I was a Staff Sergeant in the USAF stationed at Luke AFB, AZ on September 11, 2001. I was assigned to the 56 Equipment Maintenance Squadron, Munitions Flight, Storage element. I was leaving our home with the kids at approximately 0600 local time. I heard on the radio that the second tower of the World Trade Center had been hit and told my wife.
I dropped the kids off at the child care center on base and reported to work as normal. At that time (0615), everything was still fairly normal on base and around the city. All scheduled work was put on hold until it was decided what course of action would be taken. Everyone was crowded around TV's for about an hour. THREATCON DELTA (the highest security status) was implemented.
From that time on for the rest of the day, was frantic and hectic activity. Barricades erected, roads closed, vehicles searched. As a ranking E-5 in Storage, I was directed to break out all of the base's live air to air missiles (several hundred) out of the storage facility and transport them to a holding area to be prepped for transport and delivery to the flightline. The 310th FS had a NORAD tasking for air defense during contingencies, so every F-16 assigned was prepped, loaded with live ordinance, and launched on what became NOBLE EAGLE sorties.
Once that was complete, we had short periods of quiet and more hectic jobs. I remember looking across Phoenix and noticing how quiet it was. Little car traffic, NO commercial aircraft to/from Sky Harbor. I could see KC-135 tankers launching and recovering from their base about 15 miles away. I had lost my voice by then, from yelling over the sound of fork lifts, trucks, etc. It was long past nightfall and we continued to do jobs as they were assigned.
My wife had picked up the kids from school around 10 that morning, as had everyone else. I didn't leave the base until nearly 2330 that night. I got home and hugged my family for a long time. I tried to sleep, then later got up for the next day. I hope to never have another day like that again.
Connect With Us