{"id":15719,"date":"2016-08-23T14:00:11","date_gmt":"2016-08-23T18:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/?p=15719"},"modified":"2016-08-23T14:00:11","modified_gmt":"2016-08-23T18:00:11","slug":"911-response-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/911-response-time\/","title":{"rendered":"9\/11: Response Time"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div id='fullscreen_slider_1'  class='avia-fullscreen-slider main_color   avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_one_fifth  avia-builder-el-first   container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><a href='#next-section' title='' class='scroll-down-link ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue877' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/a><div   data-size='extra_large'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='15731'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='true'  data-slide_height='100'  data-handle='av_fullscreen'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id='fullscreen_slider_1'  data-scroll_down='aviaTBscroll_down'  data-control_layout=''  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment=''  data-min_height='0px'  data-stretch=''  data-default-height='100'  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-1 av-slider-scroll-down-active av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-extra_large av_fullscreen   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 66.5333333333%;' ><li style='background-position:top left;' data-img-url='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/Col-Eddie-Moorehead-1-1500x998.jpg' class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-1' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><div class = \"caption_fullwidth av-slideshow-caption caption_center\"><div class = \"container caption_container\"><div class = \"slideshow_caption\"><div class = \"slideshow_inner_caption\"><div class = \"slideshow_align_caption\"><h2  class='avia-caption-title  '  itemprop=\"name\" >9\/11: RESPONSE TIME<\/h2><div class='avia-caption-content  '  itemprop=\"description\"  ><p>by Kelly Durham \u201980<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_1'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-15719'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_fullscreen  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><blockquote>\n<p>It was September 11, 2001, and the meeting Eddy Morehead was heading to was cancelled after two airliners crashed into the twin towers of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wtc.com\/\">World Trade Center<\/a>. Morehead turned and walked back along the second floor of the <a href=\"http:\/\/pentagonmemorial.org\/learn\/911-pentagon\">Pentagon<\/a>\u2019s corridor and then climbed the steps back to his third-floor office. He couldn\u2019t have known it at the time, but he had twice traversed a section of the building that in 15 minutes would cease to exist.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-4  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_image_hotspot  avia-builder-el-last  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div  class='av-hotspot-image-container   avia_animated_image avia_animate_when_almost_visible pop-up av-hotspot-blank av-mobile-fallback-active  av-permanent-tooltip  avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  av-non-fullwidth-hotspot-image'  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class='av-hotspot-container'><div class='av-hotspot-container-inner-cell'><div class='av-hotspot-container-inner-wrap'><div class='av-image-hotspot av-image-hotspot-1 av-permanent-tooltip' data-avia-tooltip-position='right' data-avia-tooltip-alignment='centered' data-avia-tooltip-class='av-tt-xlarge-width av-tt-pos-right av-tt-align-centered  av-mobile-fallback-active  av-permanent-tooltip-single  main_color av-tt-hotspot' data-avia-tooltip='&lt;p&gt;The crash site on the\u00a0Pentagon&#8217;s northwest side. This circle is just above Eddy Morehead&#8217;s third floor office.&lt;\/p&gt;\n' style='top: 37.2%; left: 21.7%; '><div class='av-image-hotspot_inner' style='background-color: #d87834; '>1<\/div><div class='av-image-hotspot-pulse' style='background-color:#efe1e1;'><\/div><\/div><img class='avia_image' src='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/Pentagon1-1500x978.jpg' alt='' title='010914-F-8006R-004'  height=\"978\" width=\"1500\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class='av-hotspot-fallback-tooltip av-image-hotspot-1 av-permanent-tooltip'><div class='av-hotspot-fallback-tooltip-count'>1<div class='avia-arrow'><\/div><\/div><div class='av-hotspot-fallback-tooltip-inner clearfix'><p>\nThe crash site on the\u00a0Pentagon&#8217;s northwest side. This circle is just above Eddy Morehead&#8217;s third floor office.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-6  el_after_av_image_hotspot  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Colonel Eddy Morehead hurried along the wide corridor of the Pentagon\u2019s E-Ring. He was headed toward his second staff meeting of the still young morning. The first, which had started at 0800, had been chaired by his immediate supervisor, an Army one-star general. Morehead had ducked out of this first conference before it concluded because the next meeting had been called by a two-star general \u2014 and in the Army, two stars trump one.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>No one who knew Eddy Morehead would have been surprised to find him at the Pentagon at 0600 \u2014 6 a.m. by the civilian clock \u2014 that late summer morning, cranking up the coffee maker. His father had retired from the Army after 21 years on active duty including service during World War II, then moved his family of six boys and two girls back to his hometown of Westminster. Five of the Morehead brothers had served in the Army simultaneously, two of them retiring as lieutenant colonels. At Clemson, Eddy had served as commander of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clemson.edu\/business\/departments\/army-rotc\/current-cadets\/index.html\">Corps of Cadets <\/a>his senior year.