Where were you on 9/11?

[Chris_Ford]

Originally Posted by tonyw

The difference is that for the most part, the people who we kill are not targeted. We try to avoid killing civilians for the most part, and those who are caught doing it face severe punishment.

On the other hand, terrorists don't give a rats ass who they kill.

Now, you can say that we should do better, and that a high tech military should be better able to distinguish who they hit, but that's a different discussion.

TonyW just totally defended the Iraq war

[falconvalley]

I was standing in the FBO at UES, waiting for the FAA Inspector to arrive so we could begin my CFI Initial. I was a year out of the AF and had just quit my job fueling airliners to fly full-time as a flight instructor. I had been in the Air National Guard for a year and was loving it. Little did I know that days later I would be spending my B-day in Spain, celebrating with my supervisor at the time's same B-day.

The 11th changed my life in a way I'd never imagined. When I got out of the AF, I joined the Guard just to coast the next 16 years, one weekend a month until retirement. I hadn't envisioned devoting 5 years of my life traveling from country to country as a Tanker crew chief. Despite all that has happened, I definitely don't regret my post-active duty plans getting cancelled. I only feel more patriotic and feel more responsible to serve, these days.

[GatorFC]

Originally Posted by HH-60CC

Nellis AFB, NV...

HH-60CC, your experience sounds almost like mine, except from the Navy side.

I was waist deep in water in a "wet trainer" on the pier next to my ship in Norfolk, VA. A "wet trainer" is basically a simulated ship space on the back of a flatbed truck that can be filled with water to train sailors how to repair battle damage while being blasted with water. The Chief who took pleasure in training the fire hose at us, as we were trying to fix pipes and repair holes, told us when we got out that a plane had just hit one of the WTC towers. I, like a lot of people, assumed that it was a general aviation plane that had a bad accident. As we were getting ready to go through the "wash" for another go-round, one of the other Chiefs said that another plane had hit the towers. That was when we knew something was wrong. The wet trainer Chiefs were called back to their command and everyone on the piers was being called back to their ships.

Once I got on board, it was like you see in the movies. People were running around the ship, the fork lifts got into high gear loading supplies, and divisions were forming up in the hangar to get the word from their "khakis" on what the plan of action was. The CO got on the 1MC (PA) and told us that all the ships on the piers and the base itself was on lockdown. No one was being allowed to leave and only Navy personnel were being allowed on the base. Incoming crew told us that the cars lined up to get in were backed up for miles due to the increased security and scrutiny. Just like with HH-60CC at Nellis, .50cal positions were set up at our base entrances as well. Every ship was readying to sortie out to sea to prevent us from being sitting ducks and have another terrorist attack take out a majority of the Atlantic fleet in one fell swoop.

As the FAA hadn't grounded all air traffic yet, our Divo and Chiefs called us together and since we were the weapons division, the plan was to load up at least one of our forward missile launchers, one of our aft ones, and both CWIS gun mounts. Something that is never done in port for safety reasons. It was surreal, especially being in port, looking across the piers and seeing ALL the other ships' weapons techs making preparations for loading their weapons as well.

We had been ramping up for a regular deployment later that month and half the ship's company was on leave for the POM period. So, just as we were formulating a plan to upload our missiles and set a watch schedule under reduced manning conditions, word came down that all air traffic was being grounded. We stood down our weapons preparations and we were finally able to take a little break, catch the cable coverage, and digest what had happened.

Over the next few days plans and orders changed hourly it seemed. We got underway that night with whatever crew we had with plans to pick up our MEU in NC and bring them to NY to provide security and assistance wherever needed as well as provide a "big-ship" presence and additional medical facilities. That changed the next day as were told to come back in, speed up our pre-deployment preparations, and get ready for what was now a wartime deployment. Over the next five days or so, each crewmember had about a day and half to finalize personal matters, and then we were haze gray and underway to deliver some of the first Marines in the form of the 26 MEU and their associated Air Combat Element to the war in Afghanistan.

[robair73]

I was in the kitchen cooking food because I was catering at the time. We would usually listen to Howard Stern in the morning, but that morning we decided on a little wake up music - Metallica. My boss walked in about 5 minutes after the first tower was hit and said "You guys listening to Stern? A plane just flew into one of the World Trade Center towers!" We turned on Stern and the T.V. in the bar and watched it all unfold in disbelief.

It's unbelievable to me that we have done nothing with Ground Zero in 5 years. A glaring example of this Administration's incompetence. It's just appalling how this country has been managed since 9/11.

[Ortini159]

I was on my last shift of work at the main gate to Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. It was about 5 pm in the evening there when we heard. I had been there for about 5 months, already delayed to go home once for manning issues when the planes hit. After that we went into threatcon Delta and we didnt let any TCN's (third country nationals) to come on the base to work. Needless to say it pissed off a lot of the troops because there was no one to cook the food in the chow hall and we had to eat MREs for a couple days. Which was fine because they are better than the food anyway.
I got back to my room after the shift and found out that we werent going home for a while. It was pretty funny seeing all of these AF guys running around trying to act like we were in the Army or something screaming we are going to war and spreading rumors that we are going to be redeployed to afganistan or Iraq, (acting like idiots basically). You should have seen there faces when we actually got deployment orders a year and a half later! Priceless!

