Researching issues over the years, I have found that it is not uncommon to find the real story intentionally buried or covered up. False flags are real and conspiracies exist everywhere. What occurred on the day of September 11, 2001 is no exception. As such, I ask, is it possible to conclusively put some of these theories to rest? Specifically, did a plane actually hit the Pentagon the morning of September 11, 2001? Being that I was en route to the Pentagon the morning of the attack and heard the explosion and saw the plume of black smoke, but didn’t personally witness the plane hit the building, I questioned the narrative as well. Nonetheless, I have always seen this conspiracy theory as one of the easiest to either validate or debunk and wondered how a conspiracy like this could fester seemingly unanswered for so long and decided to research it. The result of my research, to date, debunks the theory that a plane did not hit the Pentagon. I understand that some people will only believe their narrative of events no matter how much evidence you put before them. That said, I could probably never 100% rule out a conspiracy without actually witnessing it all with my own eyes. However, I am comfortable knowing that between the natural inept nature of government operations, the government’s inability to keep secrets secret, and the already highly improbable string of events woven together to create an alternative reality is so far beyond the realm of sane probability as compared to what eye witnesses, physical, and photographic evidence testify to, this conspiracy is busted.
My methodology was simple; couple my own personal observations the morning of September 11, 2001 with eye witness interviews and photographs from credible witnesses to determine if a plane could be positively identified at the site of the alleged impact site. To do this, I reviewed photographs of the various unit markings on the fire trucks and ambulances on scene at the Pentagon immediately after the crash. After identifying the specific fire and rescue units, I went to those firehouses and located the literal first responders to enter the scene. Without coaching, I asked them to recount the events of the morning, what they witnessed, and their conclusions about the cause of the damage. Furthermore, I was able to identify and speak with the actual pilots from the now disbanded VMFA-321 based out of Andrews Air Force Base, which were the very first fighter aircraft (Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornets) to fly combat air patrols (CAP) over Washington, DC.
The results of my interviews were consistent with the official story. Every first responder I spoke with independently recounted the same story. Remember too, these responders were on scene literally within just a few minutes of the impact rendering suggestions of teams “planting” items or items being dropped from overhead aircraft pretty ridiculous. They all remembered the heavy smell of jet fuel, a large amount of plane debris such as aircraft parts, pieces of the skin, seats, and bodies…or at least parts of bodies…amongst the debris (contrary to a central theme in many conspiracy theories), an intense fire, and structural damage consistent with a plane flying into the side of the building. I was also able to look at a number of photos taken shortly after the incident by the first responders and it was abundantly clear debris were strewn everywhere (again contrary to some conspiracy theorists that suggest no debris were present). After confirming their statements, I asked them if they believed any of the conspiracy theories relating to a plane not hitting the Pentagon, and perhaps they are all idiots, blind, and bought off by the CIA or I just talked to the wrong first responders, but NONE of the first responders had any doubt about what had happened. There was a plane, there were debris, there were bodies/parts, and the official narrative was accurate. In fact, the scene was so grizzly, many of these seasoned first responders became very emotional in recounting the events.
Respective of the Marine pilots flying CAP, they are also full time commercial airline pilots and unsung heroes that deserve credit they never received for their actions that day. The two Marine Corps Colonels, Murphy and Browning, are two names that should be recorded in the official record of the day. To begin, they experienced delays in getting airborne, not because of some higher level orders to obstruct, but simply because no one was ready and it takes time and personnel to roll out, fuel, spin up, and launch aircraft. Contrary to popular myth, jet fighters in the run up to 9/11 didn’t sit on the runway fueled, armed, and ready to take off. The Marine ground crews made miracles happen that morning to get those jets in the air. In fact, it was only by coincidence the Marine pilots were at their reserve unit (VMFA-321) that day and as squadron commanders, were able to unilaterally take action and launch. Because of their initiative, they became the first military aircraft to fly in defense over DC for the United States. Not so ironically, neither of the professional pilots indicated they had any knowledge or suspicion of anything other than the fact an airliner was what flew into the Pentagon and made no mention of any other military aircraft or drones in the airspace. In fact, they were able to witness the damage from above and listen to the radio traffic amongst pilots and again, reported nothing that would support the myriad of conspiracy theories surrounding the attack on the Pentagon. Ultimately, I can’t speak for the two Marines personal beliefs, but in candid, blind statements about the events of the day, neither fighter pilot raised the slightest hint that they believed a conspiracy was afoot.
My own experiences were consistent with the official narrative as well, of course, minus actually seeing the plane hit the Pentagon, which is a big minus. Nonetheless, the explosion and fire ball were immense and consistent with a huge amount of jet fuel burning, which I have witnessed before. I was fixated on the Pentagon from that point on and moved to better vantage points. At no time did I ever see anything close to a drone or cargo plane dropping debris or holograms as some theories suggest and I would have certainly noticed. I have worked intimately with aircraft to include drones and have actually been on the scenes of multiple aircraft crash sites so I am speaking from a position of knowledge. That said, I am confident in saying the crash site remained undisturbed in the few minutes before first responders arrived. It is also worth noting that the fire was so hot that no one was placing plane debris in and around the impact site before the fire was put out anyhow and there were in fact plane debris. I also have to laugh at theories that say it is physically impossible for a jet to fly so close to the ground that it couldn’t have clipped light poles. If that was even remotely accurate, no plane would ever be able to land or for that matter, crash. The entire notion that if a light pole was clipped it would have shredded the plane on the spot in a giant fireball is also ridiculous. Planes comprise a huge amount of mass and have some extremely strong and rigid components like a landing gear that are more than capable of snapping light poles and trees like toothpicks (remember light polls are designed to be broke by vehicle impacts so a jumbo jet shouldn’t have too much of a problem). Further, there is no indication that the light pole hit a fuel cell in a wing and even if it did, jet fuel is designed to be stable and not explode. It would require more than a tear in a tank to generate an explosion. For example, remember the Marine EA-6B Prowlers that cut the gondola wire in Italy? Have you ever seen a gondola wire? These are incredibly thick cables, which are far tougher than a light pole. If a small jet can slice through one of these cables, a commercial jet would obliterate a light pole with ease.
I know some people will still say this could all have been staged, but they are stretching what is possible as well as plausible to an extreme so unlikely that I can say with confidence that they are wrong. In fact, after interviewing impartial seasoned veterans of the local fire and rescue units, there is no doubt what hit the Pentagon the morning of September 11, 2001 was a plane. I know there are people out there that no matter what evidence you put in front of them, they will believe only what they want and create fanciful physics experiments to “prove” why what happened was “impossible.” In this case, I challenge them to conduct their independent inquiry with the actual people there at the scene as it happened. If they do uncover contradictory facts, please forward them to me and I would be happy to evaluate and publicize this new evidence. However, until that yet to be identified evidence is discovered, this conspiracy theory is official closed as debunked.
By Guiles Hendrik
January 5, 2015
