'Modern Minutemen' on scene less than 24 hours after attack

Photo by Dennis Ryan (Left to Right) Spc. Seth Howard, Staff Sgt. Baren Mathews and 1st Sgt. Bruce Cottman of the 115th military police battalion of the Maryland National Guard talk about their duties.

"We are like the modern minutemen," Lt. Col. Bernard Liswell of 115th Military Police Battalion of the Maryland National Guard said of his troops. "We just had weapons, ammunition and uniforms."

Liswell's unit got the call to assist in security at the Pentagon on the afternoon of Sept. 11 and by 6:30 a.m. on Sept. 12 the 200 strong detachment was in convoy and on their way to the Pentagon under police escort. They arrived there at 9 a.m. The MP commander described the scene on arrival.

"A lot of smoke, different rescue workers, one company went inside and one company remained on the crash site to provide perimeter security," Liswell said. "One-half of our battalion are law enforcement personnel. So they are mature and knowledgeable."

The 115th was used to protect classified materials inside the Pentagon. Pvt. Rick Taylor, a student and medical worker from Salisbury, Md., described his duties inside the Pentagon.

"We had a few people who wanted to get personal belongings but it was still too dangerous," Taylor said. "We felt bad that people couldn't retrieve their stuff, but it was still a crime scene."

Taylor was roused by two sergeants around 11 p.m. on the night of the attack but was happy to be called into action.

"It was an honor to be there at the Pentagon," Taylor said. "Unfortunately it was for the wrong reason. I'm happy that we were able to do our part."

Most of the soldiers had seen the attack coverage on TV but it did not fully prepare them for the enormity of the destruction.

First Sgt. Bruce Cottman, a lieutenant at the Eastern Correctional Institute in Maryland, spoke about his feelings upon arriving at the Pentagon.

"Shocked," Cottman said. "You could smell the death in the air. You had no idea how many lives were lost. You could feel the hurt. You could feel the pain. I've heard several soldiers say 'it's bigger than the individual. The whole world's watching.' "

"I feel helpless," he said. "So much grief and no one to lash out at. You see majors and colonels at the fence crying. It's a helpless feeling after watching the hole in the Pentagon and bodies being removed."

Staff Sgt. Baren Mathews, a maintenance mechanic in Owings Mills, Md., has been impressed by the camaraderie at the site.

"It's amazing how people have come together in this emergency," Mathews said. "I was a little tight one night, and they had a chiropractor. The food was excellent."

Spc. Seth Howard, a quick reaction team member for the Calvert Cliffs, Md., nuclear power plant, has been impressed also by "unity city" and the charity of the folks there.

"Outstanding," Howard said. "I grabbed clothes but forgot a toothbrush and sure enough they had toothbrushes. At 3 a.m., I wanted some gum. So one nice lady went to the store and got me some gum. There are smiles everywhere."