns sharply and crashes into the second tower. Of 

course, at that point, everyone was sure that it was a terrorist attack, that it was intentional. 

 At that point, Colonel Lerch had me call Colonel Mitchell Bisanar [the director of OCAR 

Operations]. . . . We called him to have him come down to the conference room we were in 

because we anticipated there might be more coordinated strikes given the massive scale of what 

we were watching unfold. . . . At that point, it wasn’t yet quite that urgent. What we had seen, as 

tragic and horrific as it was, was in New York City. We had nothing here to be immediately 

concerned about. . . .Colonel Lerch left the conference room and went back up to his office, 

which is on the twelfth floor. I noticed as we were watching the report . . . two things. One is 

that a plane had crashed in the field in Pennsylvania. No one at that time knew if there was any 

connection or if it was a coincidence. 

 A little bit later, after 9:00 [a.m.], maybe about 9:20 [a.m.], a report came by on the ticker 

at the bottom of the screen and it said a fire had been reported at the Pentagon. I had worked in 

the Pentagon. The Pentagon is a very old building with old wiring. They are in the process of 

53
renovating it and fires break out there occasionally because of the work they are doing on the 

wiring. That was really not an immediate concern because, having worked there, I know that, 

that stuff happens. 

 A few minutes later, Colonel Lerch came into the conference room and told us to 

evacuate the building because the Pentagon had just been hit and it was in flames. So, at that 

point, we exited the conference room and went out to the street. I came out the front door of our 

office building onto the street. Immediately to my right, at about one o' clock, and up in the sky, 

there was this tremendous black cloud of smoke. You could smell the jet fuel in the air. We 

were probably three blocks from the Pentagon. The wind was blowing in our direction and it 

was carrying the cloud and the smoke our way. At that time, people had started to evacuate the 

building, and we started to gather at our assembly points along the street. . . . We didn’t know 

what was going on for sure. We were accounting for people. At that point, we got orders to . . . 

try and go home. . . . 

 Probably sometime after we evacuated our office building, [my boss] Lieutenant Colonel 

[Paul] Conrad and myself . . . walked up to 23rd Street where there are a number of restaurants 

and places. We wanted to find a place that would have the report on television. In the meantime, 

my pager kept going off. It was my wife trying to call me. Although she knew that I didn’t 

work in the Pentagon, I told her that I was going to go over [there]. . . . I had planned on going 

over to the Pentagon to do some things and meet with some people. . . . That didn’t happen 

obviously, but she didn’t know that. . . . Fortunately, I was able to get through to my wife . . . and 

told her that I was okay and not to worry about me and that I would not be coming home anytime 

soon because I did not know . . . what else was going to happen during the day . . . . 

 I want to say that at about 11:00 or 11:30 [a.m.], I can’t remember exactly now, we 

walked, my boss and I, back toward the Pentagon. I felt all this time while we were up at 23rd 

Street, that I wanted to go over to see if there was something that I could do in any way, shape, 

or form . . . . So we walked back toward the Pentagon, but as we got closer, I separated from 

Lieutenant Colonel Conrad, and I . . . met some other folks from the office. . . . We had heard a 

rumor that they were taking uniformed volunteers to help. At that time, they [military and 

civilian security forces] had all the intersections blocked off. . . . I asked one of the officers who 

was at that particular intersection . . . [that] I heard they were collecting . . . uniformed volunteers 

to help out. . . . He said he did not know anything about that, but that I could go down to the 

command post and ask about it. . . . As we got there, an Army lieutenant colonel . . . came out of 

the trailer and said, “Hey, they are having a meeting inside the trailer right now and they want 

the senior representative on the scene from all the branches and agencies in the trailer, and we 

need somebody from the Army.” I happened to be the senior Army guy . . . and they said, “You, 

get in the trailer.” So I went in the trailer as the Army representative, and it turned out that was 

the FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] command trailer or command post . . . . 

 I was on the phone trying to get through to the Army Operations Center. . . . 

Unfortunately, the phones were not working. . . . We were doing those types of things. . . . The 

54 
scene was . . . hectic, but it wasn’t disorganized. It seemed like people knew their jobs and knew 

their area of responsibility and right now was a matter of coordinating . . . the various agencies, 

civilian and military, that were on the scene and making sure everything was getting covered. . . . 

We had a report of another plane coming in, which later turned out to be . . . not true. So, they 

wanted to move the command post away. They only wanted one [senior] representative. . . . So I 

left the trailer at that point . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: What was your next step? 

COUGHLIN: After I left the command post . . . by then a significant amount of emergency 

vehicles were on the scene, as were a large number of military personnel. . . . I was approached 

by an Army captain from the Military District of Washington [MDW]. He was looking for the 

FBI. Well, the command post had just pulled away. Since I was the senior . . . Army officer 

there, he came up to me and asked if I knew anybody from the FBI because he needed to talk to 

them . . . . The captain was bringing in some Army ambulances from MDW and they just wanted 

to know where they wanted them . . . . 

 When the captain started to go back, I asked if I could ride along with him since there 

were not any other Army people around . . . . So I went with him. We went in what I think was a 

Suburban . . . full of emergency gear and things like that. . . . There was a string of . . . six Army 

ambulances coming up. We had to locate them, which we did, and coordinate them around [the] 

south parking[lot]. . . . We got those lined up over there. . . . By then, the fire crews were already 

on the scene and trying to put out the fire, and the trucks were on the field. At that point I started 

looking to see where I could do something, where I could help. 

 While I was there I saw the DCAR, Deputy Chief Army Reserve, Colonel [Malcolm B.] 

Westcott, and talked to him for a little bit. He was standing there ready to help, too. . . . We 

talked about what there was to do and everybody was more or less at that point on standby 

because the building was still on fire. After I talked to Colonel Westcott, . . . I went back over 

onto the infield a little bit more to get closer because I . . . just had this feeling of “This is a 

momentous day in history. I need to do something. I need to be part of it.” 

 I wanted to help. . . . I worked in that building. I knew lots of people in that building. As 

it turns out, I knew a couple of the people who were killed in the attack. I knew a lot of people 

who worked for the Army, the Office of the Deputy of Chief of Staff of Personnel. . . . The plane 

actually hit almost where my old office was. . . . By then, the . . . [place] where the plane had hit 

the Pentagon had collapsed in and left a big gaping hole in the building that we saw subsequently 

for days on the news. Smoke was still pouring out of the building from the impact site of the 

roof. 

INTERVIEWER: Approximately what time was this? 

55
COUGHLIN: I am going to say this was early afternoon, probably after 12 [p.m.] or 1:00 

[p.m.]. . . . I recall the smoke, the very bright, very intense orange flames coming out of the 

windows and the whole side of the Pentagon charred black from where the fuel had burned on 

impact. The fire truck on the heliport was destroyed and debris was all over this field. This 

grass field is huge. . . . It runs from one end of the Pentagon from that side to the other end, and it 

is deep from the Pentagon out to the street, maybe a couple of hundred yards. When I was out 

there, scattered all throughout the ground there were pieces of the plane . . . and pieces of the 

building. . . . At that time, the main effort was . . . fighting the fire and the fire crews were doing 

that. 

 They started to organize us into litter teams. . . . I wanted to help, so I knew, I am not 

going to stay in the back. I am going to go up front and see what I can do. . . . I went in and I 

saw a Navy captain . . . who was organizing litter teams and . . . coordinating efforts on the field. 

I went over [to] where he was. The next thing I know, he told me to get a Metro bus into the 

infield and park it so we could . . . set up a temporary morgue from the north end of the field . . . . 

 . . . We had them to keep running the air conditioning [in the bus]. We used that for the 

firefighters when they came out of the Pentagon. . . . We were standing by to be litter teams, to 

help anybody still in the Pentagon. . . . A little bit later in the afternoon . . . they needed five twoman teams . . . and I was one of them . . . to help with the firefighters. . . . This was getting later 

in the afternoon and what we were told at that time was that it was pretty clear they were not 

bringing [anyone else] out of the Pentagon . . . [The firefighters] had been in there since early . . . 

morning. The adrenaline was running out and the heat and the exhaustion would start affecting 

them. As they came out of the building, we made sure they got into the bus to cool down if they 

needed that. The person I was with, my partner and I, actually helped two firefighters who were 

suffering from exhaustion or something. . . . 

 We were with the members of the Old Guard waiting. The building was still on fire. I 

talked to a couple of firefighters coming out and asked them what it looked like inside. They all 

said it looked like a war zone. It was totally burned out and black. . . . They also said that it was 

so hot that [when] the water . . . being sprayed on the roof of the building . . . came down through 

the various floors and . . . reached down to the firefighters it was hot water. It was boiling. . . . 

The FBI did not want anyone going into the building yet because it was considered a crime 

scene. 

 About 7:15 [p.m.] when it looked like we wouldn’t be doing anything more for the day, I 

left and some others as well. . . . I came back here and called my wife to come in and get me. . . . 

We got home and started watching the news. The first report of casualties at the Pentagon they 

said could be eight hundred people. I said, “I’ve got to go back. I don’t want to be at home with 

all this going on.” My wife understood that. So, I drove back. It was about 11:00 [p.m.] or 

midnight when I finally got here. There wasn’t really much to do at that time. The firefighters 

were still working on the building. Most of the crews were standing down. People were getting 

rest. The scene was actually very quiet . . . . 

56 
I went to the north end where I had been most of the afternoon, but there wasn’t anybody 

down there. I came back toward the center of the impact and walked down closer to it to see if 

there was anything I could do. When I got closer, maybe yards away, the engineers were there 

examining the structure. At that point, a lot of the fires were out. They were starting to turn 

their attention to the safety of the building. 

 A number of things happened while I was there. For some reason, it seemed like I was 

the senior Army officer there. There was a sergeant major who was down there and some 

members of the Old Guard who were helping put in the wooden support blocks on six-by-six like 

railroad ties. . . . The sergeant major came up to me and said, “Sir, there are two Marines here 

that came up from Quantico. They need your help.” These two Marines, Sergeant Nathaniel Penn 

and Staff Sergeant Ronald Mix, had come up with an American flag. They said that the 

commander of Quantico had given them this flag and told them to take it to the Pentagon and try 

and get that flag up. And so I said, “Absolutely, let’s do it. Where should we hang it?” Really 

there wasn’t a place to hang it, because there was nothing in that field. . . . I checked with the 

civilian authorities on the scene and I said, “I’ve got two Marines here that brought a flag and we 

want to hang this flag up.” They said, “Yes, whatever you need. We will help you.” As we were 

doing that, we were joined by a Sergeant Major Leon Yarbough from the Army and a Staff 

Sergeant Reginald Riley, also from the Army. I believe it was Sergeant Major Yarbough who 

found a large metal pole over by the burned out fire truck. He got the pole out and started 

bending it straight again. The Marines and the two Army NCOs [noncommissioned officers], 

and I think we had a couple of civilians, got the pole up on the fire truck. We attached it with 

some zip strips and duck tape. We put the flag on the pole. It was the first flag to fly on the 

scene at the Pentagon. . . . That was the neatest thing I did. I helped get that team and organized 

those guys to get that flag up. 

 After that I went over to the MDW command trailer on the scene. There was a lieutenant 

colonel in there. I went in and told the lieutenant colonel, “Sir, we just put up a small American 

flag over on the fire truck, and I think it would be a great idea if we could get a larger American 

flag over here and put it up on the building so when the sun comes up tomorrow morning the 

American people and the world can see we have an American flag here.” He said, “That’s a great 

idea. Let’s get on it.” So, they called back to the MDW to see if they could get a flag over there. 

About an hour or so later, a couple of MPs [military police] came over with a flag. As far as I 

know, that flag did not go up that night. A couple of days later when the president visited you 

57
58 

saw one. . . . That is the thing I feel most proud of. . . . I just knew that day that I wanted to be 

over there to help. I’m a soldier. That’s where we should have been . . . . 39

 

39 Major Michael J. Coughlin, interview by Sergeant William L. Miller, tape recording with transcript, 5 November 

2001. 
59

Colonel David M. Scales Colonel Ronald F. Golisnki (Retired) 

Army Reservists Killed at the Pentagon on 11 September 2001 
60 

A Nation Under Attack 

Arlington, VA, 11 September 2001 — Lieutenant Colonel Randy Pullen, a public affairs officer with the Office, Chief 

Army Reserve (OCAR) rushed to the Pentagon to record the results of the terrorist attack. These workers left the 

Pentagon after Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. Despite the surprise of the attack, some interviewees described 

the evacuation as calm but with some confusion. (Photo by Lieutenant Colonel Randy Pullen, OCAR Public Affairs 

Office) 
61

The Path of the Attack 

Arlington, VA, September, 2001 — This aerial shot of the Pentagon, using a graphic representation of the plan

shows the angle that Flight 77 hit the Pentagon. It crashed into the newly renovated wedge 1, with its reinforce

structure, and its path of destruction extended into wedge 2. (Photograph courtesy of the Pentagon Renovatio

Project Collection)

e, 

d 

n 
62 

“I saw people running from the area where the plane had 

hit and saw smoke.” 

-Sergeant First Class Monica Morris describing the attack on the Pentagon. 

Arlington, VA, 11 September 2001 — Flight 77 hit this portion of the Pentagon’s E ring, which collapsed and 

burned for many hours. Fortunately, the plane hit the newly renovated wedge 1 that had been remodeled and 

strengthened as part of a plan to modernize the Pentagon, which included reducing the Pentagon’s vulnerability to a 

terrorist attack. Though the plane’s impact and ensuing fire caused severe damage it would have been worse if the 

plane hit a different wedge. Army Reservists in the Pentagon evacuated the building and then many of them tried to 

provide medical assistance or joined litter teams to carry out any wounded. (Photograph courtesy of the Pentagon 

Renovation Project Collection) 
63

. 

The Army Reserve Responds 

. 

Arlington, VA, 11 September 2001 — Command Sergeant Major Alex Lackey, Command Sergeant Major of the 

Army Reserve, communicates on a cell phone outside the Pentagon on 11 September. Smoke is still coming from 

the Pentagon. Inside the building when the plane hit, he exited the Pentagon, then formed a litter team and tried to 

rescue survivors. Prevented from re-entering the building because of the fire and the threat of an additional attack, 

he supported the soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Regiment (“the Old Guard”) who rushed from Fort Myer to the 

Pentagon. (Photo by Master Sergeant Jacqueline Gopie, OCAR) 

Arlington, VA, 17 September 2001 – Soldiers of the Army Reserve's 311th Quartermaster Company (QM Co) 

(Mortuary Affairs) from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico – along with federal officials like Federal Bureau of Investigation 

agent Samuel Simon – set up operations in the north parking lot of the Pentagon on the morning of 17 September 

2001. The men and women of the 311th had the grim task of searching through tons of debris from the Pentagon 

attack, searching for remains of victims and personal effects. They deployed and were operational within seventytwo hours of the call for volunteers reaching them. (Photo by Lieutenant Colonel Randy Pullen, OCAR Public 

Affairs Office) 
64 

“I remembered how to start an IV, which I hadn’t done in a long 

time.” 

 -Colonel Malcolm Westcott used his past experience as a medic to treat the injured at 

the Pentagon. 

Arlington, VA, 11 September 2001 — Firefighters and rescue workers form a line outside the Pentagon, close to the 

heliport. Rescue workers operated continuously, using lights during the night, to search for any survivors or remains. 

They continued their efforts until 13 September when the efforts shifted from rescue to recovery. Local communities, 

such as Arlington County – which contributed as many as 200 firefighters and police – played a major role in the 

rescue effort. Federal agencies – including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FBI, and the Defense 

Protective Service – made significant contributions to the rescue efforts as well. Soldiers from OCAR, Fort Myer, 

Fort Belvoir, Fort Lee, the Pentagon, and elsewhere provided a strong Army response to the attack. (Photo by 

Sergeant Nathaniel Penn, MD, United States Marine Corps)
65

“Absolutely, let’s do it” 

 -Major Micheal Coughlin when approached about raising the US flag at the Pentagon. 

Arlington, VA, 11 September 2001 — These soldiers and Marines raised what was probably the first flag to fly

the damaged section of the Pentagon, on the night of 11 September 2001. Major Michael Coughlin, who worked

OCAR, described this event and his role in coordinating it in his interview. These soldiers and Marines stood on

fire-crash rescue vehicle that the Fort Myer Fire Department stationed at the Pentagon’s heliport to safeguar

arriving and departing helicopters. The truck caught on fire after Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon but fortunatel

the firefighters survived. (Photograph courtesy of the Pentagon Renovation Project Collection)

 at 

 at 

 a 

d 

y 
66 

“Now we are going to have to get involved in this. 

