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: All, : The scene here in Washington is eerie. As editor of a defense newspaper, I had many friends and colleagues in the Pentagon when the cowards acted. So far, they are all accounted for, but we wait for word as there may be as many as 800 dead. : One of my reporters combed a largely deserted Capitol Hill yesterday, finding Congressmen and Senators in nearby restaurants, walking down the street or, fleetingly, working in their offices. : Colleagues at a sister paper, Army Times, pelted to the Pentagon to cover the horror there. Others were eyewitnesses to the crash as they went to the Pentagon to gather information. : As I went home last night, my route took me through acrid smoke billowing from the stricken building as helicopter gunships and F-16 fighters soared overhead. Let us hope this all ends well. : I'm including a copy of one of our stories for Brilanders to get a unique view of what we saw: : Defense News : Sept 11, 2001 : Pentagon Damaged, Evacuated Following Terrorist Attack : By VINCE CRAWLEY and C. MARK BRINKLEY DefenseNews.com Staff Writers : WASHINGTON — A gaping gash was left in one wall of the Pentagon after an aircraft struck the U.S. Defense Department building as part of an apparent coordinated terrorist attack about 10 a.m. Sept. 11. : Navy Times reporter Christopher Munsey, who was driving on a crowded highway near the Pentagon about 9:30 a.m., was an eyewitness to the crash that collapsed all five stories of the building’s west façade at the point of impact, near the Pentagon heliport. “I couldn’t believe what I was now seeing to my right: A silver, twin-engine American Airlines jetliner gliding almost noiselessly over the Navy Annex, fast, low and straight toward the Pentagon, just hundreds of yards away,” Munsey said. “It was a nightmare coming to life. The plane, with red and blue markings, hurtled by and within moments exploded in a ground-shaking ‘whoomp,’ as it appeared to hit the side of the Pentagon.” : : The crash, which appears to be part of the coordinated attack that destroyed the twin World Trade Center towers in New York City earlier in the day, sent a huge plume of blue smoke into the sky over the Pentagon. The explosion could be heard at least 10 miles away. By 11:30 a.m., at least 30 emergency response vehicles were on the scene, along with FBI agents and local police. Officials still had not confirmed the number of people dead and injured at the scene by late afternoon. : Workers inside the Pentagon were monitoring the unfolding World Trade Center disaster when the plane hit. “We were watching the TV, following the events,” said Marine Capt. Stewart Upton, a public affairs officer. “Then we felt the shudder.” The Pentagon’s alarms went off, Upton said, as he and the other Marines in his office filed into the hallway to find out what happened. No one in his office was injured. : “People were running through the corridors, some were getting emotional,” Upton said. The building smelled of burning plastic, he said, and people were crying. “I heard people saying, ‘I can’t take this, I can’t take this.’ ” Waiting outside about an hour later, Upton said he heard two more booms. He believes it was the sound of collapsing Pentagon infrastructure. : Emergency response personnel moved several dozen Pentagon employees injured in the blast to the 5-acre inner courtyard for medical treatment, and then took them to the Pentagon Officers Athletic Club, located on the other side of the building. No one treated in the courtyard appeared to have life-threatening injuries, but several were in shock and had cuts and bruises. : The entire Pentagon was evacuated of all non-essential personnel, as were almost all federal buildings in Washington, D.C. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons and military helicopters began flying cover missions over the nation’s capital immediately after the attacks. A Washington, D.C., National Guard spokeswoman confirmed the Air Force was flying patrol missions over the capital. : Staff writer Diane Tsimekles contributed to this report. : : : : See full commentary : : : : : : We live in NY and both work near the World Trade Center. If anybody on the island reads this post, please tell Birdie Nealy that all of the Gooder family is fine. We will call her soon. : : I hope this posting finds other members of the Briland community and their families well. Our thoughts are with those who have been touched by this tragedy. : : Lisa and G Gooder

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