Today marks 25 years since the tragic 9/11 attacks in the United States, which took the lives of 2,977 innocent people.
Col. Rob Maness was present in the Pentagon on that fateful day. In the latest episode of “Rufo & Lomez,” hosts Christopher Rufo and Jonathan Keeperman engage with the retired Air Force colonel to explore insights from a day that remains etched in America’s memory.
“Colonel, reflecting on those years, what are your thoughts on that day now?” Rufo inquires.
Maness warns that the U.S. remains in a vulnerable state similar to that of September 10, 2001.
He expresses concerns about the influx of “hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of [Islamists] over the past 25 years paired with inadequate vetting” and the reliability of “intelligence agencies,” saying that “in many respects, we find ourselves back at September 10, 2001.”
Keeperman remarks on how many of them were younger at the time, saying those memories feel somewhat hazy. He prompts Maness to describe the experience on that day, the mindset of those present, and how people reacted in the initial hours after it happened.
At that time, Maness was a major, amusingly recalling himself as “the coffee guy.”
“I walked by the day care every day heading to my office in corridor 8, which was near the National Military Command Center. When I passed by, the kids were often being dropped off… I enjoyed watching them and their parents since I had little kids myself,” he remembers fondly.
He adds, “I just thought, ‘Today’s going to be a great day,’” reflecting on his misplaced optimism.
That impression soon changed dramatically, as he recounts the day marking the initiation of America’s “global nuclear war game.” His actual role was in the nuclear operations division of the Joint Staff, where he trained personnel with access to the “nuclear football book” and supervised the doomsday plane.
“Many of my colleagues and leadership were at various global sites for command and control as we were launching that exercise when the planes struck the towers,” he explains to Rufo and Keeperman.
After the initial attacks, Maness’ team “remained on duty” to assist with command and control decisions, but they were “ordered out” of the Pentagon shortly after the third plane hit.
Immediately after evacuating, his focus shifted to aiding the injured.
“I began helping out with first aid and other necessary tasks until we were told to return to the courtyard because the fire trucks could not reach us and the building was on fire,” he states.
“I estimate that between 100 and 200 people went into two teams to address the corners of the building, helping fight the fire and searching for survivors,” he shares.
To listen to more of Maness’ experiences, check out the video above.
