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Pearl Harbor (Sep. 11, 2020) - Remembering September 11th for Generations: Introduction
On a fall Monday night in Cincinnati, Ohio, in October 2002, then President George W. Bush gave a speech to outline “The Iraqi Threat.” A year, and nearly a month, after the country was shaken and devastated by the attacks of September 11, 2001 (9/11), Bush took “a few minutes to discuss a grave threat to peace, and America’s determination to lead the world in confronting that threat.”
Bush addressed the fateful day, in which we reached a pivotal moment in our history.
“On September the 11th, 2001, America felt its vulnerability – even to threats that gather on the other side of the Earth. We resolved then, and we are resolved today, to confront every threat, from any source, that could bring sudden terror and suffering to America.”
September 11th was a day like no other. On that morning, four airline flights, American 11, United 175, American 77, United 93, were hijacked. Three aircraft unfortunately reached their intended targets: the World Trade Center “twin towers” in Manhattan, New York and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. However, one failed. A U.S. Capitol crash attempt was thwarted when those on the plane fought the hijackers causing them to crash in a field in Stonycreek Township, near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Those born in the mid-90s and earlier may have vivid memories of that day and first-hand knowledge of the impact it had on them, their family and the country as a whole. It is a marker on a day that will never be forgotten with images, videos, audio, and stories shared and seared in history for all time.
In this special three-part series, Sailors will share their memories of 9/11 and thoughts on how we can continue to serve and remember.
Remembering September 11th for Generations: Part I – 9/11 As Remembered by Rear Adm. Robb Chadwick, Commander, Navy Region Hawaii and Commander, Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific
“I remember that it was an absolutely gorgeous day. Not a cloud in the sky.”
Then, Lt. Cmdr. Chadwick, was 33 years old and ten years into his naval career. Newly appointed as the admiral’s aide to the director of surface warfare at the Pentagon, Chadwick arrived early to his office.
“I thought to myself, ‘Nice, crisp September day.’ No different than any other day…but it quickly changed.”
The admiral’s aide position was not the Pentagon position Chadwick initially received. His original orders were to the strategy and policy division on the staff of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. A call from his detailer, a month before reporting, regarding the aide position along with a nudge from his mentor, Adm. James Stavridis, now retired, helped him decide to apply. A process that would normally take 72 hours and an interview for consideration, ended in a hire within 24 hours and a personal request from the hiring admiral himself, “I want Chadwick.” The “quick no interview pick” was the result of an email from Stavridis. Little did Chadwick know this unexpected position would save and change his life.
“The sobering part of it all is, everyone in the office [Navy Command Center] to which I had originally been assigned, died that morning. Including the one who took my seat.”
Chadwick’s new office location not only saved his life, but accepting a coffee invitation from Stavridis may have also saved him. Chadwick had considered visiting the sponsor he was communicating with prior to his order change, in the command center, one of the most badly damaged areas within the Pentagon. Instead he took the opportunity to talk with his mentor who wanted to catch up on the first month of his new position. During their conversation, Stavridis’ flag writer ran in to alert them to turn on the television. Before their eyes, scenes and stories from New York revealed a disastrous development. Recognizing this was an imminent time to check in with their respective departments, Chadwick headed back to his office.
“As I walked back to my office, I literally had my hand on my office door to enter, when the plane hit. My first thought, even though I’d seen a plane fly into the World Trade Center, was a bomb; the way it felt, the way it sounded.”
The passageway filled with smoke. Ceiling tiles fell all around. Fire alarms sounded. Chadwick needed an exit. He recalled his orientation with evacuation procedures and routes and proceeded to make his way to safety. Down hallways and escalators, and with the courtyard of the Pentagon before him, he reached for his phone to call his wife.
“Sandy. I’m okay. Something just happened to the Pentagon. I think it was a bomb. I’m okay. I’ll call you later.”
Unfortunately, it would be hours before phone lines would be free enough to get calls through, especially to his parents in Pennsylvania who had no way of knowing if their son was even alive.
“My dad was at his office and saw there was damage to the Pentagon and he knew I was in that wedge. They were waiting for a phone call from me, but the phone systems were down. My dad went home to be with my mom. He didn’t tell her he knew I was in that wedge, but he was fully expecting someone to show up at the door at some point because they hadn’t heard from me.”
A friend of Sandy’s from Michigan was able to get through to her that evening. Before concluding, Sandy asked her friend if she would try Chadwick’s parents as well because she couldn’t get through. During the night of September 11th, Chadwick’s parents received a call from a stranger, Sandy’s friend, who relieved them of their worry and relayed the message, “Robb is okay.”
“My mom said it was the best phone call she’d ever received.”
However, not everyone received such a call. On that earth-shattering day, it is reported that 189 people, comprised of service members, civilians, passengers, and the terrorists themselves, perished in the Pentagon attack. Chadwick and others did what they were able to do to safeguard as many lives as possible.
“I remember coming out into the Pentagon courtyard, and I probably came out with maybe 25-30 people at the same time. People were talking and asking what we thought that was. But, within a couple of seconds, it was almost like a choreographed dance, that nobody coordinated, and everyone in the group I came out with, turned around, without talking to each other, and ran back into the building. For the next several hours we tried to save as many as we could.”
Chadwick recalls the group helping about 15-20 people escape the horror and chaos. He joined together with people below windows to catch those trapped by fire and assisted badly burned victims who appeared through the billowing smoke from the massive hole in the Pentagon wedge.
“That day I experienced the worst of humanity and the best of humanity. The response I saw, the intense desire for everyone to help and try and save as many as we could…I was inspired that day.”
In a radio address by Bush, four days after 9/11, he included these words at the conclusion of his address, “Great tragedy has come to us, and we are meeting it with the best that is in our country, with courage and concern for others. Because this is America. This is who we are.”
Chadwick, and those he teamed up with, seemingly felt this way as they banded together to help others. There was such an impression made on Chadwick, that day he made the decision to make a career out of the Navy.
“People made a lot of assumptions about me, that I was going to make a career of it because I grew up in the Navy, and my dad is a retired admiral. Honestly, I took the approach, ‘I’m going to do this for as long as I enjoy it and it’s rewarding.’ While I was career minded I was open to other options. But it was that day that my staying in the Navy was sealed in my mind.”
Before leaving the Pentagon, Chadwick reflected on the day and all that had taken place. He held on closely to a thought that was one of the deciding factors for his career and life decision
“I remember thinking, ‘I want to keep surrounding myself with these kinds of people because I’m a better person when I’m around them.’ I certainly didn’t know what was coming in the wake of September 11, but I knew I wanted to be a part of it.”
The day, September 11, 2001, has passed, but each year reminds us of the fortunate and less fortunate, those who perished across three states and those who lived to tell their story and the story of others for years to come. While some may not think of September 11th every day, observing today provides all an opportunity to pause and review our own lives.
“I don’t think about it every day, but I do think about it often. It provides the perspective I need when dealing with difficult situations, and that I certainly can’t take this life for granted. I need to make the most of my time. We can’t assume that the conflicts are not going to come to our shores. Certainly, it was an awakening to that reality on 9/11.”
| Date Taken: | 09.10.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 10.19.2020 16:25 |
| Story ID: | 379138 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, US |
| Web Views: | 182 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Remembering September 11th for Generations: Three-Part Series (Introduction and Part I), by PO2 Jessica Blackwell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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