Gen. Dan Caine reflects on responding to 9/11 attacks: “No doubt” nation was at war
Gen. Dan Caine on Responding to the September 11 Attacks
Wertynews.com – Gen Dan Caine reflects on responding to the September 11, 2001, attacks as a moment when the United States immediately understood it was at war. Now chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Caine was then the chief of Weapons and Tactics for the 121st Fighter Squadron at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.
He had just entered a scheduling meeting when a junior staff member reported that an aircraft had struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The squadron soon watched live coverage as a second plane hit the South Tower at 9:03 a.m., removing any doubt that the country faced a deliberate attack.
“I knew right away that our nation was under attack.”
Defending the Washington Area
The mission at Andrews changed at once. Caine said personnel began preparing weapons, including air-to-air missiles, as the scale of the emergency became clear. From the base, smoke from the Pentagon was visible after American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building.
A White House order soon directed aircraft to launch and protect the Washington, D.C., area. Fighter crews faced an unprecedented danger inside U.S. airspace, where commercial planes had traditionally been regarded as civilian transportation rather than potential weapons.
Gen Dan Caine reflects on responding with live missiles and the knowledge that he could be ordered to shoot down a commercial airliner if it posed a threat. Aircraft were told to clear the skies over Washington, and a plane that failed to comply could have faced deadly force.
“Dear God, please don’t let me screw this up.”
Caine said his responsibility was to remain composed amid confusion, make sound decisions and protect the country if called upon. The pressure fell not only on individual pilots but also on the squadron’s leadership, including wing commander Brig. Gen. Dave Wherley.
“I trust you,” Wherley told Caine, conveying confidence that the pilots would make the necessary decision in an unimaginable situation.
Flight 93 and an Unthinkable Decision
United Flight 93 was an immediate concern because hijackers intended to use it against a federal target in Washington. The aircraft instead crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought to regain control of the cockpit.
Some fighters launched so quickly that there was no time to arm them with missiles. Lt. Col. Mark Sasseville, the squadron’s operations officer, and his wingman, Heather Penney, later described their plan to bring down a hijacked aircraft by crashing their own jet into it if necessary.
In 2021, Sasseville and Penney explained how extraordinary that possibility was. The armed forces do not ordinarily assign suicide missions, but the circumstances of September 11 demanded preparation for choices that would otherwise have been unthinkable.
The actions of Flight 93’s passengers prevented that final confrontation. Their resistance meant Caine did not need to fire his missiles, and Washington was spared a direct attack from that aircraft. Gen Dan Caine reflects on responding by emphasizing that the passengers acted without military training or formal orders.
Courage Beyond the Cockpit
Caine has pointed to the courage of civilians aboard Flight 93 alongside the service of military personnel. While service members take an oath to defend the United States, he said, those passengers became the first people to physically resist the attackers during the darkest hours of September 11.
The day’s response also included firefighters, police officers, medical workers and others who moved toward danger at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and other crisis sites while many people were trying to escape.
“That is what makes our country great,” Caine said of people who put aside fear and uncertainty to help strangers.
FAQ: Gen. Dan Caine’s September 11 Response
Where was Dan Caine on September 11, 2001?
Caine was serving as chief of Weapons and Tactics for the 121st Fighter Squadron at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.
What was the squadron asked to do?
Its aircraft were ordered to launch and help protect the Washington, D.C., area after the attacks.
Why was Flight 93 significant to the response?
Flight 93 was believed to be heading toward a federal target in Washington, but passengers fought the hijackers and the plane crashed in Pennsylvania before it could reach its intended destination.