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWe had a very strong ROTC cadre that supported the cadets,\u201d he recalled. \u201cWe also got great support from the South Carolina National Guard which provided helicopters for our field training exercises.\u201d<br \/>\nFollowing his 1977 graduation from Clemson, Eddy attended Army flight school where he earned his wings as a helicopter pilot. His duty assignments included the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; overseas postings in Korea and Germany; a tour with the United Nations peacekeeping force in Somalia; stints as both a company and battalion commander; the Industrial College of the Armed Forces; and the Army Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth. Now, he was punching his ticket in the Pentagon, where \u201ccolonels were a dime a dozen\u201d and accustomed to starting the morning coffee.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-9  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_fullscreen  avia-builder-el-last  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='fullscreen_slider_2'  class='avia-fullscreen-slider main_color   avia-builder-el-10  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth   slider-not-first container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><a href='#next-section' title='' class='scroll-down-link ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue877' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/a><div   data-size='extra_large'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='15722'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='true'  data-slide_height='100'  data-handle='av_fullscreen'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id='fullscreen_slider_2'  data-scroll_down='aviaTBscroll_down'  data-control_layout=''  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment=''  data-min_height='0px'  data-stretch=''  data-default-height='100'  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-2 av-slider-scroll-down-active av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-extra_large av_fullscreen   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 65.6%;' ><li style='background-position:top left;' data-img-url='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/9-11-Jetliner-into-Pentagon-September2001-1500x984.jpg' class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-2' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><div class = \"caption_fullwidth av-slideshow-caption caption_bottom caption_bottom_framed caption_framed\"><div class = \"container caption_container\"><div class = \"slideshow_caption\"><div class = \"slideshow_inner_caption\"><div class = \"slideshow_align_caption\"><h2  class='avia-caption-title  '  itemprop=\"name\" >Moving Toward the Inferno<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_2'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-15719'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-11  el_after_av_fullscreen  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-12  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3><\/h3>\n<blockquote>\n<p>When Morehead reached the two-star general\u2019s meeting, he found that it had been cancelled. Everyone\u2019s attention had been diverted from routine duties by the drama being played out live on television some 225 miles to the north in New York, where two airliners had crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Morehead turned around and walked back along the E-Ring corridor\u2019s second floor and then climbed the steps back to his third-floor office.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cOnce I got back to my office, I remember standing with another colonel and leaning over the cubicle of one of our co-workers. She was skilled enough on the computer to have pulled up the news on her monitor, and we were watching the coverage from New York,\u201d Morehead recalled. \u201cAfter a few minutes, I returned to my desk. My phone rang, and it was my wife Prissy, calling to see if I had seen what was going on. We talked for a few minutes and then I hung up.\u201d Almost immediately, at 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the Pentagon only 60 feet from where Morehead sat. \u201cI actually felt the building shudder and then within a second felt the pressure change as the jet fuel from the airplane exploded. Tiles fell down from the ceiling and windows\u00a0were blown out.\u201d<br \/>\nMorehead exited his office and stepped into Corridor 4, one of ten hallways laterally connecting the five rings of the Pentagon. \u201cI couldn\u2019t see anything except thick black smoke from the ceiling all the way down to waist level.\u201d But to his left, Morehead could make out the bright glow of flames. Most people headed toward the interior rings of the building and its large courtyard, away from the flames and smoke. Morehead, crouching low, moved toward the inferno. \u201cI wanted to see what was going on, plus I could hear people screaming.\u201d<br \/>\nDropping into a duck walk to keep his head below the smoke, Morehead watched as dozens of people, service members and civilians alike, streamed past, many bloodied or burned and nearly all covered in black soot. \u201cThey looked like coal miners,\u201d he recalled.<br \/>\nReaching E-Ring, the Pentagon\u2019s outermost section, Morehead and a few others braved the smoke and the increasingly intense flames and began to clear the third-floor offices directly above where the airliner had struck the building. \u201cDebris and rubble covered the floor. We were moving from office to office just trying to make sure no one was trapped.\u201d Morehead worked his way along E-Ring until a wall of flame forced him to turn back, then he searched the offices on the opposite side of the corridor.<br \/>\n\u201cBy this time, there was fire all over the place because we were directly above where the plane had impacted,\u201d he recalled. The trash and debris scattered across the floors by the impact now hid from Morehead and his fellow rescuers that the floor beneath them was cracking and about to collapse. \u201cChief Warrant Officer Paul Heygood and some Navy guys and I next went up to the fourth floor and then to the fifth floor to clear offices. Then we tried to go down to the second floor, but it was just a ball of fire \u2014 there was no second floor left.