A
Anders
Guest
In Alleged Pentagon Strike Witnesses Introduction
The web archive came to assistance:
http://web.archive.org/web/20010924185515/http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/news01/091201_news_dcscene.shtml
The quote from the following text that appears on WhatReallyHappened is underlined.
Mournful church bells toll, police sirens soar as D.C. explodes into panic
By Jessica Wehrman
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
WASHINGTON - Marine Corps officer Mike Dobbs was standing on one of the upper levels of the outer ring of the Pentagon looking out the window when he saw an American Airlines 737 twin-engine airliner strike the building.
"It seemed to be almost coming in in slow motion," he said later Tuesday. "I didn't actually feel it hit, but I saw it and then we all started running. They evacuated everybody around us."
Dobbs was one of many people, Pentagon workers and passersby, who had an unwanted front-row seat at the worst terrorist attack ever on the nation's capital.
The attack turned the seat of government into a massive sea of chaos, smoke and terror. Government buildings were evacuated, sending thousands of frightened workers into the streets heading for home.
Traffic ground to a halt. Cell phone lines were jammed. A seemingly calm woman riding in a taxi cab cursed President Bush as if to blame him, then curled in half, sobbing as if in physical pain, when the radio announced that smoke from the Pentagon attack was being seen throughout Arlington.
"My baby's down the street from there," she cried.
By early afternoon, the confusion had ebbed and the city had the eerie appearance of a ghost town. Most businesses had closed. Sidewalk cafes were empty. There were few cars on the streets during what should have been the evening rush hour.
"Usually, there are a lot of people walking around with a smile on their face," said David Battle, surveying an almost empty Pennsylvania Avenue, just a couple blocks from the White House. "Today, it seems like everyone is in a state of shock."
Earlier Tuesday, Battle, an office worker at the Pentagon, was standing outside the building and just about to enter when the aircraft struck. "It was coming down head first," he said. "And when the impact hit, the cars and everything were just shaking."
Floyd Rasmusen, a senior management analyst at the Pentagon, was inside. "All of a sudden all of my telephones cut off," he said. "I heard an explosion. All of a sudden I saw all of this flaming debris come flying toward me." He got his staff out of the building.
"I've got to find my wife," he said. "She's here someplace."
Defense Department worker Peggy Mencl was standing in the corridor of the building, about 10 feet from the door, when "the doors blew out and debris just came flying out from the doors. It blew me 10 feet." She was not injured, but still had debris in her hair.
David Young, a liaison for a defense contract management agency, was typing an e-mail on his computer when "I felt the entire building shake . . . I had just finished watching the incident at the World Trade Center on TV. All that was fresh on my mind when the building shook."
Before the blast, watching what was happening in New York, "I said, there's no way to defend against that and they could get the Pentagon if they wanted to," Young said. "Those were my words five minutes before this happened."
Jim Sutherland, a mortgage broker, was driving near the Pentagon at 9:40 a.m. when he saw a 737 airplane 50 feet over Interstate 395 heading in a straight line into the side of the Pentagon. The fireball explosion that followed rocked his car. Drivers began pulling over to the side - some taking pictures - not quite believing what they were seeing.
Lt. Commander John Sayer, a Navy reservist, was riding on a bus when he heard a thud. "It sounded like a very loud clap," he said. "At first I thought an airplane had hit in front of the Pentagon, but when I got closer I saw that it had struck the Pentagon."
Hundreds of civilians scurrying around the Pentagon flinched when a jetliner passed overhead before the total ban on air flights took effect.
On Capitol Hill, Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Texas, was just beginning a press conference on security issues following the plane crash at the World Trade Center when word arrived that the White House was being evacuated.
"We closed down the press conference right there and got out of the building," said Cathy Travis, an aide to Ortiz. "My boss sent us home. There were a lot of people leaving the Capitol area."
Evacuation of the Capitol was speedy but orderly. Students made the most vigorous dash to safety, followed by Capitol office workers. A jet, high in the sky, circled the Capitol and more people began to run.
