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Fire Chief Remarks, Pentagon Stone Ceremony
On March 24, 2011, the Arlington County Fire Department (ACFD) received a piece of Pentagon stone in recognition of its service on Sept. 11, 2001. The stone is from the west facade of the Pentagon, and sat approximately 50-75 yards from where the airplane impacted the building. Below is the text of remarks made by ACFD Chief James Schwartz.
General Horst, members of the Joint Forces Headquarters and the Military District of Washington, on behalf of the men and women of the Arlington County Fire Department, I accept this gift of stone in recognition of our shared experience on 9-11 and as an enduring symbol of our continued commitment to defend and protect our great nation.
Members of the County Board, County Manager Barbara Donnellan, thank you for being here today and for providing your fire department with the support we need to be highly effective public servants. To the members of the Arlington community -- thank you for being here today. We exist only to serve you and we could not be the great organization that we are without your support. Thank you. To the members of our department, the greatest fire and EMS department anywhere, thank you for your service and dedication; while 9-11 was an historic event, the images of which are etched in the minds of people all over the world, it is not that event that defines us as an organization. That comes from the caring and excellent service that you provide to those in need every single day no matter what the call no matter who the caller. I am most proud to wear the same uniform as you.
General Jackson, General Rowe, you honor us with your presence here today. Along with General Guy Swan, who couldn’t be here today, and of course, General Horst, we have been fortunate to have a string of such remarkable MDW leaders that understand the importance of the partnership that protects the National Capital Region and stands as a model for the nation. Thank you for your service but, thank you also for your many years of friendship.
The successful response to the Pentagon on 9-11 and the lesson of trusted partnerships is now well known. We have told our story so many times and to so many people in the last 10 years that I regularly hear my own words repeated back to me as if the speaker lived it as we did. And I have to remind myself that in some way, all Americas lived it as we did.
What many often miss in the story, however, is the role that leadership played that day. Fire Chief Ed Plaugher, FBI Assistant Director Van Harp and General Jackson did not know each other before the attack. But that did not hinder a display of collaborative leadership that was remarkable for any event let alone one the scale of 9-11. To begin with, they had prepared their respective organizations to react to emerging threats that few others were considering at the time. They also built their organizations to focus first on caring for human beings in their time of need. On 9-11 they formed a powerful bond that was not affected by bureaucracy or turf lines. They would not allow it. Together they sought only to support the operators on the ground, to provide every resource necessary to make us successful and to ensure that the enormity of the national tragedy did not interfere with our work. Ten years later those lessons of leadership are not spoken of enough.
A discussion about leadership and 9-11 is also incomplete without acknowledging the visionary idea of a young FBI agent who saw the necessity of establishing a meaningful partnership between the FBI and the fire departments in the NCR. Chris Combs established the fire service liaison in the Washington Field Office of the FBI in 1999 and that relationship paid huge dividends on 9-11. Though Chris has moved to more senior positions in the bureau his influence remains to the extent that agents at WFO think about how to partner with their local counterparts as a natural way of doing business.
The word “hero” is spoken about often with regard to the 9-11 experience. But from where I sit -- and I believe I share this with everyone in this room who wears a uniform -- the real acts of bravery and heroism are displayed by those who lost someone they loved on that horrific day. The nation mourns each year on the anniversary; the families are reminded each and every day. We have a responsibility to honor their memory by working better together, engaging our communities in preparedness activities and never forgetting the sacrifice made by so many on that day.
The United States Army and the American fire service have deep roots in the history of our nation. Both were organized before our independence was declared and both have been protecting our nation every single day since. On 9-11 our domestic defenders fire-EMS, police and indeed hundreds of employees from all Arlington County agencies joined with our military partners in a unified effort to save the Pentagon.
I want to given a special recognition and thanks to Lt. David Santini of our department and Arnoldo Claudio of the Joint Forces staff for their tireless efforts in preparing this event. General Horst, once again thank you for the honor you have bestowed upon us; we will cherish it.
Once again, thank you all for joining us today. Stay safe.
