Photo By Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett | Brian Morgenstern (blue shirt), the Circuit City employee whose phone call helped...... read more read more
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By Russell Bassett
115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
FORT DIX, N.J. -- A van comes onto Fort Dix and unloads individuals carrying gym bags at several different locations around post. At a pre-determined time, the individuals don ski masks and load automatic weapons. They enter through the front door of several different post buildings, moving from room to room, firing bullets into every person they see.
Screaming and crying, some victims climb out windows and run for safety. Those not as lucky lie in pools of their own blood, gasping their last breaths.
The van continues through post, gaining speed as it nears the post command center. It slams into the side of the building and explodes on impact, sending a large ball of fire and debris 50 feet into the air. No one inside survives.
Sounds far fetched, doesn't it? That couldn't happen here, right?
The fact of the matter is that a scenario very similar to this could have happened at Fort Dix if it were not for a local "unsung hero" who saw something suspicious and made a phone call.
The January 2006 day started like any other for Cherry Hill, N.J., resident Brian Morgenstern. He drove to his job at Circuit City in Mount Laurel, N.J., where he worked in the video department.
Morgenstern didn't think much of it when two Caucasian men in their early 20s brought him an 8mm tape, requesting it be reformatted onto a DVD.
"They looked like normal people," he said. "There was nothing suspicious about them."
It wasn't until later, when Morgenstern began converting the tape, that he noticed something that made alarm bells go off in his head.
"I witnessed men in the Poconos (mountains in Pennsylvania) at a shooting range, firing what appeared to be fully automatic weapons," said the 23-year-old. "The conversions I do are typically of weddings and family events so it was pretty alarming to have someone bring that to me."
Morgenstern, who described the tape in court reports as "disturbing," wasn't sure what he should do about what he had seen. He pondered the decision for a night, consulting with his family. The next morning he made a phone call to local police. That simple act of making a phone call helped thwart a terrorist plan to kill Soldiers on Fort Dix.
According to FBI and court reports, the video brought to Morgenstern at Circuit City showed men in military fatigues shooting assault weapons, calling for jihad and shouting in Arabic, "God is great."
Morgenstern's tip to the authorities began a 15-month inter-agency investigation that resulted in the arrest of six individuals in May.
The FBI called Morgenstern the "unsung hero" of the case.
"If we didn't get that tip," U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie said, "I couldn't be sure what would happen."
Fort Dix's top cop, Public Safety Director Stephen Melly, was also thankful to Morgenstern for helping protect the post.
"People like him make my job easier," Melly said. "It's certainly better to react to a group that is planning a situation than to react to a strike on the installation."
Morgenstern was invited onto the post for the annual 4th of July celebration, and person after person came up to him, shaking his hand and offering a word of thanks.
"That could have been me getting blown up," said Michael Engi, president of the local Vietnam Veterans of America chapter, who comes onto post every Monday evening to hang out with Soldiers who have been injured in the War on Terrorism. "I think what he did was admirable, and we are all proud of him. If more people would step up and say something and not be afraid when they see something suspicious, we would all be better off."
The FBI did not originally release Morgenstern's name, identifying him only as an 'unsung hero' and Circuit City clerk, but the young man decided not to remain anonymous so that he could spread a simple, yet important message.
He went on CNN and other media outlets to tell America to remain vigilant in the War on Terrorism.
"Our service members work everyday to protect our freedom, and we have an obligation as citizens to protect our freedoms as well," Morgenstern said. "The main message I'm trying to portray is that we all need to keep our eyes open. You never know what could be out there, and in this case, one phone call made all the difference."
Fort Dix, according to Melly, has increased its protective posture as a result of the thwarted attack.
"We've learned a lot from him," Melly said. "Our safety is much tighter. You might not be able to see it, but through increased surveillance, background checks and other means, we have a better knowledge of who is entering the installation and where they are going."
Five of the alleged terrorists plead not-guilty to charges of plotting a paramilitary attack on Fort Dix. The sixth member plead not guilty to helping the others illegally acquire guns. All are currently in prison awaiting trial. If convicted, five could receive life sentences, and the other could face 10 years in prison.
Morgenstern continues to work at Circuit City where he has been promoted to assistant manager.
| Date Taken: | 07.13.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 07.13.2007 18:28 |
| Story ID: | 11270 |
| Location: | FORT DIX, NJ, US |
| Web Views: | 516 |
| Downloads: | 246 |
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