Thursday, July 13, 2006

Interview with April Gallop

April Gallop worked inside the Pentagon on 9/11, as an administrative specialist (with a Top Secret with SCI clearance) with the U.S. Army. It was her first day back from maternity leave, after delivering her son Elisha, then two and a half months old.

April is a very brave woman. She and her son suffered tremendous injuries and trauma on 9/11, but they both made it out alive to tell their story.


Me: April, did you hear any warning alarms go off before the Pentagon was hit on 9/11?

AG: No I did not.

Me: What type of warning alarms would you normally expected to go off in the case of an attack on the building?

AG: While I worked at the Pentagon. At random times, there would be drill exercises utilizing an alarm for us to evacuate the building.

Yet on that particular day no alarm. [This is] especially [odd] considering the fact of what had already taken place at the World Trade Center.

Me: When you were first hired to work at the Pentagon, what were you told about the security of the building?

AG: I wasn't hired. I was selected from the military in Germany. I just was granted approval for an additional 3 years tour in Heidelberg Germany. Which is called an IPCOT (In Place Consecutive Tour). Then I learned I was selected among my peers to go to the Pentagon. Upon arrival,I completed what is known as Reception and Integration.

A common statement provided, as you are walking around is that, "you are now standing in one of the most secure building in all of the United States." It is quite an impressive building on the inside.

Me: Do you have any theory about how a Boeing 757 could have hit such a secure building without any anti-aircraft defenses being activated or any warning alarms sounded?

AG: I have thought about this very question numerous times. And then I realized I needed to rephrase the question. The real question is what is the probability or likelihood that no anti-aircraft defense, warning alarms or additional security mechanism functioned on that particular day?

And then we need to think how likely is it then there was a glitch in all the security mechanisms, anti-aircraft defense and warning alarms?

You know, it takes a while to get around that building. And I remember being so disgusted at the frequency of random drill exercises taking place for us to evacuate the building. It seemed as if they always happened when I had to take care of certain things.

Yet on September 11th, the day when our lives were threatened, not one alarm.

Me: I would imagine that security procedures are different now than they were prior to 9/11, so I don't think you would be revealing any confidential information by answering this question. I have heard that, as of 9/11, the anti-aircraft batteries were automated, in other words, that they would have automatically fired against any incoming aircraft that did not transmit the appropriate friend or foe signal. Is that true?

AG: Yes that is true. They are either to attempt to guide the incoming aircraft that has violated the airspace to a safe location to land. Making reasonable effort to guide it down. Or shoot it down.

Me: I know that you have previously been quoted about things like thinking that a bomb had exploded in the Pentagon, and that you did not see any plane debris in the Pentagon. I do not want to misquote you or twist your words. Is there anything you wish to state about these topics?

AG: I have been misquoted on numerous occassions. That happens when individuals have ulterior motives. But here is my statement for the record.

I was located at the E ring. From my inside perspective, with no knowledge of what had actually happened on the outside, it did sound like a bomb. And we had to escape the building before the floors, debris etc collapsed on us.

And I don't recall at anytime seeing any plane debris. Again, I don't know what plane debris would look like after hitting a building. But I would have recalled unusual looking pieces similar to plane parts.

I have many flashbacks being inside the mouth of death. The images from being inside that building on that day are forever etched in my mind.

Me: As a father, I understand and empathize how traumatic the explosion at the Pentagon must have been, where you had to search for your son, and -- when you first found him -- he wasn't breathing (that is why I am calling for assistance for your family below). I also have no opinion, unlike many 9/11 writers, about whether a Boeing 757 hit the building or not. In all honesty, if I could conclusively prove it was a 757, and put the controversy to rest, I would be happy. Or if I could prove that it was not a 757 once and for all, I would be glad that way too.