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Returning to the third floor, Morehead led the others out into the corridor where the smoke was growing thicker by the minute. \u201cThis section of the Pentagon had just been renovated and the renovation had included the installation of these big, heavy metal fire doors that stretched across the corridor. We came out of the stairwell and into the corridor and there was Major Mike Kerzie who had used his body to wedge those doors open. He said \u2018I saw you go in there, sir, and I wasn\u2019t going to leave until you came out!\u2019\u201d Kerzie\u2019s action kept Morehead and the others from being trapped in the spreading conflagration.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-14  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_fullscreen  avia-builder-el-last  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='fullscreen_slider_3'  class='avia-fullscreen-slider main_color   avia-builder-el-15  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth   slider-not-first container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><a href='#next-section' title='' class='scroll-down-link ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue877' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/a><div   data-size='extra_large'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='15723'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='true'  data-slide_height='100'  data-handle='av_fullscreen'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id='fullscreen_slider_3'  data-scroll_down='aviaTBscroll_down'  data-control_layout=''  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment=''  data-min_height='0px'  data-stretch=''  data-default-height='100'  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-3 av-slider-scroll-down-active av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-extra_large av_fullscreen   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 98.1333333333%;' ><li style='background-position:top left;' data-img-url='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/911-Pentagon-hole-2-1500x1472.jpg' class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-3' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><div class = \"caption_fullwidth av-slideshow-caption caption_bottom caption_bottom_framed caption_framed\"><div class = \"container caption_container\"><div class = \"slideshow_caption\"><div class = \"slideshow_inner_caption\"><div class = \"slideshow_align_caption\"><h2  class='avia-caption-title  '  itemprop=\"name\" >Dents from a Clemson Ring<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_3'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-15719'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-16  el_after_av_fullscreen  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-17  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3><\/h3>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Fires from the burning jet fuel had now spread, and the Pentagon itself was burning. The heat and choking smoke forced Morehead and the small group of rescuers toward the Pentagon\u2019s central courtyard. As they reached the fresh air and sunshine of the courtyard, they encountered a scene unimaginable just an hour before. Medics in bright blue vests were moving among dozens of injured civilians and service members while administering first aid. It was then that Kerzie stopped Morehead with the chilling words, \u201cSir, we\u2019ve got to go back; I can hear them screaming.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe Navy guys knew what to do,\u201d Morehead remembered with admiration for the members of his sister service. \u201cThey treated it like a ship-board fire.\u201d Following the sailors\u2019 lead, Morehead, Kerzie and Heygood grabbed fire extinguishers and, wrapping their heads in wet shirts, inched their way into the hole drilled through the first three rings of the building by the nose of the aircraft. \u201cTwo of us at a time crawled into the hole and discharged our fire extinguishers until they were all used up. We couldn\u2019t stay in there for more than a few seconds,\u201d so intense was the heat and smoke.<br \/>\nBy now, Arlington County firefighters had reached the scene and began to assert control over the fire fighting and rescue operations. Morehead and the others were told to evacuate the area \u2014 but they continued to search for ways to assist. At the request of medical personnel, Morehead and his comrades moved medical supplies from the Pentagon\u2019s dispensary to a larger triage site established near the lagoon outside the building\u2019s river entrance. At one point, Morehead used a pair of oversize bolt cutters to break open a locked cabinet containing badly needed medical supplies.<br \/>\n\u201cSomebody grabbed me and said \u2018we have a life-or-death situation.\u2019 We had to get an injured lady to the hospital right away.\u201d Morehead accosted the driver of every moving vehicle in the vicinity, including an Air Force general and a local police officer whose K9 partner snarled and barked when Morehead opened the van\u2019s door. Morehead quickly settled on a personal vehicle driven by a lieutenant colonel who was eager to assist. By now, the whole country knew what was happening at the Pentagon. Traffic around the building, always heavy, had come to a complete standstill as roads were blocked and emergency vehicles converged on the scene.<br \/>\n\u201cI sat up in the passenger\u2019s side window and yelled for people to move their cars and let us through,\u201d but the going was too slow and Morehead feared for the life of the injured passenger. Spying a Virginia highway patrolman traveling in the opposite direction, Morehead jumped from his vehicle and flagged the officer down. Quickly explaining the emergency, Morehead convinced the patrolman to escort them to the hospital.