VFAF President Robert M Cornicelli's statement:
The remembrance of 9/11 is a solemn tribute to the lives lost and a reminder of the enduring threat of radical Islam.
The remembrance of 9/11 is a solemn tribute to the lives lost and a reminder of the enduring threat of radical Islam.
To win the war against this extremist ideology, we need a military that is strong, focused, and well-equipped.
Unfortunately, under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, our military has faced budget cuts, a focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and the controversial admittance of transgender individuals. These policies have shifted priorities away from combat readiness and weakened morale. Restoring strength requires reversing these budget cuts, refocusing on core military objectives, and ensuring that recruitment and training prioritize combat effectiveness over political agendas.
The U.S. must also rebuild alliances and intelligence capabilities to defeat radical Islam globally. Honoring the legacy of 9/11 requires not just remembrance, but action—ensuring that our military is prepared to protect American values and interests from terrorism and extremism.
VFAF Political Director Berney Flower's on duty in Pentagon rememberence:
Hello My friends. Thank you for allowing me to share my story. I was once a young Air Force Major, working on the Air Staff at the Pentagon. SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2001 WAS A TYPICAL DAY. My wife and kids slept as I left the house at 0445hrs to begin my daily commute. My old friend, Cail Morris and I met at one of the local SLUG lots, picked up a rider and headed north on I-95. We had to access the High Occupancy Vehicle Lane before 0500hrs. Otherwise, we would have to pay (military people are notorious for trying to save a penny). So, we headed north to the city from our homes in Woodbridge VA. We made the trip, parked in the garage and readied ourselves for the challenges of the day. By now its roughly 0600hrs.
IT WAS A TYPICAL DAY. We checked email for tasks and orders. Once we determined what needed to be done, a few of us walked downstairs to a little cafe for breakfast. BTW, we are not yet at the Pentagon. We are in leased space in Roselyn VA, since the Pentagon was under renovation.
IT WAS A TYPICAL DAY. After morning huddles and briefs, I had a shuttle bus to catch. Most mornings, I had to go brief my Colonel and his staff on the status of whatever issue we might be working on that day, or that week. That happens at 1000hrs. On that morning, I had my a new Capt with me, Chad Lewis. He was brand new and I was showing him the ropes. So, at about 0840hrs, I grab Chad and we head out the door. Me and the NEWB have a shuttle to catch at 0845hrs. We get out to the bus stop and Chad, being the NEWB, has forgotten his note book. We gotta go back. We will catch the next bus...sure we will.
IT WAS A TYPICAL DAY. We went back inside the building and all of a sudden, something is not right. I didn't know what it was, but there was great confusion among our leadership. We were told "Lock Down", "Stay Inside The Building". "Shelter In Place". Ha, Ha, its another drill. I am happy. I don't have to go see my dreaded Colonel today. What great luck. Well, I couldn't be more wrong.
IT WAS NOT A TYPICAL DAY. The news was out. New York's World Trade Center had been attacked. We, the mighty US military, were on our knees. None of our disaster preparedness plans and drills were being followed. Our leaders locked us down in commercial spaces. We all were sitting ducks. Communications were down. No Cell, No NIPRNET, No SIPRNET, No JWICS. We were the US Air Force Communications Directorate and we couldn't communicate with anyone.
All of a sudden, the word came across CNN, (our only link to the outside world). The Pentagon had been attacked. We were three miles away, inside an office building. We couldn't hear what was going on but we knew it was bad. All of a sudden the order came for us all to get outside and reconstitute in the parking lot across the street. I guess the local leadership thought we were safer outside than in our leased building. So there we were, outside, vulnerable and confused. We smelled the dark, metallic smell of jet fuel burning metal and the explosion that happened three miles away.
And just think, had Chad Lewis remembered his notebook, we would have been on that shuttle bus that delivered to the North Side of the Pentagon...we would have been on deck to brief my Colonel...right where the airliner skidded into the building. If not for Chad Lewis' missing notebook, we would have been on the North side of the Pentagon, within the Air Staff's Offices, waiting to brief at 0937hrs... we would have been incinerated..
T WAS NOT A TYPICAL DAY. It was the beginning of a war that we are still fighting. Thank you. Lt. Col. Flowers
VFAF Political Director Berney Flower's on duty in Pentagon rememberence:
Hello My friends. Thank you for allowing me to share my story. I was once a young Air Force Major, working on the Air Staff at the Pentagon. SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2001 WAS A TYPICAL DAY. My wife and kids slept as I left the house at 0445hrs to begin my daily commute. My old friend, Cail Morris and I met at one of the local SLUG lots, picked up a rider and headed north on I-95. We had to access the High Occupancy Vehicle Lane before 0500hrs. Otherwise, we would have to pay (military people are notorious for trying to save a penny). So, we headed north to the city from our homes in Woodbridge VA. We made the trip, parked in the garage and readied ourselves for the challenges of the day. By now its roughly 0600hrs.
IT WAS A TYPICAL DAY. We checked email for tasks and orders. Once we determined what needed to be done, a few of us walked downstairs to a little cafe for breakfast. BTW, we are not yet at the Pentagon. We are in leased space in Roselyn VA, since the Pentagon was under renovation.
IT WAS A TYPICAL DAY. After morning huddles and briefs, I had a shuttle bus to catch. Most mornings, I had to go brief my Colonel and his staff on the status of whatever issue we might be working on that day, or that week. That happens at 1000hrs. On that morning, I had my a new Capt with me, Chad Lewis. He was brand new and I was showing him the ropes. So, at about 0840hrs, I grab Chad and we head out the door. Me and the NEWB have a shuttle to catch at 0845hrs. We get out to the bus stop and Chad, being the NEWB, has forgotten his note book. We gotta go back. We will catch the next bus...sure we will.
IT WAS A TYPICAL DAY. We went back inside the building and all of a sudden, something is not right. I didn't know what it was, but there was great confusion among our leadership. We were told "Lock Down", "Stay Inside The Building". "Shelter In Place". Ha, Ha, its another drill. I am happy. I don't have to go see my dreaded Colonel today. What great luck. Well, I couldn't be more wrong.
IT WAS NOT A TYPICAL DAY. The news was out. New York's World Trade Center had been attacked. We, the mighty US military, were on our knees. None of our disaster preparedness plans and drills were being followed. Our leaders locked us down in commercial spaces. We all were sitting ducks. Communications were down. No Cell, No NIPRNET, No SIPRNET, No JWICS. We were the US Air Force Communications Directorate and we couldn't communicate with anyone.
All of a sudden, the word came across CNN, (our only link to the outside world). The Pentagon had been attacked. We were three miles away, inside an office building. We couldn't hear what was going on but we knew it was bad. All of a sudden the order came for us all to get outside and reconstitute in the parking lot across the street. I guess the local leadership thought we were safer outside than in our leased building. So there we were, outside, vulnerable and confused. We smelled the dark, metallic smell of jet fuel burning metal and the explosion that happened three miles away.
And just think, had Chad Lewis remembered his notebook, we would have been on that shuttle bus that delivered to the North Side of the Pentagon...we would have been on deck to brief my Colonel...right where the airliner skidded into the building. If not for Chad Lewis' missing notebook, we would have been on the North side of the Pentagon, within the Air Staff's Offices, waiting to brief at 0937hrs... we would have been incinerated..
T WAS NOT A TYPICAL DAY. It was the beginning of a war that we are still fighting. Thank you. Lt. Col. Flowers