So I want to ask you more about what you saw, in the hope that it will provide clues one way or the other about this issue. Specifically, given that the images from being inside the Pentagon on 9/11 etched in your mind, do you remember how big was the hole in the West Wing that you and Elisha crawled out of? A retired 2-star general says that there is no way a 757 could have fit in the hole: http://www.undersiegemovie.com/media/stubblebine.wmv (short video clip). Similarly, the first cameraman at the Pentagon said he did not see any hole or debris which would indicate a 757 hit the building: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1375208054676470714 (38:27 into the video -- you can pull the scroll bar at the bottom left to the correct time, and it will take you right to the right place) (Note: I do not necessarily endorse the views expressed by these clips, or the credibility of the people speaking therein; indeed, I have not yet made up my own mind about them. I am simply attempting to obtain April's opinion based upon her experience).

As someone inside the building at the time who crawled out, I would be very interested to hear whether you think these folks are right or whether you think they are mistaken. There are no right or wrongs here -- I just want to hear your true opinion, and I understand that you were suffering a terrifying trauma at the time given that you were injured and you were focused on getting help fo your injured son.

AG: Yes I was focusing on getting help and getting out. With that in mind, the images are etched in my mind. When I review the pictures regarding the Boeing, in my opinion, the hole didn't appear to be big enough for the 757. I don't know the scientific theory that was created to justify it being a hole created by a 757. What we need to consider is how did the plane go thru the building with all that heat and not burn us (those on the inside) to a crisp? We need to consider, how did the plane break up so to the point it created a perfectly round hole considering the rate of impact?

I didn't know it was a plane until I was informed at the hospital. If I wasn't informed I would have never believed it. I walked through that place to try to get out before everything collapsed on us . . . surely we should have seen something.

Me: Is there anything else you'd like to tell me at this time?

AG: I don't want another American citizen to have our experience. We are already infiltrated by our enemies in this country. There are terrorist cells all over the country. It is my hope that real accountability take place. And that we work to improve services for victims who suffer from such a horrid event. And prevent people, agencies and organizations from capitalizing off of our victimization.

April was severely injured on 9/11, and has suffered Mild Traumatic Brain Injury with Post Concussive Syndrome, an unresolved muscoskeletal condition, and mild hearing loss. Her son has suffered mild traumatic brain injury with behaviorial deficit that resulted in developmental delays and learning disability in retaining information he learns. She was medically retired from her job because of her injuries.

April has not received adequate support for her or her son's injuries. Whatever you believe about 9/11, this woman deserves our support.

Note: For more information on the attack on the Pentagon, see this.




34 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Excellent post.
Thanx for putting this eye witness account up for us. I don't think I've seen or heard of any other Pentgon witnesses before.

7:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great job George.

And thanks to April for her courage in speaking out.

6:37 AM  
Blogger Boris Epstein said...

An excellent interview, thanks!

I think it would be a good idea to create an easier framework for helping April (a PayPal account, for instance). Prospective donors may be short on tiem and not willing to spend time to e-mail you and follow some complex route).

9:37 AM  
Blogger spooked said...

thanks for a great job on the interview. when hearing about April's child, my eyes welled up with tears...

9:55 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Google: Penta-Lawn 2000

11:30 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good job George
And thank you so very much April
peace,pw

12:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

1.) She's a desk jockey. What the hell does she know about SAMs or AAA around the pentagon?

2.) Why is it that you can't find one of the SAM/AAA crews that you say were at the pentagon to interview?

3.) The "general" in the video you linked to is a stark raving loon and a HUGE celebrity among the psychic powers/UFO crowd.

2:47 PM  
Blogger Washingtons Blog said...

Sword of Truth: If you have the names of any folks on the "SAM/AAA crews", I'd be happy to speak with them.

As for the general, I am not vouching for his credibility.

I was only trying to get April Gallop's opinion.

6:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You're the one making this bull@#$% up.

YOU find the anti-aircraft crews.