What do they want from the Army Reserve?” 

 -Lieutenant General Thomas Plewes examining the Army Reserve’s role after the attack.

Arlington, VA, 14 September 2001 — Three days after the attack, fire engines surrounded around the damaged 

portion of the Pentagon. At that time efforts had shifted from rescue to recovery and the 311th QM Co used its 

knowledge of mortuary affairs to assist. In the days following the attack, Lieutenant General Plewes stated that 

the Army Reserve focused on gaining accountability of its personnel in both New York and Washington, raising 

security conditions at the reserve sites around the nation and overseas, and examining Army Reserve assets to 

provide assistance at the Pentagon and New York. (Photograph courtesy of the Pentagon Renovation Project 

Collection)
67

Damage Inside the Pentagon

Arlington, VA, 14 September 2001 — Thousands of gallons of burning jet fuel created a fire that temporarily 

overwhelmed the Pentagon’s fire fighting capabilities, which allowed the fire to spread. It destroyed rooms like this 

one on wedge 2’s E ring, which probably overlooked Arlington National Cemetery. Lieutenant Colonel Victor 

Correa realized that the thick smoke produced by the fire prevented some personnel from leaving the area, so he 

shouted for people to follow his voice, which led them to a clear area. (Photograph courtesy of the Pentagon 

Renovation Project Collection)
68 

Arlington, VA, 22 October 2001 — After Flight 77’s impact, many Pentagon workers left the building as quickly as 

possible and left their personal property behind. Though not damaged by the fire this room suffered damage first as 

rescuers searched for survivors. The paint indicates that the room was searched. Later soldiers from the Military 

District of Washington, such as the 3rd Infantry Regiment, or the 311th Quartermaster Company removed personal 

effects. (Photo by Specialist Kelly Strand, 46th Military History Detachment (MHD), Little Rock, AR) 
69

“I never felt personal to a building before, but someone hit my 

building.” 

 -Lieutenant Colonel Timon Oujiri’s attitude towards the Pentagon after the attack. 

Arlington, VA, 22 October 2001 — Undoubtedly Flight 77’s impact caused some of the debris in this room but the 

tearing down of adjacent sections added debris as well. Debris hung from the ceiling as well as littering the floor. 

(Photo by Specialist Kelly Strand, 46th MHD, Little Rock, AR)
70 

Arlington, VA, 22 October 2001 -- Workers tore down portions of the Pentagon's rings that 

had severe structural damage in order to rebuild those sections. Their work left behind debris 

including cabling, rods, and piping. (Photo by Specialist Kelly Strand, 46th MHD, Little 

Rock, AR).

Tearing Down the Damaged Portions of the Pentagon in 

Order to Rebuild Them
71

Arlington, VA, 22 October 2001 — An excavator uses a claw to tear down damaged sections and remove debris from 

the Pentagon. Rebuilding the Pentagon required that some damaged portions be torn down. (Photo by Specialist 

Kelly Strand, 46th MHD, Little Rock, AR). 
72 

Recording the Tragedy So None Will Forget 

Arlington, VA, 22 October 2001 — Specialist Kelly Strand, 46th MHD from Little Rock, AR, and Sergeant First 

Class Dennis Lapic, 305th MHD, Pittsburgh, PA, used every means available to photograph the damaged portion of 

the Pentagon from different angles. In this case they were lifted by construction equipment, which allowed them to 

photograph damage to the higher floors. Specialist Strand was photographed at about the third floor of the Pentagon. 

(Photo by Sergeant First Class Dennis Lapic, 305th MHD, Pittsburgh, PA)
 Witness to Tragedy: A General Remembers 

Arlington, VA, 12 November 2001 — Major General David Bockel, commander of the 

90th Regional Support Command, headquartered in Little Rock, AR, surveys the 

damaged section of the Pentagon being torn down. Major General Bockel was in the 

Pentagon the day terrorists attacked it. (Photo by Lieutenant Colonel Randy Pullen, 

OCAR Public Affairs Office) 

73
74 

Saluting a Fellow Reservist 

(LEFT) 

Arlington, VA, 10 October 2001 

— Symbol of a fallen soldier – a 

pair of empty boots draped with 

the dog tags of Army Reserve 

Colonel David Scales. Colonel 

Scales was killed during the 

attack on the Pentagon on 

September 11, 2001. Colonel 

Scales’ widow, son, and parents 

attended this memorial service 

along with the staff from the 

Office, Chief Army Reserve. At 

the service his family was 

presented with the Purple Heart 

and his son was given a beret 

with a Colonel’s insignia pinned 

on. (Colonel Scales was 

promoted posthumously from 

Lieutenant Colonel) (Photo by 

Lieutenant Colonel Randy Pullen, 

OCAR Public Affairs Office) 

(RIGHT) 

Arlington, VA, 11 October 

2001 — Buried with full 

military honors, Colonel 

Scales cremated remains 

were interred at Arlington 

National Cemetery. During 

this ceremony, Lieutenant 

General Thomas Plewes 

presented the flag to the 

widow of Colonel David 

Scales. An Active Guard 

Reserve officer assigned to 

the Office of the Deputy 

Chief of Staff, Personnel, 

Scales was at his place of 

duty when the hijacked 

airliner slammed into the 

Pentagon. (Photo by 

Lieutenant Colonel Randy 

Pullen, OCAR Public 

Affairs Office) 
75

 

Answering the call 

Aguadillo, PR, 14 September 2001 — SGT Jean Paul Villanueva of the Army Reserve's 311th 

Quartermaster Company (Mortuary Affairs) gets a farewell hug from his son, Jean Carlo, prior 

to SGT Villanueva's deployment from Puerto Rico to Washington, DC, on September 14. Army 

Reservists called up for Operation NOBLE EAGLE or ENDURING FREEDOM held similar 

farewells across the nation. (Photo by Mr. Pedro Silva, 65th RSC Public Affairs Specialist.)
76 

(RIGHT) 

Arlington, VA, 6 November 

2001 — Specialists Jose 

Acosta and Maria Izquierdo, 

both from the 311th QM Co, 

pose outside Building 228, 

Fort Myer, by their unit's 

painted insignia. Building 

228 housed the personal 

effects, from both the living 

and deceased Pentagon 

employees, that were 

removed from the damaged 

sections of the Pentagon. 

After the 311th QM Co 

decontaminated those

objects the owners and 

surviving family members 

could sign and take the 

items home. Soldiers from 

the 311th QM Co also 

enjoyed the break room 

and performed some 

administrative functions in 

this building. (Photo by 

Sergeant William Miller, 

90th MHD, San Antonio, 

TX.) 

(LEFT) 

Arlington, VA, 6 

November 2001 — The 

311th Quartermaster 

Company processed and 

cleaned the personal 

effects of the victims of 

the Pentagon attack in 

Building 227 at Fort 

Myer. The open spaces 

inside the building, 

which once served as a 

stable, allowed planners 

to partition it into 

sections suitable for the 

different stages of 

cleaning the effects. 

(Photo by Sergeant 

William Miller, 90th 

MHD, San Antonio, TX.) 
77

Rebuilding the Pentagon 

Arlington, VA, 9 January 2002 — This picture shows the reconstruction efforts at the Pentagon. The E, D, and C 

rings have been torn down, cleared and construction started on the first floor E ring. By 11 September 2002 Pentagon 

workers completely rebuilt the outer ring (E ring). (Photo by Sergeant William Miller, 90th MHD, San Antonio, TX.) 
78 

Arlington, VA, 9 January 2002 — This picture provides a view of Corridor 5, Second Floor leading to the center of 

the Pentagon. Pentagon workers cleared this hallway of debris before rebuilding in this area. (Photo by Sergeant 

William Miller, 90th MHD, San Antonio, TX.) 
79

One Year Later: Pentagon Observance Ceremony

Arlington, VA, 11 September 2002 — One year after Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon President George Bush 

and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld attended an observance of the 11 September 2001 attack. Held at the 

site of the impact, which showcased the rebuilt section and the efforts of the construction workers, soldiers unfurled 

the same US flag flown at the impact site a year earlier. Afterwards, at 9:37 A.M., which was the time Flight 77 hit 

the Pentagon on 11 September 2001, a moment of silence was held for the victims of the attack. (Photo by Sergeant 

William Miller, 90th MHD, San Antonio, TX ) 
Lieutenant Colonel Timon Oujiri 

80 
Chapter 11 

Lieutenant Colonel Timon Oujiri, Active Guard Reserve Officer, OCAR 

INTERVIEWER: What were you expecting to do on 11 September? What was your planned 

day and was it close to your average day? 

OUJIRI: It was close to the average. It was planned out. I was supposed to be over in the 

building at 10:30 [a.m.] meeting with some people . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: The building being the Pentagon? 

OUJIRI: The building being the Pentagon. The Chief of the Army Reserve, Lieutenant General 

[Thomas J.] Plewes, I was to pick him up at 10:30 [a.m.]. At 11:00 [a.m.], he and I were going 

out to a lunch. . . . He had meetings, luncheon meetings, and that afternoon I was his escort for 

that day for briefings, etc. . . . 

INTERVIEWER: What actually transpired? When did you first learn about the World Trade 

Center attack? 

OUJIRI: We were up here in the office [Jefferson Plaza II]. 

INTERVIEWER: On Jefferson Davis Highway? 

OUJIRI: On Jefferson Davis Highway. 

INTERVIEWER: Al Schilf [Chief, Public Affairs Branch, OCAR Public Affairs and Liaison 

Directorate] came in . . . and said, “A plane just went into the World Trade Center.” This must 

have been somewhere before 9:00 [a.m.], knowing all the times now but looking back at the 

time, it was somewhere before 9:00 [a.m.]. We all thought it was just an accident. I then left the 

office from here and went down to the gymnasium where I was going to go out for my run. I 

went down and turned on the news down there in the workout facility where they have the TVs 

and all the cables. . . . I turned on the news to show people what happened in New York City. . . 

I then went out for a run. As I am out running, the running path goes by National [Reagan] 

Airport, and normally during that part of the day, 9:00 or 9:30 [a.m.] . . . , a lot of air traffic is 

going back and forth. Well, I noticed that day that only one aircraft took off and only one 

aircraft landed. I thought, well, since the accident up at New York, they might be shutting down 

traffic on the East Coast. Makes sense to me. As I am coming back in from my run, I am 

81
passing National Airport on the way back to JP II, Jefferson Plaza Two on Jefferson Davis 

Highway. I notice that all of the aircraft were no longer on the tarmac or the runways. I thought 

that was kind of odd. They must have had something go wrong up in New York, because 

everything was back . . . against the terminal. At that time, I heard an aircraft incoming. . . . 

 At this time, it was an accident, so far as I knew. . . . Anyway, so I am back and I hear 

this aircraft accelerate, and I thought to myself that is not a normal approach sound for an 

aircraft. It sounded like it was really accelerating. I heard the impact and I stopped. I turned. I 

looked over toward where the . . . the Pentagon was, and I saw the plume of smoke. I could not 

see the building because of the trees, and I was a half-mile away probably. I thought to myself, 

somebody went into the Pentagon. I had no idea. So I ran back to the office. As I returned to 

the office, people were evacuating the building, etc. I came in, got on the elevator, came up to 

my desk, called my wife to say I am okay . . . and then went to my evacuation site. 

INTERVIEWER: When you saw the smoke and you heard the plane, were you making a 

connection that it could be a deliberate act? 

OUJIRI: For some reason, I thought it was a deliberate act. I remember saying to myself, 

"Somebody got the Pentagon. Somebody went into the building." At that time, I thought . . . it 

was not an accident, but then after thinking about it, I thought, what a coincidence, two 

accidents, etc. And then when I got back here, I heard the second plane went into the World 

Trade Center. But my gut reaction was that it was a deliberate attack. I don’t know if I used the 

term attack, but it was deliberate. I remember my gut reaction was that it was deliberate. 

INTERVIEWER: When you got back here, what were the reactions of those around you? 

What did you see on their faces? Were they evacuating the building? 

OUJIRI: They were evacuating the building very . . . systematically. No panic, no sense of 

distraught. . . . It was not panic. It was not chaos at all. 

INTERVIEWER: How did the accounting go outside? 

OUJIRI: By the time I got down there, our deputy had everyone accounted for. . . .We knew we 

were missing three people: Colonel Profit, Brigitte Hanes, and Major Jean McGinnis. We knew 

that they were in the building, again the building being the Pentagon. They were over there for 

meetings. . . . We knew . . . they were there somewhere, so we did not have 100 percent 

accountability for them. But . . . we knew the whereabouts of everyone else. . . . They knew I 

was out at the gym,. . . but they did not know exactly where I was until I came back and showed 

up . . . . 

82 
INTERVIEWER: Were the three people you mentioned eventually accounted for? 

OUJIRI: They were all accounted for later . . . that day . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: What did you do after you reached the evacuation point? Did you try to go 

home? 

OUJIRI: No. We were trying to locate Colonel Profit and those [others]. . . . The cell phones 

would not work, etc. So, I, out of curiosity, was going to go over to the building and see if we 

could help. When we arrived over on Army-Navy Drive, the emergency people and all of the 

police were turning everybody back. At that time, there were some rescue vehicles caught in 

traffic. I jumped out . . . and then as I am coming back to the building, some colonel . . . said that 

they needed volunteers to evacuate people in the Pentagon. . . . 

 So I was up on corridor 8 [of the Pentagon] speaking to a sergeant, and this doctor. . . 

said, “Hey, we need some people.” There were four or five of us. He said, “Come on and follow 

me.” So I went with this person and the other four or five that were there went into the medical 

clinic there on corridor 8. He said, “We need these supplies.” We were just grabbing everything 

that was in the medical clinic in corridor 8 [and] took those supplies out into the courtyard. 

When we arrived in the courtyard, the firemen were already there. This is now noon, I think. . . . 

I am still in my PT [physical training] gear. They organized us into teams, into structured teams 

on how to recover casualties and deceased. We were supposed to move into the building and 

help the firemen. Well, the firemen said no, it was still too hot. They were still fighting the 

fires, etc. 

 So, we . . . organized the teams into assistance parties, I guess you would call them, for 

the firemen. The firemen were on teams rotating, going in, coming out, going in, coming out. 

We got water for them. There was that concession area down there. Whatever food that they 

had available, we made them sandwiches and we were assisting them . . . helping them with their 

gear. . . . They were pretty well whipped. Later that day . . . they took some of our teams and 

moved us from the courtyard to the outside. . . . So myself and . . . a couple of other teams 

moved out to the outside of the building. . . . That was when I first saw the impact area. 

INTERVIEWER: What was your reaction when you saw that? 

OUJIRI: I never felt personal to a building before, but someone hit my building. Just being 

assigned to the Pentagon and working in there, it was a personal assault. . . . People have asked 

me before was it chaotic. . . . It wasn’t. People were organized, systematic, calm, frustrated. . . . 

We were not allowed to go in . . . and help. . . . Just knowing the building . . . that there are 

25,000 people who work in that building, ten corridors . . . and you know that they need help 

and you are not allowed to go in and help. I understand why. The firefighters were there and 

83
they had their mission, but it was frustrating because we could not do anything. . . .We could not 

do anything to help them. . . . I . . . wish I could have done more. 40

 

40 Lieutenant Colonel Timon Oujiri, interview by Sergeant William Miller, tape recording with transcript, 14 

December 2001 and Article, “Answering the Call – Individual Accounts, Lieutenant Colonel Timon Oujiri,” OCAR 

website, 14 September 2001. 

84 
85
Captain Will Flucker 

Major Tyree Webster 

86 
Chapter 12 

Major Tyree Webster, Active Guard Reserve Officer, and 

Captain Will Flucker, Active Component Officer, OCAR 

 

WEBSTER: Basically, [11 September] was a typical day. I live in Woodbridge [Virginia] and 

once I got here, I went through the daily activities, going through email. Once I noticed on CNN 

the World Trade Centers had been attacked, I am on what is called the Crisis Action Team for 

the Army. I am one of the first responders for a crisis. . . . What it means is that as soon as 

there is a national disaster or an attack against, domestic or on foreign soil, the United States....I 

am the first person that they call in the Army Reserve here in the National Capitol Region. . . . 

 Once they call me, I will call the folks who work our EOC [Emergency Operations 

Center] at OCAR. . . . I work myself in the Army Operations Center [AOC]. . . . I maintain the 

SOPs [standard operating procedures] and operation procedures for those two locations. . . . 

