Eye Witness Account from a Friend in the Pentagon

MWink

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Today I recieved an Email from my Uncle with the same title as this thread. I thought I would share it with you guys. Here is the exact Email:


I send this so you have some idea of what happened. I ask you to do what ever you can to help. Something small as giving blood will really help.

This is from a friend of mine who is now setting office up in my building.

"For those of you who have worked in the Pentagon before, I was in 2C450 when the plane hit. For those of you that have never worked there, that's just way too close to where the plane hit. I was totally unhurt, but can't say the same for many of my fellow coworkers.

I think it's a good idea for me to tell you what happened -- and maybe it'll help me too.

We had just finished watching a tape of the second plane hitting the WTC in our General's office (he was away on a trip). I went back to my desk to prepare for a briefing that I had scheduled with LTG Maude, the DCSPER, at 1030 yesterday morning. As I was talking to another SGM, there was a very loud explosion -- a huge concussion if you would -- to my left. Immediately, the windows next to my desk blew outward. I fell to the floor and as I did so, I could feel extreme heat all along the left side of my body -- as I reflect, it seems as if it were in slow motion. Once the initial shock of what happened (a bomb -- it's what I thought), we proceeded out of the room we were in into the corridor (#4). As we tried to exit, we ran smack-dab into a steel barricade -- the fire door -- which had closed off the exit. We had to go into the offices of B ring and proceed through them out into the A ring corridor.

About 4 of us went back into corridor 4 and tried to look for others. The smoke was so thick and black -- we had to stop. We yelled and heard others -- they heard us and three more people came out. All of us left at that point.

It took several minutes, but emergency personnel came pretty fast. After a little time, I was told by a security guard to leave the area -- and was forced out into the South Parking lot. That's when I learned we were hit by a plane. After about a half hour -- we were trying to consolidate and account for everyone -- word came another plane was up there -- so we were all rushed out to the Crystal City area. We ended up walking all the way to the Metro Station at Braddock Road to get home. Not sure how far that is, but it took several hours overall.

I'm learning now that the fuselage of the airplane is resting just short of where I work, at the outer edge of what would be C corridor. My desk is on the inner edge of C corridor. People who literally sat 10 feet from me closer to the blast are hurt -- some burned pretty bad. People that were some 25 feet away are now missing.

As we left, I knew it was bad. I saw the security door was simply blown off its hinges and actually sheared in half. The ceiling was caved-in at several different points. Smoke was pretty bad and the smell of burning fuel was heavy.

Just an account that will help you realize a little more of what happened. I still can get over it and I am sure it will take some time. I was back to work today answering phones and keeping the Army running. Thanks for reading.....ART.