| Maj. Dean Eckmann is a soft-spoken North | | | | originally ordered to "heading 010," and |
| Dakota native whose lifelong love for | | | | immediately recognized it as New York. In |
| military aviation transformed him, in one | | | | retrospect, although he was unaware of it at |
| profound moment on September 11, 2001, into | | | | the time, he says at the moment he took off |
| what he acknowledges to be "an eyewitness to | | | | from Langley, a second airliner was plowing |
| history, to the day that changed all of | | | | into the second tower at the WTC.En route to |
| America, forever."On the morning of 9/11, | | | | Manhattan, Eckmann received a revised order |
| Eckmann, 36, was with his Fargo-based 119th | | | | and a new heading, which he recognized as |
| Fighter Pilot Wing at Virginia's Langley Air | | | | Washington D. C. Still, he was relatively |
| Force Base for a routine week-long 'alert | | | | unworried, he says, still being 75 miles away |
| dispatch' to protect seven American sites | | | | and with no smoke yet visible on the horizon. |
| tagged, in "post-Cold War and pre-9/11 | | | | He associated only the apparent trouble in |
| naivete," he says, as potential targets.At | | | | New York with his new heading and assumed |
| the unmistakable blare of a Klaxon horn, he | | | | he'd be "flying CAP" -- Combat Air Patrol -- |
| abandoned his scheduled training mission and | | | | over Washington as a preventive measure.At 50 |
| was ordered to his fully armed fighter jet, | | | | to 60 miles out of Washington, Eckmann got |
| and became the first pilot scrambled to fly | | | | his first sight of smoke -- thick black smoke |
| over -- just 700 feet over -- the | | | | -- pouring across the Potomac."The black |
| flame-engulfed Pentagon just about four | | | | smoke worried me. Usually, you'll see grey |
| minutes after terrorists attacked.He and two | | | | smoke or white smoke in a typical accident or |
| wingmen spent more than five hours that day, | | | | industrial fire. Black smoke means very bad |
| securing and protecting miles of Washington | | | | things."The Smoke's Source: The |
| D. C. airspace, the White House, Washington | | | | PentagonFlying high, still miles out and |
| Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Capitol | | | | unable to make out buildings or structures, |
| Building and other American landmarks, from | | | | he searched his memory, he says, to identify |
| the ground up to 30,000 feet in the air.His | | | | the smoke's source. At 35 miles out, as |
| perspective of the horrors of that tragic | | | | oceans of smoke continued to pour from the |
| day, viewed from the cockpit of his F-16 | | | | site, he realized the unknown horror was |
| fighter, has been captured for future | | | | taking place somewhere near the Pentagon: |
| generations and history books in the Air | | | | "an accident at Reagan National Airport, |
| Force-commissioned painting, "First Pass: | | | | perhaps," he says."At 20 miles out, I knew it |
| Defenders Over Washington" by artist Rick | | | | was the Pentagon, and I'm thinking: truck |
| Herter.Herter, 44, has also completed for the | | | | bomb," he said. "That's what we thought most |
| Air Force a painting entitled, "Ground Zero, | | | | of the day, in the air. I thought, 'we're at |
| Eagles on Station," a re-creation of the | | | | war.' But even flying at just 700 feet, I |
| scene of the terrorist attacks on New York's | | | | couldn't -- no one could -- see that an |
| World Trade Center Twin Towers.The pilot, the | | | | airliner was burning inside the Pentagon. |
| artist and prints of the paintings have | | | | The smoke was too thick and, no one could |
| toured the country to rave reviews, giving | | | | conceive of that."That initial perspective, |
| Americans a bird's-eye view of the magnitude | | | | and his bird's-eye view of the flaming |
| of the tragedy of that brilliant September | | | | Pentagon, with so many historic American |
| morning.The original oil renderings of both | | | | sites in the background, is the focus of |
| scenes hang in the halls of the refurbished | | | | Herter's painting.Two subsequent orders |
| Pentagon in Washington D.C., alongside many | | | | confirmed Eckmann's fears of an attack. The |
| other original art treasures depicting famous | | | | first was to confirm the Pentagon was |