Good times!

[bert5555]

Sleeping on my couch in Hawaii with the TV on after working late that night. It all happened starting at about 2:30am...but somehow I woke up between the first and second towers being hit. Listened as some of the news anchors (particularly on CNBC) started freaking out on the air. Woke up my co-worker (I worked in journalism at the time) and told him to get his ass into the office now...didn't go back to sleep and watched the rest of it numb.

[newty]

Travertine falls in the Grand Canyon where I was working as a river guide. Went back to that job this year after the Alaska bush pilot gig didn't pan out. Every trip at travertine I wonder what is going on in the world that I don't know about? I found out late on the 12th. On a side note if I don't find flying work soon the grand canyon will bee my job again next year.

[woodreau]

Gulf Coast Mississippi. - I was in my office when my security officer poked his head in and said a plane crashed into the world trade center. I thought briefly about the B-17 that got lost in the fog during WW2 and crashed into the Empire State Building or one of the other tall buildings. and I hoped that things were going to be okay. But at the time I was going over what I thought were more important things - over repair work that was going on throughout the ship - some minor depot work for the missile launchers, some structrural hull repair work needed in the sonar equipment room. So I ignored the security officer for the time being.

I stepped out into the wardroom for a little break and saw everyone clustered around the TV watching the live events - saw the plume from the first crash, and then we all watched the second plane crash into the other tower. WTF?

Then we got a call from the radio watch reporting flash traffic directing us to set threat condition Delta, and everything went out the window.

I remember rushed meetings with the Commanding Officer and Executive Officer, me briefing on what needed to get done to set threat condition Delta, status of the ship's weapons and electronics, the Supply Officer briefing our supply status (how much fuel, how much food, etc), Ops Officer briefing our possible mission assignments, Engineer - status of the propulsion plant, etc.

Every ship inport lit up their air search radars - something not done inport because it interferes with ATC radars and everyones' cordless phones in their homes - the Aegis radar operates in the same frequency band as aircraft transponders so it would render ATC unable to interrogate them. Every ship set their sonar to max power and pinged away like mad. Any diver in the water would get a huge headache.

Every weapon in the armory (16 machine guns - over 30 rifles - and 40 pistols) was issued out and I waited in dread for the word about the first sailor getting shot by some other sailor because of fumbled weapons. You just don't trust sailors with weapons if you've seen some of them shoot.

We spent that night on the ship. By this time every aircraft had landed and so in theory nothing should be flying. Around 10pm on 9/11 we went to battle stations - radar picked up an aircraft inbound to the naval station. The captain ordered it to be engaged - we tried confirming with SEADS to see if was military - it wasn't squawking a valid mode 4 IFF - we put a white bird (live warshot) on the missile rail - something I'd never done either even in the Persian Gulf - and got a "Birds Affirm" meaning the missile was tracking the inbound aircraft and the computer had a valid fire control solution and all I had to say next was "Take track 12345 with birds." and the FC on the console would push THE button and I would have just launched my first warshot in anger against something that wasn't a target drone and someone was going to die.

I tried thinking of what could be in the air - one of the criteria the Navy uses to determine hostile intent was and still is - not on an established airway - which works in the Persian Gulf but not the US- and I had to argue with the captain who wanted to engage before it got any closer with the knowledge I had as an instrument pilot - no one flies on airways in the US if they don't have to.

As the captain was pondering this new airway info - we were finally able to establish contact on 121.5 and it was law enforcement helo but I don't remember if they were allowed to be in the air or not. The captain was satisfied with the ID however. We stood down and I was quite happy to strike the missiles back into the magazine.

The dawn of Sep 12, we sortied out to sea to establish radar pickets along the Gulf Coast to extend NORAD's radar coverage.

I remember getting underway - we had gotten underway for deployments and exercises before - but this time it was different - at least for deployments and exercises you knew you were coming back in 2 weeks or 6 months or whenever - but you knew you were coming back at a certain time. You had a light at the end of the tunnel. On Sep 12 when we got underway I had this hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach, we were getting underway, but this time we didn't know when we would be coming back to port.

For the next week we maintained picket off Galveston, feeding our radar picture to SEADS and NORAD. Other ships were stationed off the East Coast off the West Coast and the Gulf Coast feeding their picture to NORAD. The first few days were relatively quiet, we queried every ship entering Galveston and Houston, and boarded to inspect the ones who "fit the profile" to clear their entry into US ports. The air picture was just military air traffic so picking out any bad guys would be easy.

After a few days the airspace opened up again - nothing could have prepared us for the sheer numbers of helicopters that service the oil industry - it overwhelmed our computer's and radar's ability to track them all as they flew to and from the coast and the oil rigs. During the no-fly days - we'd plotted all the oil rigs so we knew where they were - so after a time we noticed patterns and nervously settled back into a guarded routine.

The end did show up eventually - the Navy rotated us off station one at a time to replenish from an oiler but after two weeks we were told to go back to port.

I never thought I would have to issue the firing keys to the launcher operators off my own home coast. But the time I almost engaged an inbound police helo sends chills down my spine everytime I think about it and if I hadn't taken the time to question the ID criteria and discuss the engagement with the captain, I think we probably would have launched - the discussion gave the contact time to establish contact which probably saved it.