Firefight: Inside the Battle to Save the Pentagon on 9/11

[RamboLiberal]

From Amazon.com

Amid all the stories of tragedy and heroism on September 11, there is one tale that has yet to be told–the gripping account of ordinary men and women braving the inferno at the Pentagon to rescue friends and co-workers, save the nation’s military headquarters, and defend their country.

Pentagon firefighters Alan Wallace and Mark Skipper had just learned the shocking news that planes had struck the World Trade Center when they saw something equally inconceivable: a twin-engine jetliner flying straight at them. It was American Airlines Flight 77, rushing toward its target. In his Pentagon office, Army major David King was planning a precautionary evacuation when the room suddenly erupted in flames. Arlington firefighters Derek Spector, Brian Roache, and Ron Christman, among the first responders at the scene, were stunned by the sight that met them: a huge flaming hole gouged into the Pentagon’s side, a lawn strewn with smoking debris, and thousands of people, some badly injured, stumbling away from what would become one of the most daunting fires in American history.

For more than twenty-four hours, Arlington firefighters and other crews faced some of the most dangerous and unusual circumstances imaginable. The size and structure of the Pentagon itself presented unique challenges, compelling firefighters to devise ingenious tactics and make bold decisions–until they finally extinguished the fire that threatened to cripple America’s military infrastructure just when it was needed most.

Granted unprecedented access to the major players in the valiant response efforts, Patrick Creed and Rick Newman take us step-by-step through the harrowing minutes, hours, and days following the crash of American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon’s western façade. Providing fascinating personal stories of the firefighters and rescuers, a broader view of how the U.S. national security command structure was held intact, and a sixteen-page insert of dramatic photographs, Firefight is a unique testament to the fortitude and resilience of America.

[peacetalksforall]

1. Will whoever reads this please tell us if you're convinced that the

aircraft was flight 77? Why it proves that it was flight 77? Thanks.

[scholarsOrAcademics]

7. see DU site September 11

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=125
They should have courses at the University that spend time on sifting the propaganda.

[RC]

2. The section of the Pentagon that was hit with whatever was being

renovated. In other words it wasn't being used at the time. It was basically empty.

[RamboLiberal]

3. There were 124 Pentagon employees killed and numerous injured

Not exactly empty. And the whatever was Flight 77 no matter what the 9-11 truthers think. There were plenty of witnesses that day that saw an American Airlines plane flying in to the Pentagon.

[RC]

4. And plenty of witness describing something too small to be a 757.

Not enough engines around for another thing.

[firefightpat]

5. Flight 77 Into the Pentagon

Actually, during the course of our research we found a tremendous amount of similarity in what witnesses reported seeing. Virtually all stated they saw a large, silver airplane strike the building. Most said it had two engines. Several dozen identified it as an American Airlines jetliner due to the markings, and a handful even stated they were sure it was a 757 (mostly pilots and people who worked in/near the airlines).

The differences in the witness accounts are understandable, the plane was going 500+ miles per hour and nobody was expecting to see this event occur right in front of them. During our research we found many firefighters who had varying accounts of different events during the firefighting operation, people just see and remember things differently, even when they are standing next to each other and watching the same thing.

The damage to the building is consistent with a plane the size of a 757. Don't let anyone focus your attention on a single area of the Pentagon, many of the 9/11 Truth folks refuse to acknowledge the horizontal damage stretching across the first and second floors. Additionally, there is a hole in the fence to the right of the impact area which strongly suggests that it was made by the right engine, hanging below the wing.

Nobody reported seeing anything other than a plane strike the building. Witnesses were from diverse backgrounds, they weren't somehow coerced into giving a story. They even included a former Democratic candidate for the presidency, Gary Bauer.

The biggest problem is that many people are refusing to look at the evidence, even when large amounts of pictures and witness statements exist.

I'd be happy to discuss the evidence in detail, it has been the focus of my life for the past five years while researching this book. -Pat Creed (co-author of "Firefight: Inside the Battle to Save the Pentagon on 9/11)

[RamboLiberal]

6. Thank you - I just got the book - had a hard time putting it down

I'm about a 100 pages in. You give a great account of the damage done outside and inside the Pentagon and how the body of the 757 reacted. Those who claim that AA 77 did not hit the Pentagon are the ones who are cherry picking witness statements and who have never done the actual research.

[loslobo]

8. Hope you still monitor this...

Please forgive my skepticism, I'll look over your book first chance I get.
If a 757 hit the Pentagon why won't the government release the seized videos showing such?
How does a 757 hit several light poles and still not damage the ground or immediately crash or affect course?
Why was that ground covered up?
How does a cruise missile hole somehow get morphed into a 757 that evaporates into thin air, leaving only small "undetermined" debris?
How much did the neo-con fascists pay you for this hit job?