Obstruction at Andrews AFB

“A growing body of evidence supports the inference that these 19 men were patsies for forces within the United States government… This [Moussaoui] trial appears to be yet one more illustration of Karl Rove’s policy of ‘creating our own reality’ to serve the political goals of the administration, even when it comes at the cost of the lives and the security of the American people.  The idea that Bush is ‘the security president’ is just a cruel joke!”

                                                             — James H. Fetzer, Ph.D., Professor at the University of Minnesota

Why couldn’t Andrews AFB, only 13 miles away, protect the Capital immediately after the 2nd WTC crash at 9:03 am?

Andrews Air Force Base Units (“In their own words” from the Andrews AFB website 2001).

113th Wing (DCANG) “Capitol Guardians”

The 113th now flies the F-16C Fighting Falcon … Training for air combat and operational airlift for national defense is the 113th’s primary mission.  However, as part of its dual mission, the 113th provides capable and ready response forces for the District of Columbia in the event of a natural disaster or civil emergency.  … 

Marine Aircraft Group 49, Det. A  “Hell’s Angels”

In the best tradition of the Marine Corps, a “few good men and women” support two combat-ready reserve units at Andrews AFB.  Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 321, a Marine Corps Reserve squadron, flies the sophisticated F/A-18 Hornet.  Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 49, Detachment A, provides maintenance and supply functions necessary to maintain a force in readiness.[i] [Emphasis added]

As we can see from the above information that was derived from their own Andrews AFB website, there was more than one combat unit capable of a rapid response.  The 113^th Wing of the ANG and the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 321, flying the F-16 and the FA-18 respectively, were only 13 miles away — seconds away for supersonic jet fighters!  The 113^th Wings mission statement is — ”They stand ready to respond to the needs of the District of Columbia — and the nation — should the need arise.”

However when military was confronted and they realized the contradiction, they responded as such:

The Andrews-based 121st Fighter Sqdn. was not standing alert on Sept. 11, because the District of Columbia Air National Guard (DCANG) unit was not assigned to the North American Aerospace Defense Command air defense force.  NORAD had already scrambled three F-16s from their alert base at Langley AFB, Va. to over the Atlantic Ocean, to the east [opposite direction].[ii]

The military sure uses a lot of excuses — is there a pattern here?

F-16s from Andrews AFB were flown over 200 miles away from the Pentagon, for a training mission.  Did some one order that mission to purposely leave the D.C. area unguarded?

Three F-16s were sent to fly an air-to-ground training mission to drop some bombs and hit a refueling tanker, on a range in North Carolina.¹¹¹ These F-16s were rearmed for bombing practice and sent all the way to North Carolina, 207 mi. further South of D.C.  But even after they were sent on the diversionary mission, they still were only 12 min. from Washington when the Pentagon was struck!

Coincidently, another unit in close proximity to the WTC, the Atlantic City Air Station, (minutes from WTC) was also sent at the same time to conduct “bombing practice” with it’s F-16s!

 To believe the official version of events, you are asked to “trust us” and expected to blindly and patriotically follow a fable.

And this leads to another problem with the government’s story — people are told over and over, that they have to believe just one more time, that there was just another coincidence of poor decision-making, bad communication, or ineptness.  This is the recurring excuse that plays over and over like a bad record.  While another broken record plays in the foreground on all the mainstream medias, it shrills, “War on Terror” … “War on Terror” …”Bin Laden did it” … “Bin Laden” …  This “broken record” is to remind us that, “Patriotism = Silence”  — just in case you thought of questioning the official parody.

8:46 a.m. – Fighters are training over North Carolina — they are not recalled to Washington until much later.

However, it is only when they are halfway back to Andrews that lead pilot Major Billy Hutchison is able to talk to the “acting Supervisor of Flying” at Andrews, Lt. Col. Phil Thompson, who tells him to return to the base “buster” (as fast as his aircraft will fly).  After landing back at Andrews, Hutchison is told to take off immediately, and does so at 10:33 a.m.(that’s almost 2 hours!!!)¹¹¹ At least one of these F-16s could have returned from North Carolina to Washington within ten minutes and have been patrolling the skies well before 9:00 a.m.!  Why weren’t they?  F-16s can fly at a maximum speed of 1,500 mph. (That’s 200 miles in about 9 minutes!) 

9:03 a.m. – The Secret Service calls and asks whether Andrews can scramble fighters.

According to the weapons officer, Major Dan Caine, who takes this call, a Secret Service agent then tells him “to stand by and that somebody else [will] call.”¹¹¹

9:37 a.m. – Andrew’s Pilots aware of crisis but still on ground!

