Air Force Officer likens 9/11 to Battle of Britain, reflects on Canadian response to both

Capt Rob Hogarth

As the Air Force prepares to honour the 66th anniversary of the Battle of Britain this Sunday, September 17, Captain Rob Hogarth, now posted to 22 Wing North Bay finds himself reflecting on the similarities between that fateful battle, and the events of  September 11, 2001.
Capt Hogarth was working in Rome, New York as an exchange officer at the Northeast Air Defense Sector (NEADS) the moment the attacks took place and helped coordinate the North American response.  Capt Hogarth originally wrote the following article in September 2002, one year after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. 
His tone is deliberately reflective, and meant to give some insight into what those who formed the Canadian Component at NEADS experienced on that fateful morning.

“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” 

In 1940, with these immortal words, Sir Winston Churchill expressed the gratitude of the United Kingdom for the selfless commitment of those who fought and who died during the Battle of Britain.  In total, Canada had over 103 pilots plus countless ground and support crews who fought in the Battle of Britain.  It is because of their courage, commitment, and sacrifice that each year, the RCAF, and now the Air Element of the Canadian Forces takes time in the middle of September to remember and to honour these men. 
We look back and imagine the skies over the English Channel crowded with the fighters of the RAF, RCAF and others defending Britain from the onslaught of Luftwaffe bombers and their escorts.  We look back with great pride.  We also look back, however with great sorrow and reverence.  As is so often the case, it was a time of tremendous catastrophe that allowed those who had chosen to defend freedom the opportunity and the duty to meet that challenge.
The Battle of Britain was without doubt one of the key turning points in the Second World War.  In many ways, it marked the birth of modern integrated air defence.  Long range (by 1940 standards) radars provided target detection and allowed the air defence fighters to scramble to intercept their targets under control of those on the ground.
This year, however, as we look back on the terrorist attacks that took place in New York City and Washington, D.C., the middle of September holds more recent memories for those of us in the Air Force who were part of the Canadian Component at the Northeast Air Defense Sector (NEADS) in Rome, New York. 

The First 24 hours

A Burlington VT Air National Guard F-16 under NEADS control flies a CAP over Ground Zero in NYC.

The morning of 11 September, 2001 started off like any other in central New York.  It was pleasantly warm, with clear blue skies and the leaves were just beginning to change colour.  Little did we know that by the end of the day, our actions, and those of others would change the world forever.  The events of that morning would soon be filling our children’s history books. 
NEADS was participating in a routine North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) exercise, but things were soon to become anything but routine.  At 8:38 a.m., the first call came.  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) thought that an American Airlines flight to Los Angeles may have been hijacked.  Then, a second call – a second hijack.  This time, it was a United Airlines flight also bound for LA.  No.  This was NOT an exercise input!  This was real.  The exercise had to wait; North America was under attack!
In an ironic twist of fate, it was somewhat fortunate that there was an exercise taking place that day.  The unit’s senior leadership – the Battle Staff – were already in place and we all had our “game faces” on.
Minutes later, the NORAD Air Sovereignty Alert F-15s based at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts were scrambled and were in the air streaking toward New York City.  Little did we know that by scrambling those fighters, and establishing a Combat Air Patrol (CAP) over New York when they got there, that the men and women of NEADS had been the first to take action in what has become known as the “war on terrorism”.
“Scramble Langley!”
At 9:34 a.m., a third phone call – a third hijack.  This one was now believed to be headed toward Washington, D.C.  “Scramble Langley!”  (the NORAD Alert aircraft at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia).  Just six minutes after we were notified at NEADS, the Langley jets, a pair of F-16s, were airborne; their mission – to defend the American capital.
By this time, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 had struck the World Trade Center, and it was on the news – history was unfolding, and NEADS was a key player.  Also about this time, more calls started coming into the NEADS Mission Crew Commander position.  Personnel who were on days off or on leave were calling in to see if they were needed.  A subtle, yet significant change in our mindset was beginning to take place; we were beginning to think in terms of “Air Defence”, rather than “Air Sovereignty”.
By noon, American Airlines Flight 77 had been crashed into the Pentagon, (the Langley F-16s were headed toward Washington at “mach a lot”, but were still more than 100 miles away at the time of impact) and United Flight 93 had crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.
A decision was made to recall the unit.  All personnel who were not at work were to report for duty.  Some immediately, and the remainder that evening, to work the night shift.  As we came into work, it was immediately apparent that things were different.  Security had been tightened.   As we entered the building, we were told to go to the “ready room”, not our duty position.  When we were all assembled, Colonel Marr, the NEADS Commander came out to brief us.

“We are in a state of war”

 “Ladies and gentlemen, when you go into the Ops room, it will be unlike any time you have ever done it before.  We are in a state of war.”  This one statement said it all.  Every radar console was manned. Virtually all civilian aircraft in North America had been grounded.  The only aircraft that were flying were police helicopters, air ambulances, and the fighters that were now flying CAPs over most major cities. 
In mere hours, literally hundreds of combat aircraft: fighters, tankers and even AWACS had been re-tasked for this mission.  More were becoming available in a seemingly endless flow of support as units offered their assistance.  Procedures that had traditionally been developed to counter a threat or an attack from abroad rather than from within North America were being modified as the tactical situation evolved.  The final test always being “Will it work? If so, let’s do it.”

The days and months that followed

Eventually, the airlines began to fly again, as did the private pilots.  Now, however, there were new rules in place to ensure that our skies were once again safe.  In the months that followed 9/11, the operational tempo at NEADS remained at a high, but sustainable level.  
Countless sorties were flown, often resulting in NEADS diverting fighters to investigate a suspicious event, or to respond to a request from the FAA, or an airliner for assistance.  Procedures which, in September, were being developed to respond to a dynamic and unforeseen situation have now been incorporated into our doctrine. 

Looking back

It seems like it was only yesterday, but it has been a five years since the day the world as we knew it changed.  Today, CAPs still fly over New York City and Washington, D.C., and at random locations around Canada and the United States. 
NEADS is a very close-knit unit.  In writing this article, it was impossible to separate the actions of the Canadians from those of the Americans, because the Canadian Component is an integral part of NEADS, and we have been incorporated seamlessly into the team.   Each one of us takes the events of 9/11 very personally.  We all have friends and co-workers who lost someone close to us that day. 
It is a tremendous honour, and responsibility to have a nation put its faith in you, to trust you to keep them safe.  I am very proud to have been called upon to defend that faith, and to justify that trust.  In every sense, the men and women of the Northeast Air Defense Sector rose to the occasion. 
This brings me back to where I started. This year, as the middle of September approaches, we will find ourselves looking back not only at the Spitfires and Hurricanes over the English Channel in 1940 defending Great Britain, but also at the F-16s, F-15s and CF-18s over North America keeping us safe today.
We must look back, not only with sorrow for the tragedy of 9/11, but also with pride – great pride.  In many ways, for the men and women of NEADS, the days following the terrorist attacks of 9/11 were “their finest hour”.

Post-script

Today, the war on terrorism is still far from over, and brave young Canadian men and women are still defending our freedom both at home and abroad.  This September 11th marks the fifth anniversary of the attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C..  Even though all of us who formed the Canadian Component at NEADS in 2001 have all moved on to new assignments, and a new team of Canadians has taken our place, we share a bond that can never be broken.  I look back at that day, and the days that followed, and I can honestly say that I have never been prouder to wear my uniform.