| battles and events in American military | | | | burning. The second was to identify two |
| history.The Art of CombatHerter's mother, | | | | unknown aircraft in flight toward the |
| Diana, is president of the Dowagiac | | | | Pentagon. Those two aircraft turned out to |
| (Michigan) Art Guild who describes her son as | | | | be "good guys," Eckmann says, one a Medi-Vac |
| "an artist with the soul of a pilot." As a | | | | helicopter and one a chopper from the local |
| member of the elite Air Force Art Corps, he | | | | police, heading in to try to assist Pentagon |
| spent two weeks flying with combat missions | | | | victims.Eckmann immediately set off to "buzz |
| in Iraq as research for paintings of current | | | | the Mall," he says, or overfly the Washington |
| military actions.The fighter pilot and the | | | | government complex. His eyes scanned the |
| artist are now good friends, but they didn't | | | | ground, searching for a yellow truck or |
| know each other until the Air Force called | | | | anything that might be another truck bomb |
| Herter in November 2001 and inquired about | | | | heading for another landmark.He and his |
| his interest in painting the official 9/11 | | | | wingmen maintained skywatch over Washington |
| scenes.Although he gives all of his Air | | | | for nearly six hours, refueling twice |
| Force-commissioned paintings to the | | | | in-flight, until being returned to Langley |
| government free of charge, Herter said he | | | | for just an hour before heading out again.A |
| never hesitated when asked if he would speak | | | | Final ShockAt Langley, he heard the mechanics |
| with the pilots, research the events and | | | | expressing shock and horror at "what happened |
| commit the September 11 attacks to canvas."I | | | | to the World Trade Center towers."I still |
| jumped at the opportunity. I knew this was | | | | didn't know at that point," he said. "I |
| history," he said, pointing to the "Defenders | | | | said, 'What towers? What happened?' And they |
| Over Washington" painting, with its | | | | told me the towers had collapsed, that |
| mountainous clouds of black smoke billowing | | | | someone had flown commercial airliners into |
| upwards from the Pentagon to nearly touch the | | | | them. I couldn't believe it."At home, his |
| underbelly of Eckmann's F-16.September 11: A | | | | wife had spent the frantic day fielding more |
| Normal MorningThe morning of 9/11 began "so | | | | than 50 phone calls from friends and |
| normally," Eckmann says. "I was getting | | | | relatives wondering whether Eckmann was |
| ready for a training mission when the Klaxon | | | | flying that day, and if so, in what aircraft |
| alarm went off and we scrambled to our 'hot' | | | | and for which employer, the U. S. Air |
| (armed) planes. When you're scrambled, you | | | | National Guard, or the commercial airline |
| get to your jet and do what you're told."He'd | | | | industry.Both Herter and Eckmann say they're |
| heard that a plane had crashed into the World | | | | awed by the notion that what they've seen and |
| Trade Center, but assumed it was "a puddle | | | | done will inevitably become as much a part of |
| jumper, a tourist plane, that lost its way | | | | the American historical fabric as the scene |
| and had an accident." As a former commercial | | | | of George Washington crossing the Delaware |
| pilot for Northwestern Airlines, Eckmann said | | | | River, or the first film footage of the |
| the idea that a fully loaded commercial jet | | | | attacks on Pearl Harbor."This is what no one |
| could be plunged into an occupied building | | | | else saw and could not see," Herter says. |
| was "inconceivable."We all had a false sense | | | | "Only a handful of people ever saw the |
| of security," he says. "Even on alert, before | | | | immediate aftermath of the Pentagon attack |
| 9/11, we were focused on a danger coming in | | | | and this is the first sight of it. There are |
| to us from outside, not coming the inside as | | | | no aerial photographs of the Pentagon |
| it happened that day. To take a commercial | | | | burning, because Dean (Eckmann) and his |
| airliner full of people and force it into a | | | | fighters did their jobs -- protected the |
| building? No one in America could imagine | | | | nation's capital, secured the airspace. No |
| anything so evil."Eckmann says he was | | | | one else got in, thanks to them. |