Through a friends eyes (Pentagon 9-11) Part 1 & 2

This is a story written by my good friend Jon Moeller. Jon and I played baseball together many seasons, our team the Prince William Yankees from N.Virginia was all set to go play a big tournament in NY against the FDNY and NYPD that coming weekend. That all changed that fateful morning, I went back to work, (DOD communications), but more importantly; Jon, an FBI agent, went to work IN the Pentagon.

Here is his story: Part 1

I (Jon) have been asked to re-post my story that I wrote up many years ago. As FBI agents continue to die from 9/11, it is more important than ever to NEVER FORGET-

On the morning of 9/11 I was at the FBI Academy on Marine Corps Base Quantico conducting firearms qualifications when the agent beside me (Tommy O’Donnell), read a page (yes, on a pager) that a plane had hit one of the Twin Towers. We dismissed it as a small aircraft like a Cessna and kept shooting. A short time later, he received another page stating that a second plane hit the other tower. Tommy ran into the FBI Academy and saw the TV coverage and we split into diff directions…

A short time later, I learned that a third plane had hit the Pentagon. The cell phone system in DC had shut down from the overload of phone traffic. At this point, I made a decision to go home. I decided there was so much chaos and no communication or direction, that the best bet was to go home knowing there would be a need for a night shift and that I had a working landline phone. From the house landline, I first called the FBI Washington Field Office Communications Center who instructed me to stand-by. I then immediately called my cousin who is a pilot for American Airlines to see if he was okay and where he was. (He was fine.)

Next, I called several friends who were trapped in DC, as the bridges and Metro rail system was clogged where it was unusable. I gave them the best way to get out of DC without the bridges or the Metro. I also spread the word that people were welcome at my house, as a safe place, as it was 15 minutes from Mount Weather (a safe zone for Congress and the President). And close to being out of the 50 mile kill zone.

Shortly thereafter I was given several orders for later that evening. I slept (not really) for a couple of hours, then reported to Washington Dulles Airport the evening of 9/11.

The evening of 9/11 myself and several other agents interviewed everyone that had touched or been near the Boeing 757 that was American Flight 77 enroute to Los Angeles. This is included all cleaning crews that had cleaned the night before and the jet fuel tanker personnel, etc.

As the dawn of 9/12 arrived, I received a phone call to report to the Pentagon later that day. That evening I reported to Camp Unity at the Pentagon.

After arriving at the Pentagon, I was told that the HazMat Response Team that I was a part of, would be making the first entry to assess safety, air quality and amount of evidence and remains to remove. As we set up our tent and got our equipment– the Pentagon burned in the background. It was one of the first times in my life that I pondered why and how this could happen.

A few hours later, as a FBI HazMat team leader, myself and several FBI HazMat folks made entry into the Pentagon with a structural engineer, a Fairfax County Search and Rescue commander and a cadaver dog just north of where Flight 77 struck the Pentagon on the westside. (about 40 yards from the burning bldg) Operation Noble Eagle was soon to be underway. We went into A and E drive to test air quality and to assess. We had gone from rescue to recovery. I did make a nervous joke to the structural engineer as we entered– “Did you have an A average or a C- average in structural integrity class?”
Part 2

As we entered the Pentagon near the helipad with our PAPR gear on, the firefighters continued to fight the smoldering fire and the water was shin deep. The walls appeared to be moving in the dark. I truly was SCARED after watching the Towers fall the day before. Many things ran through my mind instantaneously: (A lot of dumb thoughts and several good ones)-
I hope this structural engineer knows I wasn’t joking.
I hope the power is out (as the wires were down in the roaring water we waded through, dumb thought I know) and then
“holy crap”(as we started passing the death and destruction). Upon seeing death, I always think and am thankful for Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection for our sins if we choose Him as our savior.

After arriving at the A & E Drive, we went to the site later dubbed “The Hole” which was a blown out section of a wall. This section was the size of the fuselage, which had been blown out due to the pressure and force when the Boeing slammed into the side of the building.

As we tested the air and tried to look into the hole back out to the southwest, where the passenger jet had entered the building, I saw nothing but ash (that look like fireplace ash) 7-8 feet high, huge pieces of steel and metal to include the duct work(all the things that did not burn). I could only think, we will be here for a year.

I was suddenly interrupted in thought by a cadaver dog handler who stated to us that we were standing on rubble that needs to be gone through. (I think you follow)

That night we started combing through the ash for evidence, remains and personal effects. We started 12 hour shifts, no days off and were there for the next month.

Some folks ask me to finish the story past 9/12. I am proud to say the FBI HazMat group I was a part of found American Flight 77’s black box and also terrorist Nawaf al-Hazmi’s driver’s license in the rubble.

I could tell stories on and on of the people, organizations, outpouring of love and friends that were made out of these acts of pure hate. Sometime I will get around to writing them out and/or sharing them. Yes, one does involve one friend I made in Former Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz.

I am especially grateful thankful for two groups- the Salvation Army and the North Carolina Baptist Men Disaster Team, as they provided to the needs of all the workers. They attempted to provide for all of our needs: physical, emotional and spiritual. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I will always be forever grateful.

There is one story is pictured below: As the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue workers started picking away at the rubble from the front (as the building had been shored up), on the far south side of the airliner’s entry area, an office had been exposed to the destruction. (I was told this was a General’s office. I never confirmed.) An U.S. flag was exposed in the rubble three stories up and next to the exposed office.

The whole scene and all the teams stopped in silence. I mean everyone. Silence except for the generators and the crane. This crane operator worked and worked until that flag was free and we watched in awe and in tears. As he pulled it from the rubble, it was passed off the jaws and a little known photo was taken as the workers cheered for this great act and this great country.

I will close with a few thoughts-
On the morning of 9/11 there were 3000 folks, that had many plans for that day, that week, that fall. None of them, knew what was in store, even the terrorists. But all of them had a belief in what happens in life after death. Even if they had no opinion or thoughts about it, that is a belief. All of these 3000 folks are spending eternity somewhere. Thing is, we don’t think something is going to happen to us today.

I would encourage you today, to think about what you think about eternity and God, and then ask yourself how do you know that it is true? God is real and God has expectations of us that we cannot live up to. How are we going to rectify that? People do not like to talk religion, especially when these tragedies and many other that are made in the name of religion.
We have been given free will by God. Free to make choices- good and bad. I hope you have chosen Christ as your Savior from sin and that he is ruler over your life.
~ Jon Moeller