<br \/>\n\u201cHe got on his loud speaker and began shouting at cars to move out of the way, and they did, but as soon as the patrol car got through, the other drivers would pull back in. They didn\u2019t realize we were trying to follow him.\u201d Again Morehead left the vehicle. \u201cI was running between the rows of cars just pounding on them with my fist. There were a lot of Mercedes and BMWs that got dents from a Clemson ring that day.\u201d<br \/>\nComing upon a large pickup truck, Morehead again took the initiative. \u201cI explained to the driver that we had a \u2018life or death,\u2019 and we were trying to get her to the hospital. He just nodded and said \u2018follow me.\u2019 And he literally started pushing cars out of the way.\u201d Due to the efforts of Eddy Morehead and the others involved in the makeshift emergency transport, the woman\u2019s life was saved.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>But Morehead\u2019s day wasn\u2019t done.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-19  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_fullscreen  avia-builder-el-last  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='fullscreen_slider_4'  class='avia-fullscreen-slider main_color   avia-builder-el-20  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth   slider-not-first container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><a href='#next-section' title='' class='scroll-down-link ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue877' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/a><div   data-size='extra_large'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='15732'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='true'  data-slide_height='100'  data-handle='av_fullscreen'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id='fullscreen_slider_4'  data-scroll_down='aviaTBscroll_down'  data-control_layout=''  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment=''  data-min_height='0px'  data-stretch=''  data-default-height='100'  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-4 av-slider-scroll-down-active av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-extra_large av_fullscreen   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 66.5333333333%;' ><li style='background-position:top left;' data-img-url='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/Col-Eddie-Moorehead-2-1500x998.jpg' class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-4' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><div class = \"caption_fullwidth av-slideshow-caption caption_bottom caption_bottom_framed caption_framed\"><div class = \"container caption_container\"><div class = \"slideshow_caption\"><div class = \"slideshow_inner_caption\"><div class = \"slideshow_align_caption\"><h2  class='avia-caption-title  '  itemprop=\"name\" >Beyond the Call of Duty<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_4'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-15719'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-21  el_after_av_fullscreen  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-22  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3><\/h3>\n<p>Leaving the hospital, Morehead attempted to return to the Pentagon and render whatever assistance he could. By now the building was cordoned off by police, fire and other emergency responders. Traffic in the area remained gridlocked. Ambulances and other emergency vehicles were having a hard time reaching the emergency area. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t get back to the Pentagon; they wouldn\u2019t let us back in.<br \/>\n\u201cI walked back down to an intersection right at Army-Navy Drive. That thing was one big spider web. It was all tied up. And there was a policeman there, and he wasn\u2019t doing anything, just leaning against his car, and so I got out there and started directing traffic. And the next thing I hear is \u2018Hey, Colonel Morehead,\u2019 and here comes Chief Heygood.\u201d Until 3:30 that afternoon, the tired, smoky, adrenalin-fueled officers directed traffic, clearing the way for emergency vehicles to reach the Pentagon and render assistance.<br \/>\nWhile at the hospital, Morehead had tried to telephone Prissy, but he could not get through. \u201cShe knew right where my office was, and they were showing on television where the plane hit. I\u2019m sure she thought I had been killed.\u201d Eventually, he was able to reach his son, Chad, then a junior at Clemson. Chad, an ROTC cadet like his father before him, was able to reach his mother and let her know that Eddy was safe.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI saw so many brave guys do some unbelievable things. No hesitation. They went in to save somebody. There\u2019s no doubt in my mind that some of the people who died that day weren\u2019t killed in the impact but because they went in trying to save others.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>This is a sentiment echoed by Arlington County Fire Department assistant chief James Schwartz, the on-scene commander of the emergency response team. \u201cTruly heroic acts were exhibited on the parts of both military and civilian personnel who were residents of the Pentagon, who saved far more lives in those first few minutes, than we saved at any time in that incident. \u2026 What those people in uniform and out of uniform did on that morning were truly heroic acts that should not go unrecognized.\u201d<br \/>\nIn fact, Eddy Morehead\u2019s deeds were recognized by the Army, which awarded him the Soldier\u2019s Medal. The commendation read:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cFOR HEROISM: above and beyond the call of duty on 11 September 2001. \u2026 Colonel Morehead entered the damaged area at corridor 4 E-Ring and began rescue efforts. Initially he assisted survivors as they escaped from the wreckage and debris. However, even though encountering intense heat, thick toxic smoke, and at one point, an immense wall of flames that reached from the first floor through the roof, and with complete disregard for his own personal safety, he proceeded deeper into the area of impact along the E-Ring, pulling injured and wounded from the wreckage.