Airman recalls 9/11 from Arlington

Courtesy Photo | Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, awards Staff Sgt. Julie Smith, from Plymouth, Mich., a Joint Commendation Medal for duties as his aide from April 2001 to October 2002, at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Sept. 15, 2002. Smith was one of four aides at the Myers' residence when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the west side of the Pentagon.  

CAMP AS SALIYAH, QATAR

09.11.2009

Story by Dustin Senger 

Area Support Group - Qatar

CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar — U.S. service members, Department of Defense civilians and contractors observed a shared moment of silence during a Patriot Day ceremony at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar, Sept. 11. With the flag unfurled and flown half-staff in Arabia, each citizen privately recalled their own 9/11 story. While serving as an aide to a top military officer, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Julie Smith, from Plymouth, Mich., remembered the day a tremble rolled across Arlington County from the Pentagon.

The morning of Sept. 11, 2001, felt like any other day for Smith. It was exactly 12 years since she flew out of Detroit Metro Airport to attend basic training in San Antonio, Texas. The early morning offered nothing strange, aside from signs of unusually warm fall weather.

Since April, she had been working at the residence of Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at Fort Myer, Va. She always started the 20-mile commute from her home in Waldorf, Md., by 6 a.m., to miss the morning rush-hour traffic surrounding Washington. She was one of four aides reporting for duty at the general's house.

"Our job was to take care of the little details so the general didn't have to," said Smith. "We cooked and served when he hosted guests at his home. We made sure his uniforms were pressed and well presented. We cleaned and took care of all the necessary chores around the house."

"We coordinated mostly with Mrs. Myers because of the long work hours General Myers kept," said Smith, referring to Mary Jo, the general's wife. "She was wonderful."

By 8 a.m., Smith and other aides were tending to their duties around the house. Mary Jo was upstairs working. On the other side of Arlington National Cemetery, contractors were completing office renovations at the Pentagon's western corridors, an area of the building that faces the Myers' residence. The effort was to better support the building's community of over 20,000 military and civilian personnel.

About eight miles west of the house, American Airlines flight 77 was obtaining runway clearance at Washington Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Va. The six-person flight crew was preparing 58 passengers for departure to Los Angeles International Airport on a Boeing 757, a mid-size twinjet airliner.

"I was walking into the kitchen while taking a break from some yard work," said Smith. "Then, I saw it on the news." American Airlines flight 11 had slammed into the north tower of New York City's World Trade Center at 8:45 a.m. Then, only 21 minutes later, United Airlines flight 175 crashed into the World Trade Center's south tower. Two jets, carrying 158 passengers and 17 crewmembers, were lost in terrorist attacks.

"When the second plane hit, we were all speechless," said Smith. "We looked at each other in disbelief. It was obvious this was on purpose; an accident only happens once. We were hung on every word from the local news."

The reports eventually became redundant and the aides returned to their duties. Smith went downstairs to grab some yard gloves from her office. On her way back upstairs, she noticed the windows on the storm door shaking. Soon after, Mary Jo ran down to the kitchen, asking the aides what caused so much noise.

"At first, I wasn't sure what Mrs. Myers was talking about," said Smith. The outdoor noise was muffled due to being halfway underground, but she had noticed an odd tremor.

At 9:38 a.m., approximately 2,000 meters from the Meyer's residence, American Airlines flight 77 crashed into the west side of the Pentagon. The U.S. Department of Defense headquarters had been hit by 270,000 pounds of metal and jet fuel, accelerating at speeds over 400 miles an hour. The impact penetrated five floors and three rings, in and around corridors four and five.

"We heard a Fort Myer's Fire Department truck screaming past the house," said Smith, "followed by what seemed like every other emergency apparatus on base. All the aides ran outside to see what was going on."

Numerous fire and rescue units from around Arlington County immediately self-dispatched. But at first, only one fire crew knew the exact location of the crash site: Fort Myer Fire Department's Foam 161. The crew was parked at the heliport just outside the Pentagon's western wall. The truck was on fire and two firefighters had been hit by flying debris. The crew's captain called the Fort Myer department, reporting the location of the crash for the first time.

"We saw this enormous smoke plume just over Arlington National Cemetery — it was at the Pentagon. I was frozen. My boss works there!"

"I ran back into the house and found Mrs. Myers in the kitchen," said Smith. "I told her there had been an explosion at the Pentagon. We locked eyes, in shock at what I just said. We held on to a fear that General Myers was inside. I said the first words: call him!" Mary Jo grabbed her phone. Myers wasn't there. His secretary said the general had been in a meeting outside the office.

The attack on the Pentagon took the lives of 189 people; 184 innocent victims and five terrorists. Overall, 106 patients received medical treatment by area hospitals, care centers and clinics. Patients mostly suffered from shock, burns, respiratory problems, head injuries and orthopedic trauma.

The Myers later learned their neighbor, three doors down, was a victim: Lt. Gen. Timothy Maude, Army deputy chief of staff. Maude's offices had recently moved to the newly renovated wing. He was the highest ranking officer killed in the Pentagon.

"Sept. 11, 2001, is the saddest and most profound moment of my life," said Smith. "But in a way, it opened a new door for me. After the attack, I realized it was time to get back to my career field in the services squadron. I wanted to join the Soldiers, Sailors, Airman and Marines deploying in pursuit of justice."

After over 36 years of military service, Smith's boss became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Oct. 1, 2001. During his first week, U.S. forces launched strikes on terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. By December, American troops and their allies had driven the Taliban from power and put the Al Qaeda on the run.

"I researched duty stations and found out a lot of people were deploying from Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina," said Smith. "I changed duty stations in October 2002, to Shaw, and then first deployed for Operation Enduring Freedom in July 2003."

Since 9/11, Smith has deployed overseas five times in support of the Global War on Terrorism. As a Morale, Welfare and Recreation specialist at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar, she supports the only authorized U.S. Central Command rest and recuperation pass program in Southwest Asia.

Eight years have elapsed since four hijacked commercial jet liners were steered toward targets along the eastern coastline of the United States, resulting in explosions that seized the lives of nearly 3,000 individuals.

"A lot of memories come to mind on Patriot Day," said Smith. "I think about all those people who were killed. I think about their families. But the thing that hurts the most... is due to my work as a volunteer firefighter at the Waldorf Fire Department."

"After the towers fell in New York... my first thoughts were about the firefighters running upstairs to save lives."

"Everybody who was anybody was helping others after the attacks," said Smith. "Even the Secretary of Defense was assisting victims outside the Pentagon — ignoring requests for him to evacuate. Auxiliaries from all over were providing food and offering assistance."

"There were no ranks, no prejudices, no male or female — just people in serious need. We all have our differences, but none of it mattered. Everyone's hand was extended."

• Date Taken: 09.11.2009
• Date Posted: 09.11.2009 11:06
• Story ID: 38596
• Location: CAMP AS SALIYAH, QA