2:49 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hasn't it dawned on you "sword of truth" that SAM/AAA crews would be military/intelligence personnel who would be strictly fobidden to speak to anyone officially or otherwise.

April Gallop is an intelligent employee who went through a security induction. My take is that it was probably common knowledge that SAMs or other devices guarded the building [it is a military complex and a high profile terrorist target after all].

Recall that in 1993, a $150,000 study was undertaken by the Pentagon to investigate the possibility of airplanes being used as bombs. A draft document of this was circulated throughout the Pentagon, the Justice Department, and to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The 1993 Pentagon report was followed up in September 1999 by a report titled "The Sociology and Psychology of Terrorism." This report was prepared for the American intelligence community by the Federal Research Division, an adjunct of the Library of Congress.

The report stated, "Suicide bombers belonging to Al Qaida's martyrdom battalion could crash-land an aircraft packed with high explosives into the Pentagon, the headquarters of the CIA, or the White House."

So the authorities knew that the Pentagon was a high profile target for a terrorist attack. And they had drilled their responses for such emergencies many times, and practised those responses in Operation MASCAL.

We know that VP Cheney was moved to the PEOC [Presidential Emergency Operating Centre} about 9.03am when Flight 175 hit the south tower. NORAD, the FAA and the Secret Service were all aware that America was under terrorist attack by hijacked planes. Then VP Cheney received reports on the path of Flight 77 as it approached the Pentagon and appeared to do nothing.

So we are faced with a problem here:

The authorities knew a terrorist attack on the Pentagon was a very real possibility and they had practised their responses to such attacks.

Yet for nearly 40 minutes after the attack on the south tower:

- no alarm sounded in the Pentagon

- no staff exits took place

- no loudspeaker warnings were made

- no medical personnel were summoned

- no defensive weapons systems were engaged

- no calls were made to nearby Andrews Airforce base for fighter coverage.


That's a Pentagon stand down.

I would like to very much thank April Gallop for speaking out and to congratulate George Washington on writing such an informative and challeging piece.

3:17 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So....an Army "administrative specialist" is now an expert on point-missile defense of a building that didn't have any point-missile defense in the first place.

Gotcha.

What is really funny is how you fools glom onto hairbrained cockamamie theories that have absolutely no basis in fact. The Pentagon's "defenses" are in its location, not in any point-defense missile systems. It didn't *have* any missile defense systems prior to 9/11. With all due respect to Ms. Gallop, this "missile defense" comment alone makes this interview bullshit, but exploiting victims is what you 9/11 moonbats are all about, isn't it?.

10:12 AM  
Blogger dylan avery said...

you people like Sword of Truth are, once again, attacking the messenger instead of the message.

the fact that the Pentagon even got HIT should be cause for investigation.

april and her son were lucky to survive, and the points she raises are incredibly valid.

my question is this. april crawled out through "the hole" in the Pentagon.

if a fully loaded 757 crashed through that hole, technically, she would have been crawling through a melted fuselage. not a wrecked office building.

just my $.02. either way april is an outstanding woman, with a ton of courage, and I've got no reason to suspect her. neither should you.

8:23 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oooooo... I've got the attention of the notorious Dylan Al-Avery.

Hey Dylan, do yourself a favor, go look up "Lord Haw Haw".

...and think about your future. ;-)

9:40 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ah...the Sadists have found you George. You must be making some progress.

Keep up the good work!

1:38 PM  
Blogger Avery Dylan said...

Like hey, man I mean did you see the missle, and like where was it fired from?

I mean we sghould get the pictures of it right?

12:24 PM  
Blogger Avery Dylan said...

Who's the leader of the cult
that's made for you and me?

Avery!

Avery!


Oh - you s-o-b!

(With apologies to the Mickey Mouse Club - but I used their music as fair use, and gave it away!)

1:39 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If the pentagon a missile defense sytem, where would the wreckage be expected to fall in a nation's capital?