Then, once I got my call, I got a hold of Captain Flucker and Major [Gregory] Martin, who are 

part of my emergency relocation group team. . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Captain Flucker, how did your day start? 

FLUCKER: As Major Webster said, it was a relatively normal day. . . . We started the day off 

very normally, and then someone came over and said that a plane had crashed into one of the 

towers of the World Trade Center. They brought me over to where the television was, and I 

watched the second aircraft hit the second tower. Now in between that time, of course, a 

telephone call [came] from . . . over at the Pentagon announcing that the Crisis Action Team, the 

CAT, would be standing up and that we would be going to an orientation briefing. So, of course, 

at that point, . . . we had a group of folks standing around the television and our day had instantly 

gone from normal to extraordinary . . . . 

 I remember saying as we were standing there at the bus stop, “We need to be looking for 

the third target.” . . . I had at that time no idea that the Pentagon would be that target. I think we 

all shared a suspicion that there was a third target and that while everyone’s attention was 

focused in New York that something would happen someplace. . . . But it completely changed 

my world when we heard the report from the crash and saw the smoke billow up from the third 

target, which was the Pentagon. Even as I ran from the bus stop back into the building to dial 

911, I could barely appreciate what had just happened . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: So you all were standing at the bus stop coming from JP II [Jefferson Plaza 

2] on the way over to the Pentagon when the plane crashed into the Pentagon. Could you hear 

the impact? 

87
WEBSTER: Absolutely. 

FLUCKER: We felt the impact. . . . Your uniform kind of puffs out from the shockwave. . . . 

We heard a distinctive explosion and then from our vantage point . . . we immediately saw the 

smoke billowing up. 

WEBSTER: Fireballs going up . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Did you continue to make your way over to the Pentagon? 

FLUCKER: Not immediately. . . . I lost track of Major Martin and Major Webster at that point, 

because I went back . . . inside JP II to go to the nearest phone and I called 911. Then I went 

back out to the bus stop, and I believe I passed . . . . 

WEBSTER: You passed me heading back into the building. 

FLUCKER: That’s right. So, Major Webster was coming back into the building as I ran out. 

Now here is what’s weird. Just as normal as you please, the bus pulled up as I ran out of the 

building. I got on the bus as I normally would. We took off headed for the Pentagon like we 

normally would. It occurred to me that I was the only one hyperventilating on the bus. These 

folks did not know what happened until we turned the corner about a block away. So, yes . . . I 

came in and then headed back to the bus and towards the Pentagon. I ended up getting up to the 

site of the explosion. 

INTERVIEWER: When you headed back into JP II, what was your plan? 

WEBSTER: Well, here is what my plan was. . . . I told Major Martin, “You go upstairs and you 

alert the folks upstairs to what has happened. I will call them ahead of time while you are on 

your way up. I will also try to make contact with the Pentagon." My cell worked. . . . I called 

the Pentagon and could not get through. . . . I tried to contact the front office [the office of 

Lieutenant General Plewes, the Chief, Army Reserve, located in the Pentagon]. . . . When 

something like this happens, that is the next thing that will activate,. . . the Emergency 

Operations Center. . . . We wanted folks to come out [of OCAR staff offices in JP II] so we could 

make an assessment. . . . We did not know what kind of attack it was, chemical or what. 

FLUCKER: At this point, we do not know that it is an aircraft that has hit the Pentagon. . . . We 

know that there has been an explosion at the Pentagon. . . . I think that what . . . Major Webster 

was getting at was we all knew what the game plan was . . . but in all of our practices and all of 

88 
our exercises, the original base of operations was the Pentagon. But now the Pentagon was hit 

and that changed the game plan fundamentally. We knew that we could still operate. The 

question was what contingency plan do we activate now because our original starting point was 

hit? 

 Now, I am on my way back to the Pentagon with the intent of finding out if indeed the 

Pentagon Crisis Action Center is still up and active and if so, then I need to get in there. 

Meanwhile, as Major Webster says, he is trying to figure out . . . what we need to stand up an 

Emergency Operations Center to connect to the Army Reserve Center, to OCAR here, and we 

need to be thinking about relocation. . . . Hindsight being 20/20, we ended up doing some things 

right. 

WEBSTER: Right, we went to Major Martin’s apartment and established contact . . . with the 

Army Operations Center. . . . Once I called those guys . . . they were trying to activate the joint 

communications center. See our phone was down, so they could not contact me. . . . Once I 

found that information out, Major Martin did some calls and made some more things happen. 

Then we came back over to JP II . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: So you were coming back into JP II. Captain Flucker, you were over there 

at the Pentagon? 

FLUCKER: Right, . . . I made it to the Pentagon proper . . . but you could not see the Pentagon 

. . . because of the smoke and the flames. . . . I got off of the bus and immediately became aware 

that I was going against the grain. There were literally thousands of people coming out [of the 

Pentagon] and I was going against the grain trying to find out if I could get to the Crisis Action 

Team. I got as close as I could and then could not see through the smoke. So I turned around 

and started heading this way. 

 Now everybody was trying to use their cell phones. There was no communication. This 

was when I first realized that it was a plane because there were folks coming out of the Pentagon 

who saw what had happened and they explained where the plane came from, how it hit and so 

forth. So I head back over to JP II here at OCAR, and by this time the building has been 

evacuated. . . . So I find Colonel [Mitchell] Bisanar, the [OCAR] Operations Division chief, and 

explained to him what happened so he could make an assessment of whether he should stay or 

go. . . . 

 So my focus is get to the Crisis Action Center, wherever that may be, and we are still 

contemplating maybe that is going to be here at JP II, but wherever it is going to be, my focus is 

to get there. Meanwhile, he [Major Webster] is working the emergency relocation plan. All of 

this is happening I would say in less than a half hour after the explosion . . . . 

 I would mention . . . there are some secondary explosions that touch off a frenzy of 

supposition as to whether or not a fourth target has been hit. . . . We found out later that those 

89
were secondary explosions from the aircraft at the Pentagon. But it added to the confusion. 

Colonel Bisanar, the Operations Division chief, made the call that everyone [the OCAR staff] go 

home . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Did it concern you that you were not able to get into the Pentagon to the 

Army Operations Center? 

FLUCKER: Absolutely!! 

WEBSTER: Oh yes!! 

FLUCKER: As with any soldier, whatever the drill is, that is the drill that you want to execute. 

With the Pentagon hit and even though only one side of the building was affected, it looked like 

the entire building was engulfed and you could not really tell where the primary point of impact 

was. Then the folks, both civilian and military security forces, would not allow you to get into 

the Pentagon. That was very frustrating . . . because I knew in my heart of hearts that the Crisis 

Action Team, because of where it is located in the building, was still viable . . . . 

WEBSTER: As Captain Flucker was saying, everybody was upset hearing the building was on 

fire. My attempt to call the AOC [Army Operations Center] was good because, one, we let them 

know that we are trying to get there. Once we get through the security issues, we will send 

somebody to represent the Army Reserve on the Crisis Action Team . . . . 

FLUCKER: So what happens at this point is . . . [the Army Reserve representative to the Crisis 

Action Team] . . . calls ahead and now . . . by about 1600 hours [the link up between military and 

civilian security forces] had happened. . . . The external security forces then know that there were 

certain people that had to be allowed in. . . . By this time, I had made it home, made some 

arrangements there, and I am on my way back. So by 1800 hours, I had to leave [the Army 

Reserve representative]. I had no problem getting in because I had announced ahead of time. 

 

INTERVIEWER: Could you outline for us where Major Martin’s apartment is in relation to the 

Pentagon? Were you in visual or auditory range? 

FLUCKER: I would say about five miles south of the Pentagon and about a mile from this 

location, JP II, which is why it was an ideal location if we had to set up an alternate command 

and control center. 

WEBSTER: You can see the Pentagon from his apartment. You can pretty much see what is 

going on. 

90 
FLUCKER: Now, for those of us who made it to cars and started the journey home [it] . . . was 

an odyssey all its own because people were stuck in traffic. All four lanes of I-95 are locked up 

and people are now getting out of their cars in fear and leaving them on the freeway, which is 

now a hopeless situation. But in all of that, for those of us who were in vehicles, you turn on the 

radio and there was mass speculation as to what was going on . . . . 

WEBSTER: Car bomb blew up in front of the State Department. 

FLUCKER: That’s right! There were a number of things that were not only confusing to the 

folks in the National Capitol Region trying to get home, but now they are being broadcast over 

the radio. . . . They are mingling with what I know my primary duty is . . . to get back to the 

CAT. Are my kids out of school now? Does my wife know? And all of these things and, of 

course, the cell phones are not working. And everybody’s family members are trying to contact 

us . . . . 

WEBSTER: There was one major key factor that I forgot to mention here. While Captain 

Flucker and the rest of OCAR was headed home, there was a small contingency of folks here. 

What we did was we sat down our operations chiefs at this location. We sat down and got our 

roster out. We put together our manning. . . . So, the planning was to have two people per shift, 

because we were not too sure how long this was going to last. When they were gone, some 

additional planning took place, and then we assessed the situation and figured out what we 

needed to do to support the Army Operations Center. 

INTERVIEWER: In what way were you to support the Army Operations Center? 

FLUCKER: The Army Operations Center . . . is the service headquarters that provides trained 

and ready soldiers to commanders-in-chief [CINCs] . . . to prosecute a war. Normally what we 

would do is join any Army Operations Center, activate the Crisis Action Center, and then get 

about the business of selecting trained and ready forces so that we can fight a war. 

 Unfortunately, . . . this crisis was within the continental United States, and so it made our 

game plan a little convoluted. Instead of sending forces out, we were . . . focused on . . . finding 

members of our own organizations. There were folks in the Pentagon now who have been 

directly affected by this attack and so rather than doing what we normally do initially, which is 

[to decide] what forces are needed, now we are trying to locate who is, well quite frankly, who is 

alive and who is dead. We are trying to do that in a way that we don’t give the wrong impression 

to the families and that kind of thing. I will tell you we spent the first twelve hours getting that 

done. . . . After that priority or concurrent with that priority [was] to establish communication 

with the folks, the organizations we need to help us do our job, that is the United States Army 

91
Reserve Command, Army Reserve Personnel Command, and Forces Command, and a number of 

other agencies. . . . 

 Now by this time it is, let’s say between 1900 and 2000 in the evening, and we have 

established contact with all the major headquarters. Now I am in communication with the 

Emergency Operations Center here at OCAR and with the Director of Staff Colonel [Terry] 

Lerch, who is assisting in the operation from his home on two phones, his regular phone and his 

cell phone. So we are going back and forth through every division of this organization trying to 

account for folks. Colonel Lerch stayed with me until about four in the morning, working that 

from his home. I think he got about an hour [of] sleep and then he was back here . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: At 1900, you have established communication with the Army Operations 

Center. 

FLUCKER: Right, I am in the Army Operations Center and I have established communication 

with our critical coordination nodes . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: And you are handling some family requests. What other requests were being 

made of you from the Army and what types of contributions were you making at the operations 

centers? 

FLUCKER: I don’t want to call this the second priority because all this was happening 

concurrent. While we were trying to get 100 percent accountability, the other thing that we were 

working was to immediately secure the Pentagon, get forces from wherever they need to be up to 

the Pentagon . . . [By this time, military] installations all over the United States now have gone 

to...Force Protection Condition Delta which is the highest level of force protection. 

INTERVIEWER: Which basically means they are in a lockdown situation. 

FLUCKER: Then, on top of all that, we were engaged in the planning for future operations, that 

is defense of the continental United States against a suspected, even probable, follow-on attack. 

We’re still within a twenty-four hour window and we do not know if this is over. . . . 

WEBSTER: The next day, . . . we came in and we established . . . our Emergency Operations 

Center here at OCAR. . . . 

FLUCKER: It was messy, but we got it done. . . . We can survive, remain viable, and operate 

under just about any circumstances. I am confident now that there is very little that an enemy 

92 
could do to the command and control structure of the United States military that would make us 

untenable for anything more than a very short, very short period of time . . . . 41

 

41 Major Tyree Webster and Captain Will Flucker, interview by Captain Suzanne L. Summers and Sergeant William 

L. Miller, tape recording with transcript, 14 December 2001. 

93
94 

Major Gregory Martin 
Chapter 13 

Major Gregory Martin, Active Guard Reserve Officer, OCAR 

MARTIN: In addition to [my regular duties working in the area of homeland defense], I have 

additional duties. . . . I am the alternate battle captain for the Crisis Action Team in the Army 

Operations Center. . . . What transpired on the morning of 11 September basically flowed like 

this from my perspective. I was sitting in the office at OCAR coordinating with another action 

officer for a general officer conference that was to be held here in Washington. . . . I don’t 

remember the exact time. It was probably around 0830 or so, 0840. Another officer came in and 

told me that a plane has struck the World Trade Center. At that point, I stopped what I was 

doing and I went to see what was going on. I went to our operations center. I found out shortly 

thereafter that a second plane had hit the second World Trade Tower and at that point I knew in 

my mind that we were being attacked by terrorists. It just had to be. 

 At that point I got with the primary battle captain for the Crisis Action Team [CAT], . . . 

Major Tyree Webster. . . . I asked him what his plan of action was, whether or not the CAT was 

going to be activated. He said that he had already talked to the Army Operations Center and that 

they had notified him that all Crisis Action Team primary seat holders were to be seated by 1000 

hours. . . . I conferred with him and recommended that I go with him to the CAT to see what was 

going on, to assess the situation. That way, if he needed to stay as the primary battle captain, I 

could come back and get face-to-face with our leadership back here at the Office, Chief Army 

Reserve and let them know what we were doing with regard to the CAT and be able to proceed 

with further courses of action at that point. I also suggested that we bring the number three battle 

captain, . . . [Captain] Will Flucker, who is an active component officer who has been working 

with us for the last three years, very capable officer . . . . 

 We determined to try to catch a bus from Crystal City to the Pentagon. . . . At 0938 hours, 

while we were standing at the northern end of Crystal City about a half mile from the Pentagon 

or less, . . . [and] were waiting for the bus . . . we heard a loud explosion. I immediately turned 

to my right and could see a large black cloud of smoke and debris. My immediate response was 

“Oh, my God!! They just hit the Pentagon.” I did not know anything more than that, but the 

explosion was obviously large enough that it was something to be concerned about. I did not 

know that it was a plane that had slammed into the Pentagon because Highway One was 

immediately between my position and the Pentagon. In fact, my first thought was that it could 

have been a car bomb . . . . 

 At that point, the immediate question in my mind was “Okay, what should I do? What do 

my responsibilities call me to do?”. . . We huddled quickly and decided that it would be best, not 

knowing the situation at the Pentagon, to attempt to contact the Army Operations Center via 

phone and to get back to our building here in Crystal City. [We wanted] to warn the leadership 

95
that we suspect the Pentagon had been attacked. We may want to consider evacuating our own 

building which is a twelve-story building and could itself be a target. . . . We did call the Army 

Operations Center and asked for their instructions. 

INTERVIEWER: And you were able to get through to them at this time? 

MARTIN: Actually, we got through to them. . . .We did evacuate the building. At that point, I 

recommended to my boss, the Director of Operations, Colonel [Mitchell] Bisanar, that Major 

Webster and I relocate to my apartment, which is only a twelve-minute walk [from OCAR 

offices in Crystal City], . . . and reestablish contact with the Army Operations Center. . . . When 

we were standing outside all we had were cell phones and we could not talk to them. . . . Those 

are the things that were foremost in our mind. Are you going to continue operating the CAT out 

of the Pentagon, or is it safe? Or do we have environmental hazards like fires raging and all 

that? 

 Once Colonel Bisanar approved that recommendation, Major Webster and I ran back to 

my apartment, which took us about six minutes, carrying a bunch of gear, documents. We were 

able to use my private telephone to reach the Army Operations Center. At that point, we were 

told that the CAT would continue to operate out of the basement even though the building was 

on fire. We were asked to send someone to occupy the CAT seat for the Army Reserve. . . . . 

 At that point, I decided to make my way back to the Pentagon to occupy the CAT seat. I 

got a hold of the Army Operations Center via landline again. I confirmed that no one from the 

Army Reserve had reported to the Army Operations Center to establish our CAT seat and begin 

operating from the CAT. 

INTERVIEWER: Sir, where was Captain Flucker at this point? 

MARTIN: Captain Flucker and I coordinated. We decided that I would occupy the CAT seat 

first. . . . At approximately 1600 hours on 11 September, I actually reported into the Army 

Operations Center and established the Army Reserve’s CAT seat . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: When did you get your first view of the Pentagon? Did you see it that day? 