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-24  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_fullscreen  avia-builder-el-last  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='fullscreen_slider_5'  class='avia-fullscreen-slider main_color   avia-builder-el-25  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth   slider-not-first container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><a href='#next-section' title='' class='scroll-down-link ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue877' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/a><div   data-size='extra_large'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='15733'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='true'  data-slide_height='100'  data-handle='av_fullscreen'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id='fullscreen_slider_5'  data-scroll_down='aviaTBscroll_down'  data-control_layout=''  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment=''  data-min_height='0px'  data-stretch=''  data-default-height='100'  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-5 av-slider-scroll-down-active av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-extra_large av_fullscreen   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 66.5333333333%;' ><li style='background-position:top left;' data-img-url='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/Col-Eddie-Moorehead-3-1500x998.jpg' class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-5' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><div class = \"caption_fullwidth av-slideshow-caption caption_bottom caption_bottom_framed caption_framed\"><div class = \"container caption_container\"><div class = \"slideshow_caption\"><div class = \"slideshow_inner_caption\"><div class = \"slideshow_align_caption\"><h2  class='avia-caption-title  '  itemprop=\"name\" >Vivid Memories<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_5'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-15719'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-26  el_after_av_fullscreen  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-27  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Eddy Morehead left the Pentagon in 2002 and was assigned as the senior Army adviser to the South Carolina National Guard, a post from which he retired in 2009.<br \/>\nMorehead\u2019s memories of that day are vivid. His story is rich with details, ordinary moments that belie the death and destruction to which he was a witness. Yet, he says, what\u2019s important is not how the events of September 11, 2001, changed him, \u201cbut how it changed our country and our world. My son\u2019s been to war twice,\u201d he says of Chad who graduated from Clemson in 2003. An Apache attack helicopter pilot, Chad flew over 100 combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq.<br \/>\nThe events of September 11 \u201cchanged our children and our world,\u201d says Morehead. \u201cPeople need to understand that there are still young kids, 18, 19 years old fighting this war 15 years later.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cPeople tend to forget that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em><br \/>\nKelly Durham, a 1980 graduate of Clemson, is the author of four historical fiction novels set during the 1930s and 1940s.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-29  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-30  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-31  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p>On September 12, 2001, newspapers around the country covered the attack. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.newseum.org\/todaysfrontpages\/?tfp_display=archive-date&amp;tfp_archive_id=091201\">View those front pages.<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.newseum.org\/todaysfrontpages\/?tfp_display=archive-date&amp;tfp_archive_id=091201\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-15797\" src=\"https:\/\/clemson.world\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/GA_AJC-166x300.jpg\" alt=\"GA_AJC\" width=\"147\" height=\"263\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-33  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-34  el_after_av_one_fifth  avia-builder-el-last  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Read the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.9-11commission.gov\/report\/911Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">9-11 Commission Report.<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.9-11commission.gov\/report\/911Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-15802 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/clemson.world\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/9-11-2-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"9-11\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/9-11-2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/9-11-2-80x80.jpg 80w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/9-11-2-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/9-11-2-36x36.jpg 36w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/9-11-2-180x180.jpg 180w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/9-11-2-705x705.jpg 705w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/9-11-2.jpg 833w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On September 11, 2001, Eddy Morehead \u201977 was busy at work in the Pentagon when American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the building only 60 feet from where he sat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":15731,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[86,184,706,2223,2851,2853,2946],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-15719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-86","tag-american-airlines-flight-77","tag-clemson-ring","tag-pentagon","tag-summer-fall-2016","tag-summer-fall-2016-features","tag-terrorism"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/Col-Eddie-Moorehead-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15719\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15719"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}