Most Capitol Hill workers had a cell phone pressed to their ears; the most overheard phrase: "I'm OK, Mom."
Ten minutes after the attack, the front of the Capitol was silent, almost peaceful, save the mournful tolling of bells from a nearby church. Quietly at first, then louder, the sound of sirens joined that toll.
At the back of the Capitol, Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., said he saw the World Trade Center attack on television, and heard about the attack on the Pentagon on his way to work.
"I've long been fearful something like this could happen," he said, adding that he often skips joint sessions of Congress because he fears such attacks. "I've imagined something like this could happen for a long time."
Ray and Joyce Reynolds, tourists from Kansas City, MO., sat outside on the Capitol lawn, waiting for their tour buses and thanking God their vacation schedule sent them to the World Trade Center two days ago, not today.
Instead, they were touring the Capitol. Someone said an attack was underway. The tour guide ordered them to follow her. Along with throngs of tourists, they ran.
"I've never even dreamed anything like this would happen," said Joyce Reynolds. "I'm kind of an optimistic person. I never thought that sort of thing could happen over here."
Said Ray Reynolds: "Kansas City is looking really good to me right now."
Usually verbose senators were stilled by the attack.
"Weird, huh," said Sen. Herbert Kohl, D-Wis.
Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., said he was ashamed that terrorists had managed to scare Americans.
"Officers are doing what they have to do," he said. "But I can't help but hate the fact they've shut down the entire area. That's exactly what the terrorists wanted - to cause panic. It looks like we're having to play into their hands."
Tong Hu, a tourist from Wuhan, China, came to D.C. with a tour group of 50 Chinese tourists, including her parents. They were among the throngs evacuated from the Capitol.
"My parents have dreamed of coming here to see the Capitol, to see the White House, their whole life," she said. "Now the whole trip is ruined. Now the only thing we want is to go home safely."
Hu said she did not feel safe.
"I've never been afraid for my life," said Christina Yeung, a Vancouver tourist who said she had survived China's Cultural Revolution. "This is the first time."
Original link to David Battle http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/news01/091201_news_dcscene.shtml was blankLaura said:
The web archive came to assistance:
http://web.archive.org/web/20010924185515/http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/news01/091201_news_dcscene.shtml
The quote from the following text that appears on WhatReallyHappened is underlined.
Mournful church bells toll, police sirens soar as D.C. explodes into panic
By Jessica Wehrman
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
WASHINGTON - Marine Corps officer Mike Dobbs was standing on one of the upper levels of the outer ring of the Pentagon looking out the window when he saw an American Airlines 737 twin-engine airliner strike the building.
"It seemed to be almost coming in in slow motion," he said later Tuesday. "I didn't actually feel it hit, but I saw it and then we all started running. They evacuated everybody around us."
Dobbs was one of many people, Pentagon workers and passersby, who had an unwanted front-row seat at the worst terrorist attack ever on the nation's capital.
The attack turned the seat of government into a massive sea of chaos, smoke and terror. Government buildings were evacuated, sending thousands of frightened workers into the streets heading for home.
Traffic ground to a halt. Cell phone lines were jammed. A seemingly calm woman riding in a taxi cab cursed President Bush as if to blame him, then curled in half, sobbing as if in physical pain, when the radio announced that smoke from the Pentagon attack was being seen throughout Arlington.
"My baby's down the street from there," she cried.
By early afternoon, the confusion had ebbed and the city had the eerie appearance of a ghost town. Most businesses had closed. Sidewalk cafes were empty. There were few cars on the streets during what should have been the evening rush hour.
"Usually, there are a lot of people walking around with a smile on their face," said David Battle, surveying an almost empty Pennsylvania Avenue, just a couple blocks from the White House. "Today, it seems like everyone is in a state of shock."
Earlier Tuesday, Battle, an office worker at the Pentagon, was standing outside the building and just about to enter when the aircraft struck. "It was coming down head first," he said. "And when the impact hit, the cars and everything were just shaking."