MARTIN: Oh, yeah! Well, I reported in at, like I said, at 1600 on that day. Getting to the 

Pentagon was an interesting story. What I did was . . . [get a] a ride to the Pentagon because you 

could not get in on the normal entrances. We took back roads near the Potomac River to get into 

the Pentagon River entrance, which was the only entrance . . . [into] the Pentagon. This was the 

complete opposite side of where the plane struck. It struck . . . around corridor 4 and we were on 

the other side. Before we even got close to the Pentagon, we encountered Arlington Police who 

had established roadblocks and were not letting anyone in through that area at all. I was in 

96 
military uniform. . . . I also had my military identification . . . [which] I got out. I spoke to the 

officer, introduced myself, and told him why I needed to get into the Pentagon. I said that if he 

wanted to call the desk officer at the Army Operations Center, that that was fine with me. Here 

is the number and if you want to call yourself go ahead and call. He did that and he verified with 

them that they were expecting me to come in. At that point, after showing my military ID and 

everything else I had, he was convinced that I was legitimate, and he let me through. At that 

point, I went through additional security. There were armed guards posted with automatic 

weapons, at the entrance, which is very close to the secretary of defense’s office, and I had no 

problem getting in. 

 I know my way around the Pentagon. . . . I worked in the Pentagon in the Army 

Operations Center for two years, and I have been in this area for almost four years. . . . It was a 

good thing that I did because the Pentagon was full of smoke. . . . By the time I got away from 

the entrance and I was maybe halfway to that stairwell, it was pitch dark with acrid smoke. The 

lights were all out. It was absolutely dark. I did not have a flashlight with me because I did not 

expect that, plus I was in a hurry to get there in the first place. . . . I grabbed the handrail and I 

worked my way down a couple of flights of stairs and through some dark hallways until I got to 

the Army Operations Center and there the lights were on. I don’t know what the situation was, 

whether they were using back-up power or if it had not just affected their primary power. Once I 

got all the way down to the bottom of the stairwell . . . I just . . . reported in and let everyone 

know that the Army Reserve had stood up its desk at the CAT . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Was there any danger of the AOC being shut down due to the fire? 

MARTIN: Yeah, there was a lot of smoke. You were breathing smoke when you were in the 

Army Operations Center. We were warriors and we were at war. We did not worry about it. 

Then I was replaced by Captain Flucker. I only spent a couple of hours there at the Army 

Operations Center. I got things started . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: What did you do to get things started, sir? 

MARTIN: The first thing I did was get instructions about what was going on and what was 

expected. What does the Army staff and Army leadership expect from the Army Reserve? At 

that point and over the next several hours the priority was assessing who the casualties were at 

the Pentagon. That was the priority in the operations center. We knew we had people killed and 

a lot of people injured. Personnel accountability, treating the wounded, those were the priorities 

in the first few hours. There was no thought of mobilizing assets in the first few hours. . . . That 

had not happened in the first few hours. I can tell you we were more worried about people being 

hurt and killed and ensuring that we had the capability of keeping the CAT and the Army 

97
Operations Center going because that is where the Army leadership comes in to huddle and to 

plan operations to take care of situations like the one that we had . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Could you describe the atmosphere in the AOC? 

MARTIN: I would describe the atmosphere as one of professionalism, one of calm, one of 

trained people doing their jobs. That is the best description that I can give you. There was no 

fear. People were not running around with no purpose. It was as you would want and expect 

any military operation to be. 

INTERVIEWER: What event stands out most in your mind that day? 

MARTIN: Now you have to remember, I . . . heard the explosion and saw the plume at the 

Pentagon. Certainly that stands out in my mind. At that point, my question was, “How many 

planes are there with terrorists onboard? Are we going to have a hundred planes slamming into 

targets all over the country?” I was concerned about continuity of government: Where is the 

president? Is he being protected? What about our political leadership at the Capitol? Where are 

they going to go? I did not have to worry about them, but because I do continuity of operations 

for the Department of Defense, I am also thinking about the continuity of the government, which 

is the civilian/federal side. What is going on in our country right now? 

 I would have to say that the . . . two events that stand out most in my mind on that day 

was when I found out a second plane had hit the World Trade Center. I knew then that this was 

not an accident. This was terrorism. [The other event] was when someone told me in the 

afternoon while I was in a traffic jam trying to get back to OCAR . . . that one of the World 

Centers had collapsed. That is . . . what stood out in my mind. 

 It was a couple [of] days before I realized I had lost a very close colleague, a couple of 

colleagues, and close personal friend on the New York City Fire Department. [They were] two 

of the senior people, Chief Ray Downey and Chief Jack Fanning, whom I had worked with in the 

last four years, specifically on homeland security and preparing this country for just this kind of 

an event. Jack Fanning, in particular, was a really close friend of mine. He was a great man, a 

thirty-year veteran of the Fire Department of New York and was in charge of the hazardous 

materials response for the entire city of New York. These were men of honor and stature. They 

were well known throughout the country, highly respected, and those of us who have worked in 

this field for the last few years for the military have gotten to know fire chiefs all across the 

country and they have gotten to know us. We have established not only working relationships, 

but often times really close personal friendships. That took a couple of days to find that out . . . . 

98 
The Army has really learned a lesson about the importance of the Army Reserve. Many 

of the assets that first responded were Army Reserve assets. Our mortuary affairs unit came 

from Puerto Rico, and they were the ones who tended to the deceased victims in the Pentagon.42

 

42 Major Gregory Martin, interview by Sergeant William Miller, tape recording with transcript, OCAR, 14 February 

2001. 

99
100 

Sergeant First Class Karen Henderson 
Chapter 14 

Sergeant First Class Karen Henderson, Active Guard Reserve 

Non Commissioned Officer, OCAR 

INTERVIEWER: What were you planning on 11 September? How were you picturing that day 

beginning? 

HENDERSON: It was a normal day. . . . I was supposed to go to the Pentagon in that 

particular section that was hit by the plane earlier that morning. . . . However, Lieutenant 

Colonel [Geraldine] Manning, the new chaplain that had arrived, told me on Monday that she 

was going to be a little late. I waited on her so that I could in-process her and then I was going 

to walk her over to the Metro area so that she could get her ID badge and things like that. 

Lieutenant Colonel [Beth] Robison came in and said, “Turn the television on CNN. A 

plane has hit the Trade Center.” We were all watching that and while we watched, another 

plane hit. 

 Sergeant First Class [Veronica] McCottrey made the comment, “I wouldn’t be surprised 

if something is going on at the Pentagon.” As soon as she finished saying that, it popped up on 

the bottom of the screen. Everyone just got dead quiet. My ex is over there and his brother and 

a lot of really close friends. . . . I was going for the phone, but I couldn’t because Colonel Terry 

Lerch came running in and was telling us to get out of the building. So, I grabbed as many 

things as I could that were important to me, and then we all started down the stairs to the fall-out 

area. 

INTERVIEWER: What was the reaction of the people around you and how smooth was the 

evacuation? 

HENDERSON: Everyone seemed to evacuate pretty fast, quickly, and very orderly. What I 

noticed when I got down there was that a lot of people were really worried about the people 

they knew at the Pentagon and all the smoke from the Pentagon was in our face. We were 

right there and the smoke was just coming. . . . It was hard trying to get accountability for 

everyone because, since we are military, a lot of people wanted to go and help at the Pentagon. 

INTERVIEWER: So what happened next? 

HENDERSON: I’m sitting around waiting and I’m thinking I don’t have a ride home. They had 

stopped the trains and a lot of the other things. . . . I had some friends that worked over at the 

Pentagon. I thought I could get a ride from one of them. I was kind of paranoid about leaving 

101
my group at first and then my cell phone started ringing. It was my mom and friends wanting to 

check that I wasn’t in the Pentagon. . . .We never did catch up with that ride because we got 

separated in the crowd at the Pentagon. There was just a bunch of people running because they 

had said something about another plane being in the area. I saw a lot of smoke and some people 

were injured . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: What was your reaction when you thought you would have been in the 

Pentagon except for waiting for Lieutenant Colonel Manning? 

HENDERSON: That really didn’t hit me until later on that night. It bothers me now because I 

am a single mom. . . . I was concerned about my son when it happened and who would take care 

of him. My mom, I knew she was panicking. I have some really good neighbors [one of whom] 

she called the school and let the school know that I was okay, so that they could let my son know 

that. I had a couple of other friends that came into the neighborhood to pick my son up just in 

case something had happened to me. I had a lot of close neighbors, co-workers, and people that I 

was stationed with that looked out for me and my son. So, that was a positive up side in such a 

trying situation. 

 I never would have imagined anyone doing something like that here in America, much 

less to all these innocent people, the Trade Center or the Pentagon. . . . You just can’t imagine it. 

It bothers me. . . . I try and put it in the back of my head and act like it’s okay, but it does bother 

me. I changed how I do a lot of things and make sure that I let people know how I feel. I let 

them know I care about them and I try and keep in contact with my family a lot closer now . . . . 

 I’m excited about being a part of history, but I’m sad that it had to be on such a somber 

note. I am always going to be proud to be an American because that is who I am. I am also 

proud to be in the military and whatever support I can lend the government and the people as a 

whole, I will be there. 43

 

43 Sergeant First Class Karen Henderson, interview by Sergeant William L. Miller, tape recording with transcript, 

28 November 2001. 

102 
103
104 

Sergeant First Class Monica B. Morris
Chapter 15 

Sergeant First Class Monica B. Morris, Active Guard Reserve 

NonCommissioned Officer, OCAR 

MORRIS: I thought my day was going to be a typical day at work. I did have a meeting at the 

Pentagon . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: And what time was this meeting supposed to be? 

MORRIS: The meeting started at 0900 hours on the 11th. I arrived at the Pentagon 

approximately at 8:45 [a.m.]. I was dropped off by a co-worker. The meeting was in 3 Charlie 

640, the Deputy, Chief of Staff Operations conference room. 

INTERVIEWER: About how far away would that be from ground zero? 

MORRIS: It was approximately 100 meters. The location is between the fifth and the sixth 

corridors on the third floor. . . The meeting proceeded at approximately 0920 hours. . . . I don’t 

know what time exactly the plane hit the Pentagon, but I believe it was at about 0940 hours. We 

were just wrapping up the meeting, and I heard a very loud noise that sounded like the engines of 

a plane when a plane is getting ready to land. Within a millisecond, I heard the impact, felt the 

impact, and felt the shock waves from the blast behind us . . . . 

 The people in the room with me . . . we all looked at each other in shock. We didn’t know 

what was happening. We did not know about the planes hitting the World Trade Center, so some 

of us thought it was a helicopter crashing into the side of the Pentagon. Someone else said it was 

a bomb. Other people thought that it might be an explosion at the construction site. People 

immediately got up and departed the room. . . . The fire alarms did not go off in the Pentagon, 

but people were evacuating. One of the other NCOs [noncommissioned officers] in the meeting 

was new to the Pentagon. His name is Sergeant First Class [John] Johnson. He was the new NCO 

in charge of the medical clinic at the Pentagon. He and I were walking down the corridor to the 

main hallway. I was going to turn to go towards the impact. He looked at me and said he had to 

get back to the clinic. He didn’t know how to get back from the location we were at, so I 

grabbed his arm and said, “Come with me, Sarge.” I led him back towards the eighth corridor, 

which is on the opposite side of the Pentagon. People were going down the steps out towards the 

courtyard. We looked out the windows and saw smoke. We saw people running through the 

courtyard. The stairs were more crowded, so I took him another way to the clinic, instead of 

going through the courtyard. 

105
INTERVIEWER: In the courtyard, had they already started bringing in the wounded?

MORRIS: I did not notice to be honest. I saw people running from the area where the plane had 

hit and saw smoke. 

INTERVIEWER: What was the look on their faces? 

MORRIS: Fear, panic, and shock. As I got into the eighth corridor, which goes out towards the 

north parking lot . . . I was in the main corridor to go out of the building. Sergeant [First Class] 

Johnson went ahead and left me at that time and went to the clinic. I wanted to go with him, but I 

kind of got pushed out with the crowd because there were so many people. There were people in 

the crowd that were very calm. There were some that were very scared, crying, and some were 

panicked. I think I was in shock because I had no idea what was going on and the fire alarms 

were not going off. I don’t remember hearing them at all. As I got outside the Pentagon, that is 

when I found out about the World Trade Center being hit. A couple of us were going to go back 

in, but the guards wouldn’t let us go back in. We were going to go back in and try and help. 

INTERVIEWER: What was your reaction when you heard about the World Trade Center? Did 

you associate that with what happened at the Pentagon? 

MORRIS: Immediately, immediately, I did. From looking at the smoke rising above the 

Pentagon, I knew that it wasn’t a construction explosion. I knew that it wasn’t a helicopter and 

when I heard about the World Trade Center . . . all my thoughts were, “This is not happening. 

This isn’t real. This is insane.” 

 And the worst part was that I was by myself. Because I don’t work over there, I wasn’t 

on anyone’s accountability roster. People here in Crystal City knew that they had dropped me 

off, and I had no way of contacting them to let them know that I was alright. I had nowhere or 

no one to meet up with, so I was basically standing there by myself. A few lieutenant colonels 

from the Joint Staff came and stayed with me and talked with me. They could see that I was 

upset . . . . 

 I tried to call my husband, but could not get through on anyone’s cell phone. I did not 

have a cell phone with me. I tried to walk back towards Crystal City. The Defense Protective 

Service wasn’t letting anyone walk past the mall or the river entrance area, which goes back 

toward Crystal City, because all the smoke was going that way. And they didn’t know about the 

fourth plane yet. They didn’t know where that was. All of a sudden, the fighter jets were 

scrambled over the Pentagon and because they didn’t know where the fourth plane was, they 

thought it was more attacks. They yelled for everyone to take cover. We immediately took 

cover and had to move back even farther away from the Pentagon towards Lady Bird Johnson 

Park . . . . 

106 
My day did not end there. I met up with Major [Desiree] Wineland [of OCAR]. . . . She 

had run over from Crystal City because . . . her children were in the daycare center outside of the 

Pentagon. She found her children and all the children had been evacuated immediately. They 

were safe. She met up with her children. I met up with her and stayed with her until her 

husband, who is a captain here at OCAR, came back. He had taken some injured people to a 

nearby hospital. When he did return, he ended up giving me a ride back to Fort Belvoir where I 

live with my family. On the way, we stopped at a convenience store and that is when I was able 

to finally contact my husband. That was approximately around 1300 hours, so there were quite a 

few agonizing, terrifying hours spent outside. 

INTERVIEWER: Did your husband know that you had a Pentagon briefing that morning? 

MORRIS: He did not know, but he knows that I am over at the Pentagon whether it’s picking 

up mail or going to meetings. So he wasn’t sure if I was there or not. It was pretty agonizing for 

him and my children, because my oldest daughter did find out at school. 

INTERVIEWER: And how has this event changed your life? Or has it? 

MORRIS: I’m not sure how it has changed it. It has been pretty difficult. The first month was 

very hard on me. I had trouble sleeping. I pretty much drowned myself in work to deal with 

what had happened and the fact that I didn’t feel that I had helped enough. . . . I did meet up 

with Sergeant First Class Johnson about three weeks after 11 September. He thanked me for 

helping him get back where he had to go. And that made me feel a lot better, like I had done 

something. Just sadness . . . I was very, very sad for a long time. It makes me appreciate life 

more. It makes me happy to be alive and to do my best everyday. 44

 

44 Sergeant First Class Monica B. Morris, interview by Sergeant William Miller, tape recording with transcript, 29 

November 2001. 

107
Chaplain (Colonel) Larry W. Racster 

108 
Chapter 16 

Chaplain (Colonel) Larry W. Racster, Reserve Advisor to the 

Chief of Chaplains, HQDA 

INTERVIEWER: Could you tell us a little bit about what you were doing on the morning of 11 

September when you got the news about the plane crash at the Pentagon? 

RACSTER: Yes, I have an interesting anecdote to that day, as I am sure everybody does. 

Everybody remembers where they were on 11 September. On 11 September, I was at Manassas 

city traffic court with my eighteen-year-old son, who had a moving violation . . . . 

