Dan Caine recounts how his fighter squadron rushed to defend Washington after the attacks
Dan Caine described how his unit at Andrews Air Force Base scrambled jets and prepared to intercept a hijacked plane following the attacks on the World Trade Center.
While attending a scheduling meeting at Andrews Air Force Base, Dan Caine was informed that a plane had hit the North Tower, and moments later watched the second impact on live television. Recognizing the nation was under attack, he ordered the 121st Fighter Squadron’s weapons to be moved and prepared its jets for immediate launch. A call from the White House instructed the unit to scramble and defend Washington, D.C., with liberal rules of engagement.
Some aircraft lifted off without missiles, and pilots were told they might need to ram a hostile plane, a plan previously considered by Lt. Col. Mark Sasseville and Heather Penney. Caine’s own jet carried live missiles, and he contemplated the responsibility of possibly shooting down a commercial airliner. The hijacked aircraft was brought down by its passengers in a Pennsylvania field, sparing Washington from a direct hit, and Caine praised the passengers’ bravery and the emergency responders’ efforts.
Why it matters
The account shows how quickly the U.S. military mobilized to protect the capital during the 9/11 attacks.
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