The Pentagon—military police operations following the September 11th attack

Military Police, March, 2002 by David D. Phillips

It was sometime around noon on 11 September, just a few hours after the plane slammed into the Pentagon, that I worked my way through the smoke-filled concession mall area. The scene was surrealistic. The emergency lights flashed and the "big voice" repetitively announced, "An emergency has been declared in the Pentagon, please evacuate immediately."

I could see the bakery's glass cases still filled with trays of cookies. The flower shop, bank, and Pentagon Federal Credit Union were all there, yet something was very wrong with the scene. Even though I was on familiar ground, it looked so different. I never imagined that I would be alone in this part of the building, especially at noon on a duty day. I stood for a few moments and turned in a full circle, taking in a sight I never imagined I'd see.

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As I negotiated my way through the smoke, I called my wife, not only to reassure her, but also to reinforce that I was not dreaming. Here I was, the director of security for less than 2 months, facing the unbelievable. What was an office building yesterday was a theater of war today. I shook off this feeling and made my next move. I found Sergeant First Class (SFC) Harry Byrd, the acting NCOIC of my directorate--a new office under the Office of the Administrative Assistant (OAA) to the Secretary of the Army. It is comprised of an ad hoc group of soldiers and civilians, of which, I am the only MP.

All of my personnel were evacuated following the attack, except for SFC Byrd. However, we learned that seven soldiers and one civilian of the OAA were missing. We made repeated forays into the impact area to search for these people, specifically, for the new first sergeant whose office was within 20 feet of the collapsed section of the building. (We later learned that of these people, two had died, two were admitted to the hospital, and four escaped with only minor injuries; our first sergeant was one of the survivors.)

The aircraft had crashed, at ground level, into an area between the fourth and fifth corridor of the E-ring. This area had recently been renovated and only reoccupied within the past few months. Words cannot describe the sights, sounds, and feelings we experienced while searching along what remained of the E-ring. As we moved toward the impact point, the thick smoke and intense heat went with us; we trudged over broken equipment and flattened walls and through about a foot of water. Water continued to pour down from broken pipes and the hoses of the Arlington Fire Department.

We rounded the apex and started counting down room numbers in the blackened corridor, passing the last legible number 1E531. The collapsed portion of the building had cut right through the E-ring. Small fires burned on both sides of us where walls once stood. You could see right through the center of the building to the C-ring. The only human remains were completely charred and, after our second trip in search of survivors, I knew that our chances of finding anyone alive were slim.

SFC Byrd assisted in the casualty triage area in the center courtyard, while I coordinated with John Pugrud, the Deputy Chief of the Defense Protective Service (DPS). As we discussed where to place our limited security personnel, I watched SFC Byrd and several other soldiers laying out casualty bags, in rows, on the grass. Mr. Pugrud and I just gazed at the unbelievable image, as the smoke-filled sky turned the day into a twilight scene from a black and white movie. Once the security personnel augmenting the DPS were employed, I contacted the Army operations center and queried about the possibility of additional MP. An action officer informed me that we would have MP at the building by morning.

Through the smoke in the center courtyard, I saw Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CW4) Marshal McCants guiding General Hugh Shelton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, straight to my location. (CW4 McCants was assigned to the protective services unit of the 701st MP Group and was the senior member of the general's protective service detachment.) General Shelton asked for a situation report and requested that I take him into the impact area. I gave a quick rundown of the operation but advised against going into the area. CW4 McCants echoed my concerns--fires were still burning out of control. General Shelton nodded, shook my hand, and told me to pass on to "all" the MP that they were doing a great job.

At that point, I believe I was the only MP directly involved with Pentagon operational security. There were slightly over 300 DPS officers on duty at the time, yet due to the MP brassard on my arm, I was singled out as being in control of the situation. General Shelton's comment reinforced my belief that "green tabbers" always assume that when MP are present, the situation is well under control.

Note: A short time following the attack, I took an MP brassard from a personal display in my office and wore it to better identify myself to the multiple agencies on the scene. The brassard was from the 89th MP Brigade at Fort Hood, Texas. No one questioned the patch, yet they all reacted to its white letters--MP.