 The ironic part or what I call the providential [part] of that is that I was scheduled to be 

the XO [executive officer] for the chief of chaplains in the Pentagon that day. I also had a 

suspense that same day with Lieutenant Colonel Bill Stoppel in DCSPER [Deputy Chief of Staff, 

Personnel] and also with Lieutenant Colonel Dave Scales. . . . They work in the DA DCSPER 

office. I was working with them on an issue with colonel and lieutenant colonel promotions 

selection objectives because I am the reserve advisor to the chief of chaplains on all chaplain 

reserve affairs. And, if by providence, if God had not had me be where I was, I would have most 

certainly been in the building and probably with Dave and with Bill when the plane went in. In 

fact, Dave sent me an email at 8:30 [a.m.], and the plane went in about 9:00 [a.m.]. Dave was a 

victim. He never came out. So, it’s still very emotional for me, . . . and there are other people 

with hundreds of other stories like that. But it still really brings you home, particularly as a 

chaplain and trusting in God as I do. It really makes you stop and think. 

INTERVIEWER: How quickly did you arrive at the crash scene? 

RACSTER: Yes, as soon as we heard it, we heard someone on a cell phone say, “A plane went 

into the Trade Center.” And at that point, my wife was with my son and me, and we said, “Oh, 

what a tragedy.” And then we heard the other one hit, and I said, “This is no tragedy.” And 

about fifteen minutes later, someone said one had hit the Pentagon. So I got on my cell phone 

and called my office and they said, “Yes, a plane just went in and we are all going to the 

Pentagon.” Our offices were under renovation. In fact, our offices were where the plane went 

in, but we were moved out two and a half years ago, which is another providential thing . . . . 

 I immediately got the bailiff and told the judge the situation and that I needed to go to the 

Pentagon. The judge terminated our case. So I left, went home and put on my BDUs [battle 

dress uniform], grabbed my combat chaplain’s kit, because I didn’t know what to expect. I even 

put my bicycle in the car, because from listening to radio reports I knew that no one could get in. 

They had the streets closed. I thought I’ll get as close as I can and just peddle in on my bike. 

109
As I drove in, I had my beret on. Of course, we are the only branch in the Army that is 

allowed to wear our branch instead of our rank on our beret. So I had my cross on. As soon as 

the policemen saw me, they just waved me in. I got all the way into Hendricks Hall [a Marine 

Corps installation next to Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia], which is on the hill above where the 

plane went in on the Pentagon. I parked my car there and walked to the crash site. 

 When I got there, it was about 11:00 or 11:30 [a.m.]. There were thirty chaplains 

standing underneath a tree. Of course, the crash was two hours before that. There really wasn’t 

much to do at that point except pray, try and talk to rescue workers and the firemen, because the 

building was ablaze. All the people who were casualties that didn’t perish had already been 

removed, so there wasn’t much for us to do at that point . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: What were the reactions? Had most of the military and civilian employees 

who had worked in the Pentagon been evacuated by the time you got there? 

RACSTER: Yes, all that was done. When I got there, the only thing to do was to try and put 

the fire out and, of course, to secure the area so that nothing else came in. That whole first day 

that we were there numerous times we had to run because they would sound the alarm because 

they thought there was another plane in the area or they thought there might be a bomb 

somewhere. We would have to go and jump and hide behind the walls in case there was another 

plane coming in. Security was an issue. But all the people that had been injured that were going 

to make it out had already been extracted from the rubble. 

INTERVIEWER: What were their reactions? If you could just kind of go back mentally and 

describe the scene and expressions on people’s faces. 

RACSTER: It was really a surreal experience. Everybody was just kind of walking around, 

trying to see what they could do. I know the chaplains were, and I saw the firefighters and they 

were, as well. . . . There was every federal agency in the world. . . . Everybody was really about 

business. Almost everybody knew what they were supposed to do and they were doing it. 

Nobody was thinking or even had the time to stop and look at the gravity of what was going on 

and how many people might be in there, because we had heard that anywhere from 150 to 1,000, 

because no one knew at that point. So, everybody was doing their job and a lot of the first 

responders, the medic people, engineers, they were all trained and they knew what they were 

going to do. 

 It was at that point that the chaplains . . . the two-stars [chaplains] of all the branches just 

so happened to be out at time, so about 1:00 [p.m.] they finally said, “We can see now that we 

will not be able to do much, so we are sending most of you home. We are going to leave a small 

group here the rest of the day to see what you can do to work with the first responders.” Since, I 

had my BDUs on and my combat kit, I was pretty much prepared. Some of the guys had been 

110 
there since it happened and they had on their Class Bs, so they weren’t quite dressed for it. So I 

said, “I’ll stay.” And then about eight or nine other guys volunteered to stay and at that point 

then the chaplain that was in charge . . . turned to me and said, “Well, Chaplain Racster, you are 

the most senior guy, so why don’t you take charge.” 

 So, that is what I did at that point. I was given charge that day to do whatever I could do. 

And, of course, being a former infantry officer, I always knew you took the high ground and as a 

chaplain you really take the high ground. [laugh] I knew that location was the most crucial thing 

at that point so that we could minister a religious support as we needed to do. So, what I did was 

I found out where the main entrance was and where everything was happening. It just so 

happened to be right where the plane went in anyway. I went over to the Emergency Operations 

Center [EOC]. I have been working with weapons of mass destruction and with disasters since 

1992. We put together a group of chaplains we call contingency force pool chaplains, and they 

are trained to do exactly what we did. . . . My main purpose was to get a central location that we 

could work out of. I went to the EOC and talked to the emergency operation guy and said, “Hey, 

I need a tent, tables, chairs, a place to set up the chapel. I’ve got the ground, but I need a tent." 

 My mission that day was to stay there, contain that ground, because everybody, the FBI, 

DPS [Department of Public Safety], everybody was there trying to grab a space to set up. So I 

said, “Chaplains, you stay there.” Me and a couple of others went [and] . . . tried to get tents. We 

got them . . . about midnight or so. I went inside the courtyard, because that is where we thought 

they were going to be removing most of the victims. They had all the body bags laid out waiting 

for the next morning to start doing a recovery inside the courtyard. Of course, I had been in the 

courtyard many times working there . . . so it was a real surreal experience. . . . We made sure 

that there were chaplains in there. . . . There were a lot of rescue workers that were still trying to 

go in and still trying to bring people out, although we didn’t think there was much hope. . . . I 

went home about midnight and then returned the next morning at 7:00 [a.m.]. 

 [He discussed operations at the Pentagon over the next several days.] 

 There was an unbelievable outpouring of people, not just military but civilians. When I 

would get home at night, there would be fifteen, twenty phone calls with people wanting to know 

if I was all right and how they could help. . . . That was such a humbling experience to feel that 

love and that concern from the American people. 

INTERVIEWER: As the days went on, how did your mission progress and change? 

RACSTER: What we did was a ministry of presence. . . . We go out with the troops. We get to 

the forward edge of the battle as close as we can get and we perform ministry. That is just by 

talking with people, being there, working with them if we have to. . . . We get to know the people 

and, of course, when you do that that is when you get the reactions from them, and the 

opportunities open for spiritual, moral or whatever counseling that you need to do. We fanned 

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out across that whole inside wire, all eighteen chaplains that we had in the daytime and the ten to 

twelve that we had at night . . . . 

 I assigned people to the crews that were going in, that being the engineers, the mortuary 

team [the 54th Quartermaster Company] from Fort Lee and the reserve mortuary unit [311th 

Quartermaster Company] of Puerto Rico. We would assign chaplains that would actually go in 

with the mortuary team, and they would actually pray over the remains. . . . We have the statue 

of the officer with his rifle saying, “Follow me.” I didn’t have to do that with these guys [the 

chaplains]. I had to put a lasso around them and hold them back, because they all wanted to do 

what they had been called to do. 

INTERVIEWER: Were you the only Army Reservist out of your team of chaplains? 

RACSTER: Yes, I am the only one assigned to the Chief of Chaplains office. I take that back. 

There is another one assigned now, Eric Wester. . . . So, we were the two Army Reservists. We 

called up four more out of our office, and then we also called up seventeen National Guard 

chaplains. And the JFAC [Joint Family Action Center] . . . [Brigadier General James T. Spivey, 

who headed up the JFAC] is a one-star chaplain that . . . is now in the IRR [Individual Ready 

Reserve] . . . . For him to have been pulled out of the IRR to do that mission by an active duty 

three-star is pretty impressive. . . . 

 One of the stories that I heard from one of the chaplains [working with the 311th

Quartermaster Company (Mortuary Affairs)] is that he said, “You know, I just talked to a guy 

and he said, ‘It didn’t bother me to go into the building and picking up the bags. . . . I walked 

into this one room and there was a chair in the room. The room had been completely charred and 

you could tell someone had been sitting in that chair. But right on the wall there was a picture, a 

wedding picture. There was a circle around that picture. Everything in that room was charred, 

but that picture.” He said, “I knew that could be me and I knew that could be my wife and I in 

that room.” The chaplain said he just fell apart. It was those little things that come home to you, 

that bring those horrific sites. . . . A lot of the times, it’s not the site of the disaster, but it’s those 

personal little pricks that remind you that you’re a human and you don’t have the answers at that 

point. . . . 45

 

45 Article, “Answering the Call – Chaplain (Colonel) Larry Racster,” 9 October 2001, OCAR website and Colonel 

Larry W. Racster, interview by Captain Suzanne Summers and Sergeant William Miller, tape recording with 

transcript, 31 October 2001. 

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114 

Major General Robert Diamond 
Chapter 17 

Major General Robert Diamond, the Special Assistant to the 

Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army 

DIAMOND: The Office of the Administrative Assistant [where Major General Diamond is 

assigned] had more deaths and casualties than any other office in the Department of Defense in 

the Pentagon. . . . We had a total of . . . forty people [who] died, thirty-seven instantly and others 

from severe burns. We still have a number of people, about another twenty that were injured and 

hospitalized, many of whom were released that day or the next day. We still have a few that are 

in long-term rehab at the Washington Hospital Center due to burns. So of the Army’s casualties, 

which were about seventy-eight or seventy-nine or eighty, we had about half of them. Just 

uniquely because one of the things that comes under our office is Pentagon renovation and 

reassignment of space. We had just assigned people to move into the new wedge because it was 

the most computer-capable wedge. So our computer people were moving in and, in fact, I think 

the second highest ranking person killed was one of our people . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Can you give me that individual’s name, sir? 

DIAMOND: Mike Selves. . . . His headquarters had moved in there . . . two weeks before, and 

then we had a number of accounting and budget people for the Army, which comes under us. . . . 

There were . . . people that we did not know if they were missing, and then people that we knew 

were missing but did not know if they were in the building at that time for as long as a few days 

later. 

INTERVIEWER: You told me earlier that you were put on duty orders on the 12th of 

September. What does that mean for you in terms of your responsibilities? 

DIAMOND: I had been trying to reach my people that I work with all day [on the 11th], but, of 

course, the communications were down. But I reached our XO [executive officer] about 8:00 

that night and . . . asked him what we were doing. So, we were reconstituting as I called or reestablishing the headquarters operation at a secure building that we were able to locate. . . . I . . . 

asked what I could do. 

 I showed up very early the next morning on the 12th and then was put on orders for an 

extended period of active duty. I was helping, initially, just finding out where all of our people 

were . . . helping the leadership, what we call the front office, the leadership team, locate people 

and reestablish where they would operate out of. . . . I think I probably got out to our remote 

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location at about 6:00 in the morning on the 12th. We had people that were just coming in [to 

help]. 

 We used the phone tree to just let everybody know. There was no communication 

between normal channels. The computers were down and people’s cell phones were not working 

because Verizon was overloaded. So you were trying to talk to people through their home phone 

numbers all night long. That is what we did from our homes on 11 September in the evening. . . . 

 During that time, though, after we got the initial operations set up early in the morning on 

the 12th, we then decided we had to come into the building. [We had] to find out what was left 

of our communications, since we were on the computers and telephones and other kinds of 

communications, both secure and encrypted and non-classified, and if anyone was there. . . . So 

we came and spent most of the 12th in the building. We were pretty much on duty twenty-four 

hours a day that first week trying to simply get operations going and find people. 

 It took us . . . until that Thursday [13 September] to find out how many people that we 

had missing that were killed. . . . It was a very difficult process and that, of course, was very 

wrenching for everybody that was also trying to do their job. We had roughly three thousand 

people that worked for us. . . . How many people on their own just showed up for work, routine 

people, in areas not affected by the Pentagon? [They just] drove in, parked, went in, and they got 

the computers and telephone switches running. By the end of the day of the attack, most of the 

communications nodes were down, and by Thursday afternoon . . . the leadership of the Army 

was fully operational in terms of communication. They moved back in on Friday . . . . 

 When you leave this office, if you turn left, the fire stopped at the end of this corridor. 

This hallway was all full of smoke and everything else and people were operating. . . . Those 

people here, people in the Army staff, people in the Military District of Washington, just showed 

up and did their job and did not worry about the danger. You are living in an environment where 

I would say for that first five or six days or week, we really did not know if something else was 

going to happen. . . . We were issuing cell phones, laptops, computers by the thousands. 

Companies were coming in and saying, “Here, we will donate these.” Under the rules they are 

allowed to loan them for a certain period of time . . . . 

 By the middle of the second week, by about ten days, we had what was called Camp 

Unity or Camp Freedom. . . . It was actually the parking lot because everything was closed off 

anyway. We had this space in the south parking lot. There were two segments of it. One was 

the secured area working in the crash site and the other area was the Salvation Army, or the Red 

Cross, or restaurants that were feeding the rescue workers or troops. There were not that many 

people that were working in the building. 

INTERVIEWER: Did your office play any role in the recovery efforts? 

DIAMOND: We did. Under our office comes security, so we had issues dealing with security, 

as well as property and the administrative control of the physical plant . . . . 

116 
INTERVIEWER: When you say your office has responsibility for security, what did that 

entail? 

DIAMOND: We have security and operations for the Army. This comes under us with a full 

colonel as the head of security, as well as safety: the operation of the Headquarters, Department 

of the Army for evacuation, safety instructions, as well as security, but not dealing with the 

building, but security dealing with people [such as the] issuing of passes and things like that, 

security clearances. . . . There are corresponding people for each of the services. The Defense 

Protective Service is over our chain as it deals with entry and access. . . . One of the things I was 

tasked with after the event . . . was to form a task force and look at the evacuation process . . . 

and determine the building’s assets because it hit the renovated area and make an evaluation . . . . 

 We were going to forty, more than forty funerals because people had memorials in 

different cities . . . and I went to all the ones for our people if they were in this area. . . . We did a 

lot of traveling, a lot of family time, and working with the [Joint] Family Assistance Center. . . . 

The people going through the worst trauma, to some degree, were the people in the hospitals. 

Actually, without anyone dictating it, there was just an informal system to make sure they were 

taken care of. . . . So that first six weeks or so, we did ad hoc visits. . . . Within the Pentagon, 

there were a number of services held. There were many more religious services. I am Jewish, 

one of the very few general officers I know of who is Jewish. An outside synagogue brought a 

rabbi in . . . and he conducted weekly services. . . . Was this enough? Was it quick? It is hard to 

say . . . I was okay until somebody actually asked me it . . . . 

 For about the first three weeks or so, the intensity level . . . you just could not do anything 

other than twenty-four hours a day take care of what you had to do. I would show up at my 

house at 1:00 in the morning. It was dark. I would shower, change, take a two-hour nap, and 

leave at 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning. It was dark and we were wearing BDUs [battle dress 

uniform] at that time . . . . 

 Again, the thing running through this operation where I work was it probably would have 

been a lot easier if it had been abstracted. It became personal because of not only knowing 

people died or knowing them but then having to and wanting to attend three or four memorials or 

ceremonies for individuals and seeing their family. . . . As much as you want to do it, it was one 

of the most difficult things I have done in my life. The hardest thing was presenting the flag to 

the people -- very, very hard . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Are there any parting thoughts you would like to leave us with, sir? 

DIAMOND: I was very proud as a reservist. I called. I got a hold of them that night to do 

whatever I could. I showed up knowing someday I would [get a] call. I think it was the next day 

117
or a day or two later when I was able to call and say, “What am I supposed to do officially to get 

on orders?” 

