Photo By Scott Sturkol | Air Force veteran and former employee of the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval...... read more read more
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On Sept. 10, Fort McCoy held its 2021 Patriot Day observance and remembered the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, at the Veterans Memorial Plaza in the post’s historic Commemorative Area.
Among the dozens of attendees at the observance, standing in the far back, was an Air Force veteran and a former employee of the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) named Bill Schwinn.
On 9/11, Schwinn, who works now for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), was working for ONI. It was on that day that eight of his office mates were killed while working in the Pentagon. And attending the Fort McCoy observance was the first time he attended any kind of Patriot Day remembrance in 20 years.
“The last time I attended anything related to that horrible day was at a funeral for the last of my friends we buried at Arlington (National Cemetery),” Schwinn said after the Fort McCoy ceremony. “I haven’t attended anything related to that since because it just hurts too much. But, since it was the 20th anniversary, I thought maybe it was important to take time out to remember the people we lost.”
ONI is located in Suitland, Md. It’s not too far from the Pentagon, and ONI personnel regularly go back and forth from their headquarters and the Pentagon for work-related activities.
“That day, I was in Suitland,” Schwinn said. “I was interviewing a prospective new employee when I heard about the attacks.”
On Sept. 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States, history shows. Two of the planes were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City; a third plane hit the Pentagon; and a fourth plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pa. Almost 3,000 people were killed during the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
At the Pentagon, headquarters for the Department of Defense, American Airlines Flight 77 flew into the west wall of the building's first floor, setting off a chain of events that killed 125 people inside — including the eight members of ONI.
Schwinn said one of his office mates was one of the last people to be found and identified from the rubble in the Pentagon. He said that teammate was buried at Arlington about a month after 9/11.
“From his grave site at Arlington you could see where the Pentagon was hit,” Schwinn said. “I’ll never forget that. … So going to the ceremony (at Fort McCoy) brought up a lot of those memories.”
The same day Schwinn attended the Fort McCoy ceremony — Sept. 10 — the ONI held a similar ceremony in Suitland. In a Navy press release from ONI Public Affairs, the events of the day were further remembered.
Retired Navy Capt. Tom Bortmes, who was commander of ONI during the attack and “played a critical role in ensuring the continuity of operations for ONI and all of Naval Intelligence,” served as the guest speaker at the ceremony, according to the release. Bortmes said those who were lost are “much more than abstractions or names etched on walls and murals.”
“They were among the best our Navy and our nation had to offer,” Bortmes said at the observance for ONI. “They were our pride and our future — they were you.”
The story, located at www.navy.mil/Press-Office/Press-Releases/display-pressreleases/Article/2770763/honoring-navy-intels-fallen-on-the-20th-anniversary-of-the-sept-11-attacks, further states Bortmes went on to speak directly to the family members of the fallen, both those in attendance and those who were there in spirit, naming them among the true heroes of 9/11. “You added the meaning to these remembrance ceremonies. … You stiffened our resolve. We thank you,” Bortmes said.
The article also mentions that retired Rear Adm. Rick Porterfield, who served nearly five years as the Director of Naval Intelligence, and Rear Adm. Copley laid a wreath at the NMIC memorial in the remembrance garden, as has been done for the past 20 years.
And, “in accordance with tradition, the ship’s bell of USS Cassin (DD 372), which serves as ONI’s ceremonial ship’s bell, tolled as the names of all eight ONI personnel who perished serving at CNO-IP that day were read. They were: Cmdr. Dan Shanower; Lt. Cmdr. Vince Tolbert; Lts. Jonas Panik and Darin Pontell; IT1 Julian Cooper; civilian analyst Angie Houtz; contractor and Navy veteran Gerry Moran; and Presidential Management Intern Brady Howell.”
“They were all different ages and races,” Schwinn said. “We had Reservists. We had active duty. We had government civilian employees and civilian contractors. Those eight were really a cross-section of the federal workspace.”
Schwinn recalled hearing the announcement about the attacks over the public address system at the ONI on the morning of 9/11. He remembered the quickly changing force-protection levels he experienced. And he remembered having to evacuate, because on that day, the feeling for many in Washington, D.C., was that the entire city was a target.
“The line of cars to get out and on to the Washington Beltway took about an hour,” Schwinn said. “As we moved and watched, you could see the smoke rising from the Pentagon. You could see helicopters shuttling back and forth from Andrews Air Force Base and the Pentagon. And on the radio … everything that was playing … was news.”
Schwinn said as he waited in his car to move further out of Washington to evacuate, he remembered hearing unconfirmed reports about different events that ended up being untrue. And he just remembered how stressful everything was. “All we could do while we waited was to sit there and watch the skies,” he said.
Eventually Schwinn made it safely away. But the events of that day remain with him forever.
“I will say this — I always try to forget the anniversary,” Schwinn said. “I will never forget what happened that day, and it still hurts.”
But through his pain, Schwinn continues to serve. He’s been an Air Force missile officer; worked for ONI and in other government positions; and now works with USAID, which was what brought him to Fort McCoy.
“I always remember those we lost that day,” Schwinn said. “I will also remember everyone who has served the last 20 years. And that’s why I continue to serve in any way I can today.”
| Date Taken: | 09.22.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 09.22.2021 16:51 |
| Story ID: | 405811 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 134 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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