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Dover Airmen remember 9/11 events

  • Published
  • By 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Members of Dover AFB reflected on their thoughts and activities on Sept. 11, 2001 during interviews held at the base on Sept. 6, 2011.

Kevin Greene, the ground safety manager with the 436th Airlift Wing safety office, was working at the jet shop here, he said. "There was a lot of confusion and a general state of denial. I wonder when, not if, it is going to happen again."

Another member echoes his concern about the future.

"I was at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., when it happened," said Master Sgt. Daniel Duckworth, the first sergeant with the 436th Operations Support Squadron. "I knew the base was going to go into Force Protection Condition Delta. Thinking back on a decade of war, it probably won't ever end."

Col. David Pollmiller, the commander of the 436th Operations Group, was a student at Air Command and Staff College in Montgomery, Ala. "Initially I didn't believe it," he said. "And then a realization of what it meant set in. Overall, I'm amazed at how well our nation responded, and how strongly the military handled, and adapted to, these new challenges."

One Dover sergeant was still a civilian.

"I was in my homeroom during ninth grade; I remember the nervousness and confusion. Our nation has come a long way since that day," said Staff Sgt. Jessica Clarke, a knowledge operations manager with the 436th Operations Group.

Master Sgt. Michael Meinhold, from the 9th Airlift Squadron, was concerned about people he knew in New York City.

"I had just dropped off my kids at school when my wife called me and told me what happened. I spent four hours trying to call all my friends and family," Meinhold said. "I remember the first time I drove into New York City and didn't see the towers; that really affected me."

Capt. Ryan Faucheux, a C-5 Galaxy pilot training manager with the 436th Operations Support Squadron, was at the doctor's office.

"I was undergoing physical therapy when it happened. It was a confusing time. Looking back, I think about the shifted mentality of the U.S. and [international community]," he said.

"I was getting ready to fly a mission at Vance Air Force Base, Okla.," said Lt. Col. Douglas Jackson, the commander of the 436th Operations Support Squadron. "What's remarkable to me are the enduring nature of the conflict and the heroism of that day."

Col. Joan Garbutt, the commander of the 436th Mission Support Group, was overseas.

"I was at Aviano Air Base, Italy, on 9/11. It was surreal being in a foreign country watching your home country get attacked," she said.

The events of 9/11 had more tangible effects on one Dover Airman.

"I was inprocessing at the military personnel flight on base. It was chaos; all the people who had committed to helping me move into my new house were called into work," said Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Bushaw, the NCO in charge of the 436th Airlift Wing protocol office. "I would love to see the country unite under the same spirit present immediately after the attacks."

While many are still affected by the events of 9/11, Debra Larregui, a secretary with 512th Airlift Wing safety office has a vivid memory.

"I was in the [436th Security Forces Squadron] building on base. I remember the eerie, quiet atmosphere. I still get chills when I think back on it," she said.

(Air Mobility Command Public Affairs contributed to this report.)