 What I found from a Reserve standpoint . . . is the large number of Reserve and Guard 

soldiers of all levels who have been totally involved from the very beginning. . . . As you 

probably know, this is the first time general officers in large numbers have been mobilized. I 

think it just goes to show the military, not just the Army, but the services, have come a long way 

[toward integrating the Army Reserve into the active component structure]. . . .In my job . . . I 

would go to the Army Operations Center’s briefings in the morning. . . . I sit. I did this weekend, 

sat in. There was no second thought about should General Diamond [sit in] and he is Reserve, 

and I sat at the table. To my left is the under secretary of the Army, to my right is the director of 

the Army staff. Now these are people I know anyway because I work here. But a number of 

people have remarked to me that, not because of me but because of years ago they would have 

said, “Why is a Reserve general sitting in?” As I look down on the CAT floor, Crisis Action 

Team, two of the four generals, one is a National Guard general and one is [Army Reservist 

Major] General [Robert] Chestnut. . . . He was mobilized, and he was one of the four generals 

running the Army Operations Center. So it is not only that they are there and need us and want 

us, but we are so well thought of and integrated that there is not even a second thought . . . that is 

just the way it is . . . . 

 I was just pleased to be able to make a contribution. Somebody said to me that it must 

have been really hard. But it would have been much more difficult sitting at home watching it 

with nothing to do. . . . I was just honored, terribly honored, especially the funerals, some of the 

people, some of the families that thanked me. I said, “Don’t thank me. I thank you for the 

privilege to be here today.” For me, I am coming toward the end of my career, not immediately, 

but it is an interesting closure because you do not normally have that situation. Desert Storm 

was not one where the Reserves were accorded the same usage or recognition of what they were 

doing. . . . To watch this change in ten years . . . and to see change in the attitude to the Reserve 

and Guard, and I even think . . so in the public mind, and certainly in the political will of mind 

and political leadership that they need to let it be known that the Reserve and Guard are there.46

 

46 Major General Robert Diamond, interview by Captain Suzanne Summers, tape recording with transcript, 2 

January 2001. 

118 
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120 

Lieutenant Colonel Bienvenido Rivera 
Chapter 18 

Lieutenant Colonel Bienvenido Rivera, Active Guard Reserve Officer, HQDA 

INTERVIEWER: Could you tell me how 11 September began? What you were expecting and 

what actually occurred? 

RIVERA: Actually, that day began very, very early for me since I needed to be in a little bit 

earlier than usual at the Pentagon. I got up that day and for some reason it was a strange day. I 

was really a little bit nervous about my first facilitation duties with the [Army Reserve Forces 

Policy Board]. . . . I looked at [my] cell phone and saw the message “Jesus is Lord.” That gave 

me comfort that day. . . . It was a pretty normal day up until about 9:35 [a.m.] when we heard a 

loud explosion, and we felt the shock wave inside of our conference room. 

INTERVIEWER: Prior to that, had you heard anything about the World Trade Center? 

RIVERA: No, we had no clue that anything like that was happening. It was not until we felt the 

shockwave and we heard the explosion. . . . I did not realize it was an attack. . . . At that time, 

when we heard the explosion and we felt the explosion, one of the officers in the room . . . made 

a statement that there was a development in New York City of a terrorist nature, and he did not 

know for sure but that explosion we heard at the Pentagon might have been a terrorist attack. 

Not a second after he said those words and everyone looked at each other in a sort of disbelief, 

somebody came through the door and . . . said, “Everybody needs to get out of the building, 

now!” That was the order for us to vacate the Pentagon. 

INTERVIEWER: So there were not any alarms going off after the plane hit? 

RIVERA: No, we did not hear any alarms. I think after I secured the conference room . . . that 

I walked out and attempted to head back to my office to see if I needed to be accounted for or if 

we needed to do something else. . . . There was a lot of confusion in the hallways. . . . I was 

diverted by security force personnel who said, “No, you need to be out of the building now!” 

INTERVIEWER: Approximately how far away were you from the point of impact? 

RIVERA: I was completely opposite [the point of impact] . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: What about the reactions of the people around you? What were they like? 

121
RIVERA: Well, initially when the message came down to vacate the building, all of the general 

officers left. I was concerned because as they were visitors to the Pentagon and the Pentagon is 

sort of a confusing place if you don’t know where you are going. . . . If you went to the 

courtyard, you would see the column of smoke, but inside the Pentagon, I did not see any smoke. 

Some people might have been disconcerted, as I remember, but most of the people were heading 

towards the hallways and the exits as they were told. . . . 

 At that time, I exited the building. . . . Then I realized the next step was to find my people 

or my office somewhere in this huge parking lot. I figure that this is going to take a while, but I 

started walking and saw one member of my section and he said, “Well, come with me.” We 

started walking toward the overpass by Eads Street. . . . We went over by that overpass because it 

was the high ground to see if we could locate some of the members of our section, which we did. 

We did find our section and then we were all going through the accounting process, making sure 

that everybody knew where everybody else was at the time of the attack. That is when we 

started seeing the column of smoke, a huge column of smoke coming out of the side of the 

Pentagon, but at that time, we were thinking it was a small airplane. . . . We had no idea that this 

was as huge, in terms of an attack, as it actually was . . . . 

 At the time, I was just trying my cell phone continuously, trying to tell my family I was 

okay. I figured that sooner or later they were going to see this thing on the news and it would 

have been good for them to know that I was okay and not hurt in the attack. . . . There was no 

going back to the Pentagon to do anything else that day. Our orders were to go back home, stay 

by the phone. We may be called back in that night or early the next day to do whatever task 

needed to be done, so that is what I did. . . . [All forms of transportation were full or 

unavailable.] I decided to go walking from the Pentagon to Marymount College [to locate his 

daughter who was a student there], which I did . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: What happened the next day, September 12th? 

RIVERA: Well, the next day, I made a couple of calls that morning to other co-workers trying 

to figure out if they heard any instructions as to what we were supposed to do. I was home 

watching the news when around 1000 or 1030 that morning I received a call from the Army 

Operations Center. . . . It was one of the officers who worked in the Deputy Chief of Staff for 

Logistics. He asked me if I had mortuary affairs experience, which I said, “Yes.” Then he said, 

“We would like you to come to the Pentagon to work.” I said, “I am on my way.” I immediately 

put on my battle dress uniform and proceeded to ask my wife to take me to the Metro station. I 

figured that I could get close to the Pentagon by Metro and then walk my way to the Pentagon. I 

went and reported in to the Army Operations Center. . . . Lieutenant General [Charles S. Mahan, 

Jr.] was having a staff meeting with his people. They were talking about mortuary affairs. 

122 
INTERVIEWER: It is my understanding that in the Army Operations Center for the first few 

weeks that of the top five priorities, one of the first priorities was saving lives and another was 

identifying individuals, getting accountability, and mortuary affairs. Is that correct? 

RIVERA: That is correct. . . . General Mahan is holding this conference, and they are talking 

about mortuary affairs, and that they have had a couple of ideas. . . . There is an extreme sense of 

urgency, extreme sense of accountability and carefulness as to how the mission was going to be 

executed. . . . In my mind, as I was riding the Metro, I was getting myself prepared for one of 

two roles. . . . I discovered in the Army Operations Center that my job would be the second job I 

was preparing myself to do, which was to be the action officer inside the Army Operations 

Center advising the Army’s leadership in terms of mortuary affairs, in terms of how the 

operation should be handled, and what things needed to be taken care of, and obviously the 

reporting and all of that . . . . 

 The first priority was just try to recover or try to evacuate casualties. If there was 

somebody still alive inside the rubble of the Pentagon, that was priority and job number one. 

Saving lives was the main thing. Even on the morning of 12 September, the civilian authorities 

that were working inside of the Pentagon incident area, the civilian rescue teams were still 

looking for people that might have just gotten hurt and were just covered by rubble or something. 

They were working toward that end. We knew that we would find some dead people and that 

would be the recovery mission, rather than the rescue mission. They would have to be done 

simultaneously. . . . 

 When we went to visit the incident area, we were met by Mr. Dave Roath [the European 

Command mortuary affairs officer] who happens to be a Reserve officer, individual mobilization 

augmentee type of individual. But in his role at the Pentagon, he was being employed as a 

civilian, a GS-12 mortuary affairs officer coming from the European Command. . . . Then Mr. 

Dave Roath, since he was there from 11 September, was the individual in charge of the . . . Joint 

Mortuary Affairs Operation Center at the incident area. He was actually controlling and 

directing the flow of Army resources, personnel, and equipment going into the incident area on 

behalf of the commander of the Military District, Washington [MDW], Major General [James] 

Jackson . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: At that time, were there any Army personnel recovering remains? 

RIVERA: Yes, the Army personnel were there. The Army personnel were more in an assist 

mode rather than a lead mode. The lead was clearly within the FBI and the civilian rescue teams 

that were there, not only because at this time they had the responsibility for the site, which was 

actually with the Arlington County Fire Department, but it was from the perspective that the 

civilian authorities were very well prepared to handle this type of recovery effort inside of a 

building, inside of a city. The mortuary affairs soldiers coming from the 54th Quartermaster 

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Company [an active duty unit stationed at Fort Lee, Virginia] that had arrived that morning at 

0530 with their equipment were more prepared for the normal warfight type of recovery than for 

a civilian type of recovery . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: When you saw the Pentagon for the first time, what was your reaction? 

RIVERA: Well, it was very sad in my heart to see a side of the Pentagon destroyed, the 

collapsed area. The smell . . . I knew there was a smell in the air. The smell was not only the 

fire but was probably also the smell of death, that was pretty much there. 

 The crews that were working and trying to rescue people were working with an extreme 

sense of urgency. I saw people going up and down, moving, and running. The sense was there 

to try to do what was right, but again watching that side of the Pentagon collapsed and looking at 

the sheer understanding that just hours before there were people inside that building that were 

simply doing their business. Then, in my mind, [I was] trying to match that with the shockwave 

that I felt the day before, and then now coming to the realization that I may have hundreds of 

fatalities inside of this building. I did not know at that time how many we were looking for, but I 

figured it would be in the hundreds. I was praying that it would not be that many. It was almost 

a surreal kind of perspective. . . . We knew that we needed to maintain a sense of pride and a 

sense of cohesion and a sense of mission and the job would get done. I knew that those walls 

would be rebuilt. . . . 

 So I went back into the Pentagon and [briefed the Secretary of the Army Thomas White 

and Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, General [John M.] Keane, on his plan to handle mortuary 

issues]. . . . I learned from the casualty affairs officer . . . that the 311th Quartermaster Company 

was going to be called to assist. They would assist in two areas: not only the area of recovery of 

remains, but also the area of handling the personal effects and the remains . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Who made the decision to call up the 311th and why? 

RIVERA: I think the decision to call up the 311th was already done by the time I got to the 

Army Operations Center. This was a decision made early on. . . . To me, it makes sense at the 

time, even on the early hours, because we knew this was a very big mission in terms of the 

workload . . . The support [for the mortuary mission] was extremely good. We would get any 

asset out there to do the mission. . . .The sense of respect and the sense of national commitment 

and the commitment of the Americans that were there to do this mission was very, very high. . . . 

The morale was very high, especially the soldiers of the 311th. When they came in, they brought 

with them a very high sense of commitment. 

INTERVIEWER: From 11 September to 1 October, what incident or event stands out most in 

your mind during that time frame? 

124 
RIVERA: I think walking inside the perimeter of the incident area. 

INTERVIEWER: The first day you were there? 

RIVERA: The first day and realizing what we were going to be doing. It was probably the 

incident that captured my soul the most. . . . [What] was most rewarding overall from a human 

perspective was the dedication of everybody that was involved. . . . At the end of the day, you 

have to bring closure to mom and dad and brothers and sisters. The Army is about people, and 

the people that watch you grow and look over you deserve the most. That was the most 

rewarding aspect of the whole thing, just being able to see that success. I did not do that. The 

guys who did that were the guys who actually recovered [the remains of the crash victims]. I 

probably had the easiest job, which was to manage it from a perspective of having resources 

available to me. . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Has this mission changed your life at all? 

RIVERA: In a way, yes, because it has renewed my sense of purpose. I could be working at the 

Pentagon, National Command Center. I could be attacked and see what many people went 

through that day and just see the smoke coming out of the Pentagon and knowing that 189 

people, I should say 184 innocent people because there were five hijackers, terrorists inside of 

American Airlines Flight 77. If I could say that those 184 people died there because of this act, 

it just renews my purpose of wearing the uniform and being in the armed forces. I can say that. 

The commitment is renewed and strengthened by something like this. 47

 

47 Lieutenant Colonel Bienvenido Rivera, interview by Sergeant William Miller, tape recording with transcript, 13 

February 2002.

125
126 

 First Lieutenant Hector Martinez 
Chapter 19 

First Lieutenant Hector S. Martinez, Commander, 

311th Quartermaster Company (Mortuary Affairs)

INTERVIEWER: Sir, could you tell me what you were doing and where you were on the day 

of the terrorist attack? 

MARTINEZ: I work the second shift at Hewlett-Packard. I remember that I came home very 

late. It was almost 4:00 in the morning when I finally made it home and I went to sleep. I don’t 

know why, I woke up real early that morning. Normally I have my TV on VH1, so I turned on 

the TV. I thought someone changed my channel and this was not the news. I was watching it 

and just stood there. I stood there for half an hour until I finally went to call the battalion 

commander. I asked him, “Are you watching this?” 

INTERVIEWER: What was the immediate affect of the attacks on your life and how did you 

feel? 

MARTINEZ: First, it was disbelief. I couldn’t believe what was going on. When it hit the first 

building, I didn’t know what was going on. When they said it could have been a terrorist attack, 

I knew that there was a good chance that they were going to call us and send us out here to do 

our job. That is why I called my battalion commander. He did not have any information at the 

time, so I called the first sergeant, my operations sergeant. I said, “Start getting ready and be on 

alert because this might be it.” So, we gathered at the unit, and we started preparing, squaring 

away files and documents that we thought we would need in the event of mobilization. 

INTERVIEWER: You had not received a phone call yet? 

MARTINEZ: No, at that time we had not. We did not receive anything until the fourteenth [of 

September]. We received the orders for mobilization on Friday at noon. We were already on the 

ground or flying down here Saturday at noon. So, it was a twenty-four hour mobilization. 

INTERVIEWER: You said you received the orders on Friday. Was the following weekend 

your drill weekend? 

MARTINEZ: That weekend was our drill weekend. Fortunately, everyone was moving toward 

the unit on Friday afternoon when we finally got the orders and were told, “You are going to 

move tomorrow at noon.” So, that is when we started. We were going to take only eighty-five 

127
soldiers, but they changed it to eighty-five volunteers. So, basically most of the unit remained 

when I said I only needed volunteers. “If you are not going to volunteer, move to the side.” 

Nobody moved. Everyone wanted to volunteer, but I could only bring out eighty-five soldiers. 

INTERVIEWER: It sounds like you were preparing for this situation. Before you even 

received the call, you were getting paperwork in order. Is this a common task for your unit? 

MARTINEZ: I guess it would have been in Bosnia and Kosovo. I think it was always my big 

hope that in my entire military career that I would have the chance to go and do a real mission, a 

real war mission. And normally when it happened, the last two times in Bosnia and Kosovo, I 

said to myself I better start preparing just in case so we are one step ahead. It finally happened. 

We got the chance to come here and do a real mission with the whole company. 

INTERVIEWER: What were some of the difficulties that you encountered in your transition 

from civilian life to Army life? How were they overcome? 

MARTINEZ: Basically, the transition for activation has not been too hard. Basically, the 

hardest thing is leaving your family behind and being out here knowing that you have over 100 

soldiers that are depending on the decisions that you make. You actually have to care and find 

the necessities and take care of the worries of each and every one of them in order to keep them 

in the right path ready to accomplish any mission that comes. That is probably the biggest 

challenge from civilian to military . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: What has the Army done to help facilitate communication between family 

members while you serve here? 

MARTINEZ: First, when we arrived, we had cell phones provided. We provided cell phones 

to each squad leader and platoon sergeants so that they could share them while we were out at 

the Pentagon. After that, a number of entities, and I cannot count them now, but they keep 

sending calling cards to us. The Salvation Army, the Red Cross, and all other kinds of societies 

keep sending calling cards. Plus the Air Force made coordination to bring us the video telephone 

conference and set it up in the soldiers’ stations and back at home station. So, on a weekly 

basis, we have platoons rotating to the VTC [video telephone conference] room. They have the 

families come during the day or sometimes at night to see them through TV. 

INTERVIEWER: What has the support been from your families, the local community, and 

from the Washington, D.C. community? 

