Mon 2 Jun 2008

Firefight: Inside the Battle to Save the Pentagon on 9/11

Posted by Tim Sumner under 9/11, September 11, heroes


At 9:37 a.m., on 9/11, those aboard Arlington Fire Department Engine 101 were headed north on I-395 for a training session near the Pentagon. Firefighter Jamie Lewis saw the American Airlines Flight 77 first. “Hey, look at the plane!” he shouted. “What’s he doing?” Nearby, on the Columbia Pike, Paramedic Claude Conde was loading a stroke victim into an ambulance when a plane roared overhead. “He had never seen a plane so close. Something wasn’t right. The airport wasn’t far away, but the plane was already at treetop level, well below the glide path it should be on for National Airport.” On a routine watch at the Pentagon’s helipad, Firefighter Mark Skipper was standing in front of Foam 161 when the firefighter he was talking with, Alan Wallace, “…noticed some movement out of the corner of his eye … The plane was heading straight towards them … a few feet off the ground … ‘Run!’ Wallace screamed.”



In Firefight: Inside the Battle to Save the Pentagon on 9/11, authors Patrick Creed and Rick Newman slam you awake as to what happened there that day.

While many staggered through smoke, rising heat, and shockwave-strewn wreckage in search of an exit, it took the sheer valor of troops, civilians, and first responders to save the lives of hundreds — some died in the attempt. Firefighters from far and near came running, found a vortex of chaos, sucked rancid smoke, and fought the ‘big one’ fire of their careers. Even as carbon monoxide levels rose in the national command center, our nation’s senior military leadership refused to evacuate, the fire was spreading, and the entire Pentagon was at risk of burning down.

Pat Creed and Rick Newman described it all, as best as anyone could within 486 pages.

If you wish to learn more about the courage and tragedy of 9/11, buy their book.

http://www.911familiesforamerica.org/?p=871

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