Reflection, reality: 352nd SOSS chief shares 9/11 memories

  • Published
  • By Karen Abeyasekere
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England. --  On Sept. 11, 2001, 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners and flew them into the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and the Pennsylvania countryside, resulting in the loss of 3,056 lives.

Back then, Chief Master Sgt. Dustin Hall, 352nd Special Operations Support Squadron chief enlisted manager, was a staff sergeant in the 1st Airborne Communication and Control Squadron, based at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. He was an airborne secure voice operator.

“We were on board our airplane – an E4-B Advanced Airborne Command Post – at then-Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, with the engines running as we were getting ready to take off,” explained Hall. “Part of that mission was senior leader continuity of government issues, so we were monitoring radios.”

The E4-B serves as the National Airborne Operations Center and is a key component of the National Command System for the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“As we were on the ramp we heard a transmission come over the radio that a plane had crashed into a tower,” he recalled, telling how they delayed take-off for about 15 to 20 minutes to get clarification on what had just happened.

His work and the place he was in at that very moment meant Hall was one of the first people outside of New York to hear the shocking news, right before the news spread around the world.

“It was a simple 6 inch by 6 inch grey box, a speaker, and we were just hearing the words come out of this multi-million dollar airplane. It was just a simple VHF transmission stating that a plane had crashed into the tower,” Hall said, describing how 10 people were crammed into a small room on the command and control aircraft staring at the box in disbelief.

The chief enlisted manager explained how upon hearing the initial breaking news, it was first assumed that a private plane, such as a Cessna, had crashed into the tower. Little did he know that this would prove to be a historic terror attack which would change the world forever.

“Even at that point we didn’t have 100 percent clarity on it, but the commander of the crew decided to go ahead and take off,” said Hall. “We took off around 8:09 a.m. and flew over the Pentagon about eight minutes after the second plane hit the Pentagon, so folks on my crew could see all the damage. Where I sat, I didn’t have a window – there’s not a lot of windows on that particular airplane,” he continued, adding there was a lot of confusion about what was going on. “We were supposed to fly back to Offutt, but ended up flying to the Michigan area and just orbiting for hours.”

Eventually the command and control aircraft turned back to Offutt and landed around mid-afternoon Sept. 11. When the world-changing news broke, President George W. Bush was in Florida. Hall said the president immediately flew to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, on Air Force One, before heading to Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.

Once Hall heard more news of what was happening in New York, emotions began to run high.

“I remembered my dad was in New York on business and I had no idea what part,” said Hall. “It was 2001, so cell phones weren’t what they are now. I couldn’t call him or get ahold of him for a couple of hours. I can remember that clear as day – I was on the flightline at Offutt behind a blast fence, trying to frantically get hold of my dad and find out where he was.

“I talked to my mom in California, but she hadn’t been able to get in touch with him either. Nobody knew anything at that point. It was an emotional time, and I admit I shed some tears until we heard from him and found out he was safe.”

“Once I’d found he was okay, I got back into the mindset of the mission, and about 6 p.m. that day, still Sept. 11, we got back on the airplane and flew somewhere else,” he said, the memories once again fresh in his mind. “We stayed on alert in different locations in the United States for 33 days straight after that.

Hall said it was soon after when they started discussing events, timelines and flight paths that they realized the hijackers of the second plane which crashed into the Pentagon could realistically have seen Andrews Air Force Base and their plane on the flightline.

“That was a bit of a reality check,” he said, “but we didn’t really do the math or chart that flightpath until a few weeks afterwards. I think for most people, both military and Americans in general, it was just a state of confusion for a long period of time.”

Information soon started being released and they gradually learned more about the horrific attacks of that day.

“That confusion, that fog – it lasts a long time. You’re angry but you’re sad – I’d got to the point where I just stopped watching TV; it kind of brings you down after so many hours of that kind of news,” he said. “I remember Mayor Giuliani’s pictures down in the city, and when President Bush made a visit there – those are the things that will probably be burned in my head forever.”

Mayor Rudy Giuliani was mayor of New York when the 9/11 attacks took place.

“From where I was at, on the airplane flying, it was more apprehension, wondering if it was going to happen again. But that’s kind of what our job was – to stay ahead of any other attacks or actions. That’s what our mindset was, to monitor and listen to everything.”

As devastating as the 9/11 events were, Hall said he had to just put it out of his mind. He and his team had to stay focused while on alert.

“It was good for me that I stayed busy; it would have been easy to get consumed by it and overwhelmed by the events on television and in the media. To this day, when I see the videos of the planes and the people running through the streets, that’s an emotional scene to watch – it will always be that way for me. But I don’t know if I was too young, too naïve or too involved … it just never consumed me again. It’s always in your mind, although I can’t remember decompressing afterwards.”

Even after such a major event, Hall didn’t once consider leaving the military. Instead, it made him stronger. His love of the Air Force and his country left no doubt in his mind that he was here to stay.

“I don’t know if it’s the events of that day that drives somebody for 15 years, but although a minority of us joined before 9/11, it’s the majority who have joined after,” said Hall. “That’s what drives me – it’s reality that a lot of these folks have joined knowing that America could be attacked again, knowing this could happen on our soil. That’s pretty admirable, especially when you hear stories about people who went to the recruiters’ office on Sept. 12 and 13, and started joining every branch of the military – that’s pretty incredible.

“I don’t think it was those events that made me a stronger person, but watching the people come in under the circumstances that they know we’ve been at war for nearly 20 years – if you look at the big picture – and they’re still joining the military. That’s what keeps me going,” he said. “It’s a dose of reality – 9/11 changed how we, as Americans in general, approach every single day.

Many young Airmen today aren’t old enough to have any memory of the 9/11 events as they would have been so young when it happened.

“I think it’s our job to continue to tell the story of 9/11; we don’t want Airmen joining the Air Force these days thinking ‘it can’t happen to us,’ so it’s up to us to continue to tell the story and keep any complacency down. There’s a reason we do the things we do, and a reason why our leaders ask us to do the things we do, because these things have happened. It’s important to keep telling that story because we want these folks to join with the knowledge that we’re as vulnerable as anybody else, so to keep their guard and vigilance up is important.

“These Airmen that are joining now are 20 times as smart as I was when I joined,” said Hall. “With the evolution of how they’re learning, they have more education, more experiences, resources and technology. We just need to keep that sword sharpened and make sure they stay vigilant and stay aware. Listen to what leaders are telling you, because there are bad people out there who want to do bad things to western civilization. As long as you continue to have that in the forefront of your mind, that mission and direction from leaders will make more sense to you – every mission, every drill you do, you’ve got to do it like it’s real life.”

“We have to keep remembering it; we have to talk about these things because it forces the dialogue with our younger folks and helps them stay vigilant,” he said.