128 
MARTINEZ: Support from the local community and Washington has been overwhelming. 

Ever since we got here, we received all kinds of attention: food, water, clothing, everything that 

we may need. Since we come from the island [Puerto Rico] and tropics, we are not used to this 

cold weather. So the biggest help that we have received was people asking if we needed cold 

weather gear and cold weather clothing for your soldiers. So, everything has been 

overwhelming, the type of help that we have received ever since we arrived and that we continue 

to receive from the post [Fort Myer, Virginia]. At home, the family support group at the island 

keeps in contact with us daily. We find out how families are doing. We also counsel the soldiers 

and ask if they have any kind of problems, and if they do, we call immediately back to the island 

and try to get it taken care of. The chaplain has been a great asset to us since when we were at 

the Pentagon mission and now here at Fort Myer . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: You said the first group of eighty-five received the order on September 14th. 

When did the first group of eighty-five leave Puerto Rico? 

MARTINEZ: We received the order on the 14th at noon. We flew out from Puerto Rico 

Saturday at noon. We were here at 1500 or 1530. We were already on the ground the next day. 

INTERVIEWER: There was a second deployment. When did that occur? How many troops 

were involved in that? 

MARTINEZ: That occurred on 22 September. It was 103 soldiers that flew down here to help 

with missions at the Pentagon and the north parking area, and afterwards here at the personal 

effects [depot at Fort Myer] . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Can you describe the role of your company and why you were sent to the 

Pentagon area? 

MARTINEZ: The mission of our unit is to provide mortuary affairs, direct support, and general 

support to units located at corps and division areas of the theatre. More specifically, we do 

search and recovery, identification of personal effects and remains. 

INTERVIEWER: Why were you chosen for the Pentagon mission? What did you do when 

you got here? 

MARTINEZ: They brought the 54th [Quartermaster Company], the active component unit, 

which is our sister unit. Apparently, they felt that they would need more mortuary affairs 

support based on the number of casualties from the terrorist attack. I guess they said, “Let’s use 

129
the assets that we have in the Reserves.” Our unit was the first to be alerted and mobilized from 

the island . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Your eighty-five personnel arrived here. What was their first mission at the 

Pentagon? 

MARTINEZ: When we first arrived here, our first mission was the north parking lot area. 

Basically, they were taking rubble from the crash site and bringing it down in truckloads to the 

north parking area. Our job was to go through that debris and look out for personal effects, 

remains, or any other type of document or piece of material that can actually give the FBI some 

clues of the incident. We were attached the whole time to the FBI. It was great working with the 

FBI. After a couple of days, we were rolling down there. They predicted the work schedule to 

be about a month. We went in and started working twenty-four hour operations, and we cut it 

from a month to two weeks . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: It was backbreaking work sifting through the rubble. How was it 

emotionally? 

MARTINEZ: I was there the first night with them and that moment when they first found one 

of the remains. They just stood there. I guess everyone wanted to have a look so that they would 

know what to expect. So, they stood there quietly for about two or three minutes just starring, 

and then I said, “Take it down to the FBI and let’s keep going.” So, that soldier took it down and 

the rest of the soldiers continued. I guess that first experience that they had prepared them for 

the rest, because after that when they found personal effects and remains they just kept working. 

Normally, after we finished a shift we would go into a tent and discuss what they had found and 

how they felt. That kind of gave us some kind of closure of what was going on after the shift. 

So far, we have no problems. 

INTERVIEWER: Can you describe Camp Unity, the makeshift support base that sprang up 

near the Pentagon? 

MARTINEZ: When we first got there, Camp Unity was amazing. We have never seen so 

many people working together. When we arrived there, Camp Unity’s whole operation was at 

the Pentagon area. We were making coordination at the Pentagon area, but we were working at 

the north parking area. The north parking area was more controlled by the FBI. It had only the 

Salvation Army, the Red Cross, and medics. There were only two or three tents there, while at 

Camp Unity there was like a 100 tents of everything. You could just walk down and everyone 

wanted to offer you water, food, snacks, and all kinds of stuff, underwear, shorts. They would 

offer you everything. The chaplains were around. If they saw you looking down, they would go 

130 
and talk to you and ask if you needed to talk to them and if you were feeling okay. AAFES 

[Army and Air Force Exchange Service] had its part there, McDonald’s, Burger King, Outback 

Steakhouse. It was overwhelming. 

 When they finished recovering remains at the Pentagon, these places moved down to the 

north parking areas. So everybody was at the north parking area. When we came back to do the 

personal effects recovery mission at the Pentagon, everyone was gone. It was just us! So, we 

came in when everything was 100 percent. Then we went back when everything was calm. 

Actually, we ran operations by ourselves with the medics that were assigned from the Navy. 

That is when we made a final mission to the Pentagon, which was a personal effects recovery 

mission . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: What were some of the lessons learned for your unit? 

MARTINEZ: I was amazed and impressed by the soldiers to do whatever was needed. They 

did not care. They just wanted to go out and do something. They did not care if they had to 

work twelve or twenty-four hours. They did not care. Even when I had the first eighty-five 

down here, I had soldiers calling me down here asking me if I needed any more soldiers. The 

most impressive is how the soldiers responded and how eager they are to work when you give 

them the opportunity. 

 When we went from the north parking area after twelve hours of working, when we drove 

through, there were civilians and they were cheering and applauding us. Some soldiers didn’t 

know why. I guess they don’t realize that they appreciate the work that they were doing. So, I 

had to explain to them, “Well, they are grateful that you are here and that we are helping out.” I 

guess that kept them motivated the whole time.48

 

48 First Lieutenant Hector S. Martinez, interview by Sergeant William L. Miller, tape recording with transcript, 24 

October 2001. 

131
132 

Special Agent Samuel Simon 
Chapter 20 

Special Agent Samuel Simon, Federal Bureau of Investigation 

INTERVIEWER: Could you tell me what you were doing on 11 September 2001? 

SIMON: On 11 September, I came in to do my normal work. As I was driving in, on the radio, 

WTOP, I learned about the Trade Center incident. I am a member of the Evidence Response 

Team for the Washington field office. When I got into the office . . . [I], of course, heard about 

the Pentagon. I was one of the first agents on the scene out at the Pentagon. 

INTERVIEWER: How soon were you at the Pentagon? 

SIMON: I would say myself and four other agents were there within ten minutes of the incident. 

INTERVIEWER: When did you realize that you would need outside support from the Army or 

a mortuary affairs unit? 

SIMON: From the Army, specifically, I realized as I was coming over the bridge [that I was 

going to need support]. This was going to be a major undertaking. It was going to take 

everybody: local authorities, state authorities, federal authorities, and military. . . . The Pentagon 

was the best location for a tragedy like this to occur because we lacked for no resources . . . . 

 I believe that it was day three, was Friday when I was given twenty-three individuals and 

I was told by my management that we were beginning to do this operation in the north parking 

lot. Basically, the operation in the north parking lot was . . . excavating areas of the Pentagon 

that had been searched already at the scene for remains. Then they were taking that excavation 

and taking it to the north parking lot for sifting operation. So that very first day, that Friday 

evening, I went over the hill with twenty-three people. 

INTERVIEWER: FBI agents? 

SIMON: It was a mish-mash of federal and local authorities. . . . I believe it was Sunday, no, I 

believe it was Monday . . . when the first contingency of the 311th reported on the scene. . . . 

They were already there, but they had not gotten their marching orders yet. . . . Saturday was the 

first full day of work. After the first full day of work, . . . we realized we would need a lot more 

assistance. . . . I did direct liaison with the CO [commanding officer], Lieutenant Martinez and 

the other commander from the 311th. 

133
INTERVIEWER: What was your first impression of the 311th? 

SIMON: I was four and a half years regular Army and two years National Guard. So I had both 

sides of the fence. . . . I had no preconceived notions at all like "I am getting a Reserve unit and 

they are going to be a bunch of reservists, you know, part-timers." I knew that there are a lot of 

good units out there. I remember speaking to them toward the end of the operation. I told them 

and I meant it, “I would stack that unit up . . . with any regular Army or National Guard unit that 

I ever served in.” They were a fantastic bunch of people. 

 I never dealt with a mortuary detail. I was thinking, I was in infantry myself, and I was 

thinking mortuary detail. What kind of a soldier is going to come out of a mortuary detail? But 

they were topnotch people. . . . I can’t remember how many times when I needed something to 

get done I would look around and see ten or twenty civilians, federal agents or local officers. . . 

This is . . . something I want the Army to do. I would go right to the first sergeant of the 311th 

or the platoon sergeant from the Old Guard and say, “Sergeant, I don’t mean to bother you, but 

could you help me out? Could I get this taken care of?” They would reply, “No problem, agent 

Simon.” And it was done. . . . 

 We were given two individuals from the FBI hazardous materials unit who oversaw the 

[decontamination], but we were deconning three hundred people for lunch and for breaks and for 

shift changes. That is a lot of people to run through a decon line. The 311th gave up fifteen to 

eighteen soldiers each shift that did nothing but decon. They did an excellent job and are well 

equipped for it. . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Could we discuss some of the work procedures that the 311th followed? 

What phases did you work with them and how did they change? 

SIMON: They were at the scene, like I said, the very second day. Their primary mission there 

was the mortuary detail, remains recovery. . . . Basically, we teamed up five individuals from the 

311th with the dog units. We would take a pile of rubble from the Pentagon, and we would 

spread it out along the parking lot. Then the dogs would go through it. If they alerted on an 

area, then the five-person team from the 311th would concentrate on that area to locate the 

remains . . . . 

 We had two piles [of rubble] and they were probably three to four stories high. We had 

pieces of concrete and steel in there that were larger than three or four human beings. . . . We had 

two sites operating. We had a five-man team on site A and a five-man team on site B. The 

remaining 311th crew was working in the regular work force finding all this other stuff, the 

evidence, personal effects, and classified materials, and what not after the regular work force 

went through it a second time. Then we had the dogs go through a third time, an overabundance 

of caution. . . . Whenever remains were recovered, the 311th took the remains over, properly 

134 
packaged them, and then stayed with the remains till they were transported off to the temporary 

mortuary. That was their primary function out there, but they did much more than that. 

 We only had ten-man teams working on the remains recovery. We had a fifteen-soldier 

team working on the NBC [nuclear, biological, and chemical] lines. That was yeomen’s work 

because . . . you were out in an open area unprotected from the elements. There were a couple of 

days when it got into the nineties. You were in full NBC gear. That exacerbated the weather 

element and to sit there and bend over. Oftentimes, these people were on their hands and knees 

going through this rubble with their hands or hand rakes. To sit there and rake and shovel and 

sift through this rubble is just backbreaking work . . . . 

 The other things they assisted with were raising tents, moving gear. We had a separate 

decon site that I affectionately referred to as "tent city." We had our break areas. We had the 

Salvation Army and the Red Cross down there providing hot meals. We even had a chapel set 

up for the chaplains. 

INTERVIEWER: It sounds like Unity City? 

SIMON: Exactly, we had our own little version of Unity City, way scaled down. The Old 

Guard and the 311th basically built that city from scratch for us . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: How long did you work with the 311th at the incident site? 

SIMON: Sixteenth through I believe the last day was the 28th. They came on the 16th, I 

believe, the full time we were there till we locked up shop. As a matter of fact, they were the last 

people to leave with us. They helped pack up . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: How would you describe the 311th’s professionalism and morale? 

SIMON: Like I said, their professionalism was exemplary. They were one of the best units I 

have worked with, and I have worked with a lot of units. . . . There was not a whole lot of joking 

and smoking going on down there [at the Pentagon], because like you said, it was probably one 

of the most important missions. I know for a fact that it was the most important mission I have 

ever been on in my military service or in my government service. Nothing I have ever done had 

ever compared to the work we did at the Pentagon. Everyone knew that going in. The focus of 

the entire [operation] here and the country as a whole was going to be on what happened at the 

Pentagon, at least from the military point of view. It seemed that the entire nation was concerned 

about the New York incident and rightfully so because those were civilian casualties. But, as far 

as military personnel goes, that was probably the most important mission we have done in 

decades. It was exemplary the way they handled their mission . . . . 

135
I had a nice, long talk with the first sergeant about [the] 311th’s main mission, this 

mortuary detail. . . . I asked him, “How do you recruit anybody to come to your unit?” It is not a 

high profile job. He told me stories about how when recruits first come in, he brings them into 

his office and asks them, “Do you understand what this unit is all about?”49

 

49 Samuel Simon, interview by Sergeant William Miller, tape recording with transcript, 12 December 2001. 

136 
137
Chaplain (Lieutenant Colonel) Bert Kozen 

138 
Chapter 21 

Chaplain (Lieutenant Colonel) Bert S. Kozen, 55th Brigade, 

28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania National Guard 

INTERVIEWER: Can you tell us how you came to be activated and mobilized for this 

assignment? 

KOZEN: We were scheduled to begin our . . . annual meeting of all the chaplains in the active, 

Reserve, and Guard component. Our conference was scheduled to begin Wednesday, 13 

September. It was going to be in Leesburg [Virginia] up the road from Washington . . . . 

 Our conference was canceled. Then we were alerted to the possibility of being mobilized 

in support of whatever operations might be taking place here in Washington or in New York. 

Later that same day, we were notified that we would be mobilized and [to] proceed on down to 

Washington. It took about five days for the orders to be completely cut and approved. It was the 

following Monday [when] we finally got the go-ahead to proceed down to Washington. 

INTERVIEWER: What was your function? You’ve been attached to the 311th Quartermaster 

Company. Is that correct? 

KOZEN: My first assignment was at the incident site itself. There were a number of different 

work-related ministries or sites at the actual incident, the Pentagon. The one that I was most 

involved in was the mortuary team, which was a sister unit to the 311th, the 54th [Quartermaster 

Company] out of Fort Lee, Virginia. They were the actual individuals that went in once a body 

was identified or human remains identified. Then the mortuary team would go in and recover 

the body or remains, bring them out, and then proceed to have that transported to the morgue that 

the FBI had set up at the Pentagon itself. So, I stayed pretty much with that operation until the 

FBI determined that most, if not all, the bodies and human remains had been recovered from the 

Pentagon incident site. At that point, that operation stopped. . . . That was the first time that I 

hooked up with the 311th because they were involved in that operation. 

INTERVIEWER: What types of functions have you performed with the 311th? 

KOZEN: [My mission] was basically a ministry of presence to them. The FBI wash site was a 

set up on the north parking lot of the Pentagon where all the rubble that was taken out of the 

Pentagon was sifted through, searching first and foremost for any human remains, any personal 

effects, any sensitive classified documents, items, computer parts, things of that nature, and 

139
pieces of the airplane. The 311th’s primary role at that time was to take care of any human 

remains . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: My understanding is that apparently the first wave of members from the 

311th that came there were volunteers and had pretty short notice. What kind of issues did that 

raise for you in terms of soldier care? 

KOZEN: Realizing the fact they were here in very short notice could not afford them an awful 

lot of time to make preparations for a long deployment, not only distance-wise from home, but 

also for a period of time in which they weren’t completely knowledgeable about. . . . There was a 

certain amount of stress and anxiety there. . . . Some of those we were able to help them with: 

getting contact with home, seeing to it that certain things were taken care of, medical problems 

that had arisen, concerns and job related things of that nature. It would be a stress to any of us in 

a similar situation. 

INTERVIEWER: What are some of the activities that you do to combat this stressful situation, 

sir? 

KOZEN: I think the most important thing that we do is actually being present to and with them. 

A lot of that may be just hanging around with them in the wash site. We made it a point that in 

the protective suits that we wore we would place a cross and identify ourselves as chaplains so 

they knew that we were around, which I think is a great help to credibility if the soldiers see that 

you are willing to submit yourself to those similar experiences and hardships. The suits were 

uncomfortable, particularly in the hot sunny days. When the troops saw that you were willing to 

put forth that kind of effort, then they would open up to you. 

 Next important thing that we did was just listening to them when they talk, when they 

share with us their concerns and their anxieties. They like that you listen to them. There might 

not have been a lot that you could have done at that particular time, but they knew that you 

generally were concerned about them and would get back to them, follow up on those concerns 

and issues, and show to them that they had a sympathetic ear and someone that might be able to 

help them out in that particular problem . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: What kind of reactions did you see from the soldiers as they were working at 

the actual crash site? 

KOZEN: A wide spectrum. Certainly, a sense of sadness, pain over what had transpired, the 

tremendous loss of life, and all the pain that was evident in the building itself, but also in the 

tasks of recovering the bodies, the victims and the material at the wash site. A certain thinking 

of family -- these were individuals that had families, loved ones, relationships and now that was 

140 
ended very quickly. So [there was] a natural inclination on the soldiers’ part to think back to 

their families. The sense of loneliness, particularly for the 311th, because of once again their 

distance away from home . . . . 