The unit’s maintenance section was notified to get several F-16s armed and ready to fly.  Anticipating such an order, Col. Don C. Mozley, the 113th Logistics Group commander, had already ordered his weapons officer to “break out the AIM-9s and start building them up…  The missiles had to be transported from a bunker on the other side of the base, which would take a while.”¹¹¹  This last statement is strange.  Senior Master Sergeant David Bowman, 113th Wing munitions supervisor, says, “We were doing it as fast as we could, because for all we knew the terrorists were getting ready to hit us. ...  It normally takes three hours to get weapons from the storage sheds and load them onto the fighters."  Why would readiness aircraft have missiles stored on the other side of the base?  How could they scramble to make interceptions, like they have done countless times before 9/11?  No, they are not that dumb, it’s just another example of using deliberate ploys to explain away why they purposefully did everything in their power to not engage any of the targets that day.  They believed the public would buy their unacceptable lies and excuses.¹¹¹

However, the loading of missiles onto the fighters becomes very time consuming, and when these fighters finally take off nearly an hour later, they will launch without the missiles installed! ¹¹¹ [Wow, that’s amazing!]

Andrew’s AFB personnel load missiles (Photo: USAF).

“I have no idea what’s going on, but we’re flying.”

After the Pentagon is hit, fighters at nearby Andrews Air Force Base are still preparing to launch.  At some unknown point, flight squad commander Lieutenant Colonel Marc Sasseville assembles three F-16 pilots and gives them a curt briefing.  He recalls saying, “I have no idea what’s going on, but we’re flying.  Here’s our frequency.  We’ll split up the area as we have to.  Just defend as required.  We’ll talk about the rest in the air.”  All four of them dress up and get ready.¹¹¹

How is it possible they “have no idea what’s going on”?  They obviously had known about the WTC attacks earlier that morning, then the Pentagon attack at 9:37 a.m., then the Shanksville shoot down at 10:03 a.m.; so by the time that they were taking off at 10:42 a.m., it was 2 hours from the time of the first attack.  Impressions that could be derived from commander Sasseville’s statements is that, he was in the Twilight Zone for two-hours.

After the aerial response was derailed, and the Pentagon attacked, there now is a flood of calls for action.

Meanwhile, a “flood” of calls from the Secret Service and local FAA flight control centers pour into Andrews, as the fighter response is still grounded.  A Secret Service agent again contacts Andrews Air Force base and commands, “Get in the air now!” [Now that everything is over!]  According to fighter pilot Lieutenant Colonel Marc Sasseville, almost simultaneously he gets a call from someone else in the White House declaring the Washington area “a free-fire zone”.  “That meant we were given authority to use force, if the situation required it, in defense of the nation’s capital, its property, and people.”  One officer at Andrews recalls, “After the Pentagon was hit, we were told there were more [airliners] coming.  Not might be — they were coming.”¹¹¹ However, this appeared not to be the case, since everything that was going to happen that day — already did happen. [The neocon’s new Pearl Harbor show was over.]

10:42 a.m. – Marc Sasseville and Heather Penney, take off from Andrews.

            Before taking off, their planes undergo a two-hour process to load 20mm training rounds! (Essentially over-sized bullets)  These three pilots will therefore not be patrolling the skies above Washington until after about 10:45 a.m.¹¹¹ Does anyone see a pattern here yet!

20mm Ammo (Photographer: unknown).

General David Wherley, flight commander of the Air National Guard at Andrews, made several phone calls that morning, seeking airborne authorization for his fighters.

Wherley had contacted the Secret Service after hearing reports that it wanted fighters airborne.  One Secret Service agent, using two telephones at once, relays instructions to Wherley from another Secret Service agent in the White House, who had been given instructions from Vice President Cheney.  Wherley’s fighters are to protect the White House and shoot down any planes that threaten Washington D.C.  Wherley gives Lieutenant Colonel Marc Sasseville, lead pilot, the authority to decide whether to execute a shoot down.   President Bush and Vice President Cheney later claim they were not aware that any fighters had scrambled from Andrews at the request of the Secret Service.⁹⁷

Several procedures were put into motion to initiate and prolong the stand down.  Excuses were fabricated in a myriad of deception.

1)      Rumsfeld removed authority from his commanders to respond to airborne terrorist attacks with his DoD directive issued three months earlier.  Thus, base Flight Commanders were in actuality, serving more as expensive administrative assistants.

2)      A high-ranking official ordered the diversionary bombing practice in North Carolina.

3)      Then, the pilots were purposefully delayed in returning to Andrews AFB.

4)      Somebody purposefully delayed the launching of the F-16s, by ordering the rearmament of 20mm rounds.  This was completely unnecessary!  They would never have used these guns.

5)      And somebody purposefully delayed the launching of the F-16s with a drag-your-feet missile rearmament.  These missiles can be attached in minutes.

After all the above tactics were utilized, and the damage to the country sustained, there would be a battle cry for the base to respond.  This would give the perpetrators an alibi––that they did indeed try to thwart the attack.

General Timeline of Andrews Response

8:45 am.  – 1st WTC crash.

9:03 am.  – 2nd WTC crash.

9:37 am.  – Pentagon attack (official time).

10:42 a.m. – Sasseville and the pilot code-named Lucky will take off.

After 10:37 a.m. – Hutchison et al. will take off.

Over 1½ hours for F-16s, of a readiness squadron, to respond to a national emergency!