Working Without Fear
I work at the FAA Air Traffic Control Center in Anchorage, Alaska. As my husband was dropping me off at work, the news of the Airline bombings had just broken. I immediately began searching for the disaster procedures order that would guide all of us as we worked in a vastly different world than the one I had expected that awful day. Upon finding the order, I made copies for all the people that would be coming to work that morning and then took it in to our manager. He was sitting at his desk in stunned disbelief. I handed him the order and told him that I had overheard the OPs center tell him we were at SECON level C. I opened the book to the instructions on that level of security and we began the process of implementing procedures. My first task was to locate all my co-workers to insure they were safe. Since many of the people I work with are technicians, several of them were scattered throughout Alaska in the field working on navigation aids. It took me several hours to find all of them and recall as many as possible to the center. By 9am we had accounted for all but two people. Later that day we were able to locate them as well.
Some of the technicians found a television used for training and managed to jury-rig it to receive outside communications. As we were watching the events unfold, our supervisor came in and quietly shared the news that a Korean Air Lines jet suspected of having been hijacked was overflying Alaska and heading for Anchorage. Our emergency response status had also been elevated to the highest level short of war. Although we don't like to think about it, we all know that an Air Traffic Control Center is considered a prime target for terrorists who want to cripple the flow of air traffic. However, it is a little-known fact that because of redundancies in the Air Traffic system, many of them would have to be destroyed at once in order to achieve that goal.
To a person, we didn't stop to speculate on our fate, instead, we began to download critical information and make preparations for the redundancies to kick in should the center be hit. Everyone pitched in to help one another. Soon all the necessary precautions were completed and we went back to the television set to await our fate. Those of us who are Christians, and some who had never professed a faith before said a prayer for our loved ones, each other, and the nation. As I looked around the room, As I focused on each precious face and thought of the footprint each had left on my heart. I was so proud to have been privileged to know these brave people.
As it turned out, the jet was not a flying bomb, it had only experienced a communications malfunction and was soon diverted to Canada. We all expressed a collective sigh of relief and began the hectic pace of work that continues to this day. Our managers needed us to provide them up-to-date information on equipment, operations, manpower, contractors, supply & logistics issues, and more data than I ever thought was possible to put together with such short deadlines. Not one of us failed them. Although we are not in the glamour jobs of Air Traffic Control, nevertheless, we all rose to the occasion and proved ourselves to be unsung heroes. As I look around at these brave men and women, I count myself blessed to be their friend and co-worker. I'm proud of them all.
Last updated: 09/14/01