Inspire, Winter 2001

18 Winter 2001 I just wanted to say a big thank you to all of you and ask that you forward this to the Division of Christian Ministries to give them my sincerest gratitude and thanks for such generosity. Debbie Fakan Shattuck ’81 Editor’s Note: Debbie is a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force and is currently assigned as a staff officer on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. T he morning routine at the Pentagon had just begun when my boss called out to us, “You guys need to come into my office and look at what is happening.” A group of us gathered around a small television set and watched in horror at the scenes of thick, black smoke billowing from the World Trade Center. At first, we thought perhaps a horrible air traffic control error had led to the catastrophe, but we were quickly dispelled of that notion when another aircraft crashed into the second tower. Immediately the word “terrorism” was on our lips, and someone nervously asked if we thought the terrorists would strike the Pentagon. It didn’t seem likely. It was apparent that a great deal of planning had gone into orchestrating the mayhem we were witnessing, and it didn’t seem possible that terrorists could pull off a third attack by hitting us on the same day. A few minutes later I heard what sounded like someone dropping furniture in a room above us and a muffled boom, like a distant artillery round exploding. “What was that?” I asked nervously. Only one other person had heard what I had heard. I brushed it off as nothing. Thirty seconds later CNN cut away to a reporter at the Pentagon who announced, “We have just had an unconfirmed report of an explosion at the Pentagon.” We all looked at each other in shock and a couple of us immediately began making our way to the only door in our work area and looked out. People were walking rapidly toward us saying, “They want us to clear the hallways.” We all obediently headed back into our windowless area in an inner corridor of the Pentagon, even though our first impression was that it was not the best location for rapid egress in the event of more explosions. Within a few seconds we heard people yelling, “Evacuate, Evacuate!” I was extremely proud of how disciplined the evacuation was, even though people knew full well that this was not a drill and that there could well be more attacks coming. Everyone quickly secured their classified computers and began filing out of the room. A fellow officer and I ensured that all 30 or so people who work in the area were out of the room, and he spun the cypher lock to secure the room. Then we followed the others down the long hall leading to the external building exit. People were streaming from everywhere, but no one was panicked. As I headed down the external hallway, I passed a woman covered in ashes from head to toe. The only time I was a little bit fearful was as we approached the outer building exit. There were probably 50 to 70 people queued up waiting to get out of the doors which were located directly under the offices of the Secretary of Defense and many high-ranking civilian and military personnel. I knew that two planes had hit the World Trade Center and it seemed quite feasible that a fourth plane was speeding toward us and would likely fly right in the door I was patiently waiting to exit. I breathed a sigh of relief and a prayer of thanks as I emerged into the sunlight and saw a beautiful blue sky devoid of any aircraft. Over the next 15 to 20 minutes, thousands of people moved to their pre-assigned meeting points, and designated personnel began taking roll call to try to account for everyone. We were on the Potomac River side of the building, and as we looked back toward the Pentagon we could see smoke billowing from the other side of the building. It didn’t seem like much smoke, and when someone reported that a helicopter had hit the building, it seemed to match what we were seeing smoke-wise. It later turned out that a passenger airliner had smashed into the building right next to the helicopter pad. After about 20 minutes, security personnel began yelling for us to run toward the tree lines and take cover because another aircraft was inbound. As we crouched under bushes and in the trees, we began to realize that the attack had been much worse than we first surmised. Across the road from where we were waiting, we could see a growing number of medical and emergency personnel attending to people lying on the grass. After about 40 minutes, I was summoned to find a ride to a classified, secure location. This site exists to ensure that the military and government can maintain command and control even if the Pentagon’s national military command center can no longer function. I ended up in a van driven by a two-star Air Force general and accompanied by two other officers. As we began to pull away, a group of medical Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good. ~Psalm 37:1-3a { photo courtesy of www.verizon-media.com }