Subject: Incredible!
Howdy Friends and Family:
I thought I would gather a few observations at the end of this extraordinary day in American history.
Like virtually everyone else in the United States, I am numbed by the scale of today's terrorist events. I was just bringing in the Washington Post this morning when my friend Doug Goralski called around 9:15 a.m. and told me to turn on the t.v. - that the World Trade Center had been hit by an airliner and was on fire. My mind groped to process his statement - I momentarily envisioned the United Nations building before summoning up the Trade Center image in my still - groggy brain.
Flicking on the set, I almost immediately saw the footage of the second airliner striking the WTC - is this Hollywood? Egad! No! I thought to myself, gotta run and get a video tape to catch this news - but even before I left the house the news flashed that another plane had hit the heliport side of the Pentagon! My God! So I also took my video camera with me and continued on down Route 7 from Falls Church to the traditional Civil War high ground near Munson's Hill on the way to Bailey's Crossroads to give a view towards the foot on Columbia Pike which ends at the Pentagon. From the bridge over the Pike I could tape the smoke cloud rising from the 757 impact fire raging at that 10:30 hour. Several emergency vehicles deployed towards the disaster while I was at the Crossroads. Then I eaked my way back home through traffic that was already bogging down by 11 a.m. as the government shut down early and emergency preparedness measures went into effect. All inbound river crossings were closed and the authorities were checking identification for vehicles trying to enter the District of Columbia at dusk tonight. Of course all airports were closed with all national flights ordered to land at the nearest available airport and international arrivals diverted to Canada. I stayed close to home and observed the unusual military air traffic.I have seen much military flight activity here today - much more than usual! Many UH-1N Hueys have come and gone over my neighborhood with regularity on their way over to the Pentagon site at the foot of National Cemetary. D.C. Air National Guard F-16 Fighting Falcons of the 113th Wing based at Andrews AFB were performing Combat Air Patrol over the Potomac and Washington, D.C. during the day, and at dusk I saw a pair of high altitude F-15 Eagles at about Angels 10 flying top cover for a C-141B Starlifter headed to Andrews from the west at an altitude of about 5,000 feet. I assume this was part of the presidential contingent returning after George W. had already landed back at the White House on the South Lawn in Marine One, an HMX-1 VH-3 SeaKing, some fifteen or twenty minutes before. A moment later a helicoptor that MAY have been an AH-1 Huey Cobra gunship flew by in the same direction as the Starlifter, but only a thousand feet up. It was either that or it's big brother, another Huey. I don't ever recall seeing CAP over Falls Church before...
I monitored the developing news all afternoon with varying degrees of disbelief. The total collapse of the twin towers in lower Manhattan is just staggering. I fear that we could well see casualties to equal the 23,000 men lost at the Battle of Sharpsburg in a single day - this nation's highest one-day death toll. My friend Doug came over and watched with me for a time and observed that "this is like five Pearl Harbors all at once." Well put... A number of folks checked in from around the country, amongst them my brother Wright in California, my parents in Florida, fellow Tiger Band member Barbara Batchelor from South Carolina, Ron Knorr - also from the Palmetto State, Steve Peterson in Tucson, Arizona, and Kate Jacobs Nelson in the Windy City. Thanx for caring y'all! I hope all this settles down by the weekend. On Sunday I am supposed to fly down to Florida to hear my Mother perform in a duel piano recital at Okaloosa Walton Community College where she teaches, and I sure hope domestic flights are back to normal! I would hate to miss the performance. Drop me a line! Sub*