GOODYEAR, AZ — As the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks approaches, a Valley man is sharing his firsthand account of being at the Pentagon when it was struck by the plane - and what it took to keep the public informed in the middle of a national crisis.
Retired Navy Rear Admiral Craig Quigley was serving as Deputy Asst. Sec. of Defense for Public Affairs on Sept. 11, 2001. After a plane hit the Pentagon, Quigley and the press corps evacuated to a nearby gas station to continue briefing reporters and keeping the public informed.
Fortunately, Craig had decades in the military under his belt and time as a press secretary to be able to navigate such through such a critical day in our history.
"There was no shortage of crisis that needed to be addressed," explains Quigley. "And I learned that running around like a chicken with your head cut off does not do anybody any good. Get yourself together, focus on the facts as they are presented to you, and be clear about it. And then do your job," Quigley said.
Sadly, A total of 184 people were killed at the Pentagon on September 11. There is a memorial site, complete with benches for each of the victims.
The U.S. Department of Defense website also has a section that honors the victims https://www.pentagonmemorial.org/
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