Floyd Rasmusen, a senior management analyst at the Pentagon, was inside. "All of a sudden all of my telephones cut off," he said. "I heard an explosion. All of a sudden I saw all of this flaming debris come flying toward me." He got his staff out of the building.
"I've got to find my wife," he said. "She's here someplace."
Defense Department worker Peggy Mencl was standing in the corridor of the building, about 10 feet from the door, when "the doors blew out and debris just came flying out from the doors. It blew me 10 feet." She was not injured, but still had debris in her hair.
David Young, a liaison for a defense contract management agency, was typing an e-mail on his computer when "I felt the entire building shake . . . I had just finished watching the incident at the World Trade Center on TV. All that was fresh on my mind when the building shook."
Before the blast, watching what was happening in New York, "I said, there's no way to defend against that and they could get the Pentagon if they wanted to," Young said. "Those were my words five minutes before this happened."
Jim Sutherland, a mortgage broker, was driving near the Pentagon at 9:40 a.m. when he saw a 737 airplane 50 feet over Interstate 395 heading in a straight line into the side of the Pentagon. The fireball explosion that followed rocked his car. Drivers began pulling over to the side - some taking pictures - not quite believing what they were seeing.
Lt. Commander John Sayer, a Navy reservist, was riding on a bus when he heard a thud. "It sounded like a very loud clap," he said. "At first I thought an airplane had hit in front of the Pentagon, but when I got closer I saw that it had struck the Pentagon."
Hundreds of civilians scurrying around the Pentagon flinched when a jetliner passed overhead before the total ban on air flights took effect.
On Capitol Hill, Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Texas, was just beginning a press conference on security issues following the plane crash at the World Trade Center when word arrived that the White House was being evacuated.
"We closed down the press conference right there and got out of the building," said Cathy Travis, an aide to Ortiz. "My boss sent us home. There were a lot of people leaving the Capitol area."
Evacuation of the Capitol was speedy but orderly. Students made the most vigorous dash to safety, followed by Capitol office workers. A jet, high in the sky, circled the Capitol and more people began to run.
Most Capitol Hill workers had a cell phone pressed to their ears; the most overheard phrase: "I'm OK, Mom."
Ten minutes after the attack, the front of the Capitol was silent, almost peaceful, save the mournful tolling of bells from a nearby church. Quietly at first, then louder, the sound of sirens joined that toll.
At the back of the Capitol, Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., said he saw the World Trade Center attack on television, and heard about the attack on the Pentagon on his way to work.
"I've long been fearful something like this could happen," he said, adding that he often skips joint sessions of Congress because he fears such attacks. "I've imagined something like this could happen for a long time."
Ray and Joyce Reynolds, tourists from Kansas City, MO., sat outside on the Capitol lawn, waiting for their tour buses and thanking God their vacation schedule sent them to the World Trade Center two days ago, not today.
Instead, they were touring the Capitol. Someone said an attack was underway. The tour guide ordered them to follow her. Along with throngs of tourists, they ran.
"I've never even dreamed anything like this would happen," said Joyce Reynolds. "I'm kind of an optimistic person. I never thought that sort of thing could happen over here."
Said Ray Reynolds: "Kansas City is looking really good to me right now."
Usually verbose senators were stilled by the attack.
"Weird, huh," said Sen. Herbert Kohl, D-Wis.
Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., said he was ashamed that terrorists had managed to scare Americans.
"Officers are doing what they have to do," he said. "But I can't help but hate the fact they've shut down the entire area. That's exactly what the terrorists wanted - to cause panic. It looks like we're having to play into their hands."
Tong Hu, a tourist from Wuhan, China, came to D.C. with a tour group of 50 Chinese tourists, including her parents. They were among the throngs evacuated from the Capitol.
"My parents have dreamed of coming here to see the Capitol, to see the White House, their whole life," she said. "Now the whole trip is ruined. Now the only thing we want is to go home safely."
Hu said she did not feel safe.
"I've never been afraid for my life," said Christina Yeung, a Vancouver tourist who said she had survived China's Cultural Revolution. "This is the first time."