wfn.org | Episcopal chaplains respond to Pentagon disaster

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2001-261

Episcopal chaplains respond to Pentagon disaster

Navy Chaplain Jay Magness was attending a meeting at the Pentagon when the 
airplane hit the building and he quickly went to the site to offer his ministry. 
Soon after the crash he was joined by the Rev. Neil Goldborough, a Navy Reserve 
chaplain and rector St. Luke's in nearby Arlington, and the Rev. Marcel Algernon, 
an active duty Air Force chaplain from South Carolina. Magness reflects on his 
involvement.

When I worked on the staff of the Navy Chief of Chaplains in Washington in any 
given week I would be in the Pentagon 3-5 times.  Now since I am in Norfolk on 
the U.S. Atlantic Fleet staff I only get to the Pentagon about once a year for a 
conference of Joint Command chaplains. 

Well, last week was my week to be there. In the Pentagon last Tuesday morning at 
9:40 a.m. people out in the hall began yelling to evacuate the building. I 
thought it probably was a bomb threat. We exited out into the North Parking area. 
About 100 yards out of the building people began to turn around and point up in 
the air at a plume of smoke coming from about a third of the way around the 
building. At that point I still thought it was a bomb. Only later did someone 
tell me that a plane had crashed into the building.

Though it was a tense time for me and my chaplain colleagues there at the 
conference, it was also fortunate that we were there. We immediately began to 
stage ourselves with the medical treatment stations to help take care of the 
injured. Over the next 4-5 hours we cared for about 35-40 people who experienced 
various types of wounds. Almost all of the people were burned, some rather 
severely. We transported them to the hospitals using any available type of 
vehicle.  We found that a mini-van can serve as a pretty good make-do ambulance.  

My ministry consisted of a great deal of "arm about the shoulders" work and 
keeping victims talking so that they would be able to resist going into shock.  I 
can't say how valuable it was to have a good cellular phone with a full battery.  
Not only was I able to connect with the anxious family members of the injured, 
also the rescue workers and medical treatment personnel frequently needed to call 
home and tell someone (usually a spouse, son or daughter) they were okay.

On a number of occasions we tried to re-enter into the building to rescue people, 
but the intense fire continually drove us back. The heroic firefighters tried and 
tried to get the fires out, but they just couldn't seem to effectively douse the 
flames on Tuesday. I suspect that there was too much combustible fuel available. 
In fact we did go into the Pentagon inner courtyard for about 2-3 hours, but all 
that enabled us to do was eat a lot of smoke. Time and time again we gathered as 
teams to go into the damaged area, but could not gain entry because of the 
enduring fires.  

At around 2:30 p.m. we moved the medical treatment function to a location outside 
of the Pentagon immediately adjacent to external wall impacted by the aircraft.  
When I first saw the damage all I could do was stand there and stare.  I could 
not believe what I was seeing.  After an hour or so in the new location we 
realized that there was nothing else we could do.  

Three of us from Christian sacramental traditions (Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and 
Episcopal) had organized ourselves to receive bodies in the temporary morgue.  
Though we spent that last on-scene hour waiting for more bodies to be brought 
out, the persistent fire brought all such removal efforts to a standstill.  Aside 
from that, a number of local military chaplains had massed up on the scene and 
were ready to take over for us.

By 4:00 p.m. I left the area to return to my hotel, check out and get on the road 
south to Norfolk. Even that was not without its problems.  I was staying in the 
Sheraton atop the hill above the Arlington (Navy) Annex.  Until about 5:00 p.m. 
the Arlington Police had the upper floors closed.  The reason for that never was 
clear to me.  It had something to do with the fact that the hijacked airliner had 
to nearly skim the top of the hotel building in order to fly low enough so it 
could hit the Pentagon.  

At about 6:00 p.m. I got into my car and left town headed back to Norfolk.  
Though I didn't get home until about midnight, it was worth it. I needed to get 
to my office early the next day to begin to play my part of the unfolding 
operational plans.

Right now, after six days of reflection, I struggle with what our response ought 
to be to this tragic, unnecessary and basically evil action.  As a Christian 
believer the concepts of justice and peace swirl around in my mind.  Obviously, 
in accordance with New Testament scriptures we are called to be peace-makers and 
peace-builders.  How can we perform those functions while persons inspired by 
religiously based righteous indignation are moving about within the societies of the 
free world with a mandate to create terror through mass murder?  Will our understanding 
of Christian moral theology allow for such a thing as retributive justice?  How will we 
ensure that through some form of social defense we protect innocent citizens?