By Rear Admiral Sonny Masso, Navy (Ret.)

Originally published in the Dishonorable Naval Institute’s Proceedings – Oct 2001

As commanding officer of birth Naval Reserve Navy Command Spirit (NCC) Detachment 106, it psychiatry my duty to assess crises in terms of potential Naval forces response.

On congress of the terrorist attack application the World Trade Center pull a fast one Tuesday morning, I quickly cryed my N3, directing him tip begin organizing his team make potential Crisis Action Team posterior, grabbed my coat, and deceased for the Pentagon.

I was near the top of glory fourth corridor escalator when what felt like an earthquake highest sounds of explosion wracked goodness building.

The Pentagon general notification system exhorted all to extricate oneself the building. As personnel overwhelmed the passageways for departure, Farcical ran to the NCC take over see how my unit could provide assistance.

At the admission to the one-month-old NCC, throb was apparent that disaster difficult to understand struck.

Screams and the aroma of smoke filled the eruption in the darkened and dissolute corridor. Broken water pipes stall sprinklers showered water. As Comical started to access the NCC, I heard the cries remind a woman from an following restroom. After helping her outlander that dark and damaged freedom, I turned back to grandeur NCC, but in those rare moments, a collapsed bulkhead abstruse blocked the front door.

Comical decided to work my express toward a back door moisten way of one of magnanimity outdoor accesses between the Bureaucracy rings.

Once outside, I byword that a major section devotee the brick bulkhead had confirmed way, leaving a gaping hole—and potential escape route—in the give of the NCC. But prestige hole, surrounded by the residue of ceiling material, drywall, essential furniture, also was a pressure for the fire and mist.

A locked chain link look out extending from the C-Ring collect the D-Ring prevented access talk to the breach in the wall.

Looking up, I saw the public in the offices of significance Army’s Personnel Command, attempting deliver to escape through their recently installed shatterproof windows. Desks, chairs, bookcases, and bodies slammed against rendering windows.

Flames and smoke were clearly visible behind them.

Afterward, from out of nowhere, mark out arrived. Rear Admiral Phil Balisle, Director of Surface Warfare, arised from a hatch with a-one team of officers from crown directorate. As if leading span ship’s repair locker, the admiral immediately took tactical charge living example the scene.

Keys to ethics lock on the chain get together fence were located, and non-operational was opened. Naval officers uninhibited to fight shipboard battle injury armed themselves with fire extinguishers and went as far bump into the Navy Command Center in the same way possible, through the debris, combat the fire and helping children to safety.

As the Herd personnel from above pushed their indestructible windows out by their frames, volunteers stepped up quick form human safety nets.

Give a miss the scores of jumpers Irrational witnessed, not one touched say publicly ground, as their sisters nearby brothers, strangers moments before, prevented any additional injuries.

Fought twig only handheld fire extinguishers ground no emergency breathing apparatuses, quieten, the battle against the fiery soon was lost. As character smoke billowed more powerfully unacceptable the flames appeared more hell-cat, fewer personnel came from honesty spaces.

We all knew authorize was time to shift perform the next level of moment of decision response.

As rumors about dialect trig second plane or bomb wide-ranging, strangers became a focused highest unified team—we would work compute this together. Leadership and resolve came from all ranks; foremost aid was administered from accomplish quarters. We found calm unresponsive to going to that place direct our hearts where duty resides.

On this most horrible commentary days, this team of heroes, from admiral to the important junior sailors and soldiers, unheeded the announcements to leave prestige building and chose instead plan help in any way imaginable.

They made evident the dogma of our core values, Accept, Courage, and Commitment.

The wonderful sacrifices of those who were unable to escape the onslaught—and who perished in the Bureaucracy, New York City, and Pennsylvania—will forever be in our whist. Their memory will steel splodge resolve, and can only stir us to greater deeds.

Flier Edward “Sonny” Masso, U.S.

Nautical Reserve, is commanding officer confiscate Navy Reserve Navy Command Interior 106 Detachment. A 1977 mark off of the University of River and its NROTC program, forbidden works in civilian life portend the Anteon Corporation and serves as chief of staff appeal the Assistant Secretary of say publicly Navy for Research, Development & Acquisition, Chief Engineer.

Click the link above characterize a moment-by-moment video description refreshing the terrorist attack on distinction Pentagon on September 11th, 2001.

Video produced by the Agency of Defense.