 A certain amount of anger and frustration over what had occurred. And also I have to say 

a sense of pride. They realized that what they were doing was an important task . . . but also a 

sense of dignity to the Army as a whole, the government, military, and the nation. . . . What they 

do is something that not everybody can do and be comfortable about it. And that is not to say 

that they are completely at ease. They have their ups and downs, difficulties and challenges in 

that respect, as well, but they perform a mission that is very difficult. I don’t think that a vast 

majority of people would be able to deal with [it] . . . . 

 It was funny because like on elevators, it could be back at the hotel or going someplace. 

You get on an elevator and people would come on. Military personnel would enter the elevator 

and they would see a chaplain was in there. You could visibly see almost a sigh of relief. . . . 

“Things are okay. There is a chaplain here.”. . . When Camp Unity was operational, you would 

be going over there for a meal. It was not uncommon to find people finding a chaplain to sit 

down with. There might not be any major concerns, but just being able to sit down and being in 

that proximity. Many services that we celebrated there . . . the masses were a great source of 

consolation and a sense of peace to the people involved in the operation, as well . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: What changes in the soldiers’ morale and their attitude and their outlook 

have occurred? 

KOZEN: When we first moved over to this site in Fort Myers, they started dealing with the 

personal effects of the survivors. I think that . . . was very beneficial. . . . It afforded them a 

chance to kind of step back and take a breather. They were now dealing with material, personal 

effects of people that they knew were living, people that they knew were going to return and pick 

these items up. So you could see that as they were working at the tables and stuff a certain 

amount of joviality, commenting on personal effects. . . . They did it with a . . . good-natured 

sense about them. . . . Realizing now that they were dealing with . . . living people was a great 

benefit to them . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: There have been a number of family members who have been here picking 

up remains, picking up personal effects . . . . 

KOZEN: Of survivors. . . . I think on one occasion we heard the phrase uttered “Christmas in 

October,” because there you see a Pentagon employee or military personnel going through what 

they presumed was going to be completely lost. Some of these things were quite precious. . . . I 

could see a great sense of relief on these individuals as they opened up the box, “Oh! Praise God! 

That item is there and it’s relatively intact.” That highlighted, I think, a sense of certain pride on 

141
their part that they were able to be a part of recovering, cleaning up. They did an outstanding 

job, the 311th. 

Some of these items I saw as they came out. The before and after photos were just 

unbelievable. They would clean them up and take care of them and put them back together again 

so that when the person came to pick them up they were immediately recognizable to the 

individual. A lot of the stuff I just would have thought would have been tossed out and 

discarded, but again that is . . . part of their training and they do it admirably. They have a keen 

sense of professionalism. They were able to recover and make these things presentable to them. 

INTERVIEWER: What parts of this operation do you feel deserve to be recognized and what 

parts do you feel can be improved? 

KOZEN: I think all the aspects of the operation deserve to be recognized, to be honest with 

you. It has been a continual flow, the incident site of course, the heroics demonstrated of the 

people first on the site itself on the 11th and subsequent to that. There were hardships and 

difficulties faced by all the personnel that were there. . . . It was a very important part of what 

was going on and our nation’s response to the tragedy of 11 September. . . . What they are doing 

here is having a profound impact on the lives of those Pentagon employees and will also have a 

very deep impact on the family members of the deceased and the victims . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: How is this experience going to affect you in your civilian life? 

KOZEN: In civilian life, I’m a priest, pastor of a parish with three churches in it. I think the 

one obvious point that I am going to come away with and something that I’ve heard expressed by 

the vast majority of people is once again a deep appreciation for what we have, for what I have: 

my family, my loved ones, friends, fellow parishioners, what I have as support back at my home 

station . . . . 

 So, a deep appreciation of that and also a certain pride as well in the training and 

preparations that I’ve received and my fellow chaplains have received, particularly on the 

Reserve side and in the Guard, because the vast majority of the chaplains at the incident sites 

were Reserve and Guard chaplains. At least the way that the active component interacted with us 

led me to believe that they appreciated us being here. And a sense that the mission we 

performed was equal and adequate to the tasks and challenges placed before us. 50

 

50 Lieutenant Colonel Bert S. Kozen, interview by Captain Suzanne Summers and Sergeant William Miller, tape 

recording with transcript, 23 October 2001. 

142 
143
144 

Sergeant First Class Jose Cruz
Chapter 22 

Sergeant First Class Jose N. Cruz, Platoon Sergeant, 

 311th Quartermaster Company (Mortuary Affairs) 

INTERVIEWER: What were you doing on 11 September when terrorists attacked the 

Pentagon? 

CRUZ: I was working. I am the UA [unit administrator] for the unit. That is my full time job. I 

am also a reservist. . . . 

INTERVIEWER: What was your reaction when you first found out about the attack? 

CRUZ: I was surprised. I couldn’t believe it. I thought it was a movie or something. I arrived 

at Fort Buchanan, and when I went in they wouldn’t let me out. They closed all the gates. So I 

knew right there that something was going on. 

INTERVIEWER: What was your first response to the attacks? You’re the unit administrator. 

What were you thinking? 

CRUZ: I immediately called my unit, because I was away. I called my battalion and asked 

them what was going on. They told me that it was the same way where they were. The gates 

had been locked and no one could get out. 

INTERVIEWER: How long did those procedures last? Do you know? 

CRUZ: That was about 9:30 [a.m.], and I got to leave Fort Buchanan at about 1700 hours that 

afternoon. 

INTERVIEWER: How did the attacks have an immediate affect on your life as far as being 

mobilized? When did you first hear of being mobilized? 

CRUZ: Those attacks were on 11 September. The next day I had people calling the unit asking 

for names, numbers, how many people were ready to go. They were looking for information 

about the unit. On the 14th, there was a rumor we were deploying. On the 15th, it was a reality. 

We were gone. 

INTERVIEWER: What did you do to prepare? 

145
CRUZ: I knew that I would probably go somewhere. So I started preparing my uniforms and 

started getting everything ready, just in case anything happened. On the fifteenth, they told me I 

was moving, so here I am . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: How about the Washington, D.C. community? 

CRUZ: They are great! I am really surprised at Washington, D.C. When we first arrived, there 

was complete support for us. We were riding in the back of the deuce-and-a-half and people 

were clapping their hands and saying thank you. . . . That really makes you feel good. . . . When 

they said we are mobilizing, I was the first to raise my hand. I said, “Hey I’m going.” There was 

a group of eighty-five that left in the beginning. I was a part of that group. We volunteered to 

go . . . . 

 That night [15 September] we started the first shift. We started working at night. When 

we got to the north parking lot, the FBI was there. . . . There were actually all kinds of agencies 

there. . . . They took us into a small tent and briefed us on what to do. . . . At that briefing, the 

FBI told us what they were looking for. We understood that night that the FBI was running the 

show. . . . They were looking for papers, passports, things like that . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: When you first saw the Pentagon, what was your reaction? 

CRUZ: I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I had watched the news and read the newspaper at 

home, but being there and seeing that big hole, it’s a totally different feeling. 

INTERVIEWER: During these two phases of the operation, sifting through the rubble of the 

north parking lot and going through the personal effects, what was the high point and did you 

have a low point? 

CRUZ: When I was in the north parking lot, I saw credit cards with names in the rubble. 

Coming into the depot I’m still seeing those names, but now I’m seeing pictures. . . . I’m relating 

faces to those names that I saw at the Pentagon, and that’s real hard. I’m one of the oldest guys 

here. I have the experience because I was in the Persian Gulf and there my primary mission was 

personal effects, but it was hard. 

INTERVIEWER: What was the most memorable moment? 

CRUZ: The whole thing gave me pride, being there and working there. It feels good that I 

came here to the States looking for people. I know the family members appreciate that. The 

same thing with the personal effects. At the depot, when the family members or friends came to 

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pick up the personal effects, they said thank you. They get to have back something that that 

person really loved and they love that. . . . 

 I remember there was a general that came into the personal effects depot. He was outside 

worried because he lost his medical records. For us, being in the military, we know how 

important those are. When he came into the personal effects depot and one of the soldiers gave 

him a big ziploc bag with his medical records inside, he just jumped hysterically. He was so 

happy. I felt happy for him because I know what medical records mean . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Is there anything that you would like to add? 

CRUZ: We are here and there have been rumors that we may be going somewhere else. To be 

honest, most of the guys want to go to New York. They don’t want to go home yet. We have 

the feeling that we can help out there. . . . 51

 

51 Sergeant First Class Jose N. Cruz, interview by Sergeant William G. Miller, tape recording with transcript, 26 

October 2001. 

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First Sergeant Jose Santiago 
Chapter 23 

First Sergeant Jose Santiago, 311th Quartermaster Company 

 (Mortuary Affairs) 

INTERVIEWER: What were you doing on 11 September when you first heard of the attack? 

What was your reaction? 

SANTIAGO: I was in my shop since I am an auto body worker on classic cars. The people at 

the shop came over and told me, “Hey, a plane just crashed into a Twin Tower in New York.” I 

said, “Well it was probably an accident.” Then they came back and told me, “No, there is 

another plane that crashed in the Pentagon, and it’s a terrorist.” So, I said let me lock up and go 

home. . . . I just went straight home and just kept watching the news for the rest of that week. I 

had drill on Friday, and about 9:30 [a.m.] they told me, “First Sergeant, we are moving.” 

INTERVIEWER: 9:30 [a.m.] on 11 September? 

SANTIAGO: No, on 14 September. So, as soon as my platoon sergeants came in, I told them, 

“Guys, we are moving.” We had a formation. After that we told the guys what was going on, 

that we were going on ADT [active duty for training] for sixteen days [until the beginning of the 

2003 fiscal year]. I told them, “ . . . When the new fiscal year kicks in, we will be here for the 

long run.” So, we requested volunteers since all we needed was eighty-five soldiers. The first 

eighty-five soldiers were all volunteers . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: Were there any difficulties in transitioning from the civilian to the Army life 

for yourself and for your personnel? 

SANTIAGO: Not for myself. I consider myself a professional soldier. I’ve been in twenty-six 

years; seven years of those I was an active Army infantryman. . . . For some of my troops, it was 

kind of difficult because this is the first time they were called out. They are young kids . . . out 

of college, some of them recently graduated. Two females just recently got off an aircraft from 

AIT [advanced individual training] and a week later they are back in an aircraft coming back 

over here . . . . 

INTERVIEWER: When you told the troops the orders were for sixteen days, what had you 

been told about the mission in Washington? 

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SANTIAGO: Nothing, I just went by the orders. The experience that I have told me that it was 

not going to [be] sixteen days. . . . [We worked with the 54th Quartermaster Company, whose] 

main mission was to work with the FBI. At the time, the FBI thought that our mission and 

training was only on the collection of the [human] remains, . . . but then they find out that was 

not the case. 

 My people are trained. You can say they are like archeologists. They know what they 

are looking for, and they look for that thing that does not look normal. . . . They went through the 

rubble. It was non-stop twelve hours. They only had a break to eat something, and then they 

would go back into the rubble. They did what we call a grid search. They go down on a grid. 

They set some patterns and they recover portions of remains, important documents, to include 

documents of the terrorists. The FBI told us that the estimated time would be one month. My 

unit did it in two weeks. I believe it was . . . if I am not mistaken . . . either 50,000 or 75,000 

tons of rubble. My unit went in two weeks and accomplished the mission. From there, we were 

moved to the Pentagon. The estimated time there was two months. The unit did it in one week. 

 [He discussed community support.] Everybody wanted to see who the 311th was. Who 

were these young boys and girls that gave up their civilian life and volunteered to come over 

here to do a job that nobody wants to do but someone has to do it? And while doing it, we know 

that we are at least putting pieces of life together. Whatever . . . pieces the soldiers found in the 

rubble . . . anything, a pen, a ring, at least would give someone something to remember their 

loved one by. And I always told them, “Gentlemen, this is very important. Not only myself, 

your families back home, but also the people in Washington will appreciate this for years to 

come. This is history.” I always remind them of that. Every morning I tell them, “Gentlemen, 

you can walk with your head high and feel proud because you are doing a mission that you were 

trained for. And you have done it not only with the best of your abilities, but you’ve done it 

above and beyond what was expected of you.” 

 Every time we would drive by the Pentagon, when we changed teams, the civilians on the 

hilltop by a gas station, they would applaud. I would say, “Hey, guys, that is for you.” A lot of 

people still want to see us. They want to see these young kids to thank us. Even when the 

commander, when he was somewhere in Washington, he walked into a place and some guy 

asked him, “Are you from here?” He said, “No, I am from Puerto Rico. My unit is the 311th 

from Puerto Rico.” That guy said, “Hey, guys, this is the commander of the 311th.” Everyone 

just stood up and started applauding. . . . So, everywhere we go, like the cadence says, “people 

want to know” who we are. So we tell them, “We are the 311th.” 

INTERVIEWER: That type of support is invaluable, but what else is done to keep morale up? 

This is a stressful job. 

SANTIAGO: Well, in our battalion, which we consider our battalion for life, they give us 

calling cards for the troops. I start with the privates, since they are the ones that make the less 

150 
money. They gave every platoon sergeant cell phones. I passed those on to the platoon 

sergeants and told them these are for us to keep in touch ten percent of the day, and the other 

ninety percent is for the troops so they can call [their families] . . . . 

 When they found out that we were sent out here with only our military clothing, . . . they 

called [the Salvation Army] . . . and they gave us thick clothing, sweaters, jeans, long johns so 

the troops could keep warm. . . . AAFES [Army and Air Force Exchange Service], they were 

great. What can I say? When they found out, they sent us brown t-shirts, socks, and somehow 

they all joined forces, the Red Cross, AAFES and the Salvation Army. They did their own battle 

in supplying us. I would tell them we were the front line soldiers and they were our support. 

They were giving us water, food at the north parking lot, everything we needed. That helped a 

lot for the first weeks that we were here, all that support that was coming in. 

 We are still getting support from the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. Just yesterday, 

the Red Cross found out last week that even though we had what the Salvation Army had given 

us...we did not have any jackets for cold weather or gloves. . . . We only had what the military 

had given us. And since being in the Army you are not allowed to mix civilian and military, the 

Red Cross said, “Give us a list of what they need, and we will pay for it.” They gave each 

soldier $150 [to buy cold weather clothing]. . . . I had senior NCOs [noncommissioned officers] 

that were busted on the second week because they had given money that they brought to their 

privates. All that joining together kept the unit morale above 100 percent. . . . Even though [the 

soldiers] were exhausted, they were putting in 100 percent. That is what makes this unit special. 

INTERVIEWER: Is there anything that you would like to add? 

SANTIAGO: Yes, . . . that being a Reserve unit, most people think that these guys are weekend 

warriors. My unit showed the regular Army that being just a Reserve unit or weekend warriors 

that we know our job, and we do it to standard and sometimes above standard. Even though we 

are weekend warriors, we are professionals . . . what you call a citizen and a soldier.52

 

52 First Sergeant Jose Santiago, interview by Sergeant William G. Miller, tape recording with transcript, Fort Myer, 

Virginia, 24 October 2001. 

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About the Authors 

From Left to Right: Sergeant William Miller, Captain Suzanne Summers, Specialist Imelda Salazar 

 Captain Suzanne Summers of Austin, Texas, joined the Army Reserve in 1991 and 

received her direct commission in 1992. Her branch is Adjutant General, and she holds an Army 

skill identifier in military history. She took command of the 90th Military History Detachment 

in 2000. In October 2001, Captain Summers and her unit deployed to the Washington, D.C. area 

under Operation NOBLE EAGLE to capture the Army Reserve’s experience and role following 

the attack on the Pentagon. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history from West Virginia 

University, a master’s degree in public history from the University of Houston, and a Ph.D. in 

history from the University of Texas at Austin. As a civilian, she teaches U.S. history at Austin 

Community College. 

 Sergeant William Miller of San Antonio, Texas, joined the Army Reserve in 1995 while 

working on his master’s degree in military history from Texas Tech University in Lubbock. He 

joined the unit in July 1999. In October 2001 he and the 90th MHD deployed to the Washington, 

D.C. area. He holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts with an emphasis in history from Austin 

College in Sherman, Texas. As a civilian, he is a computer specialist. 

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 Specialist Imelda Salazar of Blanco, Texas, joined the Army in 1995. She began her 

Army career as an administrative specialist and served for three years on active duty in Germany. 

She joined the 90th MHD just before it deployed to the Washington, D.C. area for Operation 

NOBLE EAGLE in October 2001. As a civilian she works for a electricity co-op in Texas.