2:58 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm wondering why the had all these emergency drills for airplane suicide attacks, when they already supposedly had missile defenses to prevent such an attack? And how many missile battery drills did they perform?

8:12 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Don't get too far away from the main idea here guys. VP Cheney was moved to safety at 9.03am. At the same time half the world was watching Flight 175 hit the south tower. Only an idiot could not have known this wa terrorist attsck.

Yet Rumsfeld at the Pentagon was not contacted for another 40 minutes!

Spare me the nonsense....

As well, during that 40 minutes when half the world knew that America was under attack April Gallop simply noticed that:

- no alarm sounded in the Pentagon

- no staff exits took place

- no loudspeaker warnings were made

It would also appear that:

- no medical personnel were summoned

- no defensive weapons systems were engaged

- no calls were made to nearby Andrews Airforce base for fighter coverage.

That's a STAND DOWN, folks.

And it rests on the shoulders of people defending the official version to explain why NORAD, DOD and Pentagon officials sat around twiddling their thumbs for 40 minutes!

9:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What kinds of alarms did the Pentagon have? The administrative building I'm in only has one - the fire/evacuation alarm. Does the Pentagon have other alarms? What kind of alarm sound have sounded, and how were the staff trained to react? I'm asking honestly - I don't know.

However, given that they were reinforcing the building to guard against truck bombs it might not be the safest plan to all go stand on the lawn.

And why bring out all the medical staff when they dont yet know what they're facing, and won't know what equipment to bring, or where to go? And why risk the medical staff getting caught up in the attack? And what would the cranks be saying if the ambulances turned up before the terrorists huh? 'They're in on it!'

And btw, half the world didn't know America was under attack - they only knew the WTC was under attack.

And as for the mythical defenses, would they really shoot down an airliner over DC? Would it really be an honourable decision to bring the plane down on top of the ordinary citizens, just inorder to save their own necks?

3:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

As April Gallop says: "While I worked at the Pentagon. At random times, there would be drill exercises utilizing an alarm for us to evacuate the building."

So why no alarms of some desription on this day?


In Oct 2000 the US military conducted a simulation exercise - operation MASCAL - of a commercial airliner crashing into the Pentagon. This was one year before a real one crashed into it on September 11 2001.

Whether that crash scenario was considered as an accident (the Pentagon is near a public airport) or a terrorist attack (the Pentagon had been identified in multiple official studies as a likely terrorist target) the fact remains that a crash scenario had been modelled at the Pentagon.

Are you suggesting that when the authorities knew planes had been hijacked and were being used as bombs that they were not even prepared to announce to Pentagon staff that "hey, we've had the WTC attacks so further attacks in Washington are possible - look over your emergency manuals and follow any instructions or announcements?"

All of this is moot. VP Cheney was moved to safety at 9.03am. The Pentagon was hit about 40 minutes later. Yet Defense Sec.Rumsfeld allegedly only found out about the hijackings and attacks on the WTC after the Pentagon impact. No-one has explained that 40 minute gap.

"And btw, half the world didn't know America was under attack - they only knew the WTC was under attack."

I was here in Australia and watched the south tower being hit in real time as all of the tv stations switched to the US coverage after the attack on the north tower.

The situation was the same in many other countries. Half the world did know that the north tower had been attacked and they watched the attack on the south tower.

Anyone, American or foreigner, who did not conclude then that other plane attacks might well have been in progress has very poor judgement in my view.

The Washington-New York air corridor is one of the most heavily monitored airspaces in the world. We would not expect that hijacked aircraft could fly around unchallenged over Frankfurt, Tokyo or London for over an hour. It’s simply inconceivable.

Why should we accept this idiotic account for Washington?


The issue of Pentagon weapons systems is not particularly important here. Questions about that can only be answered by specialists - and the won't be speaking, for security reasons.

What is absolutely crucial is that the government provide an explanation for the 40 minutes when VP Cheney knew attacks were in progress, yet no-one told Sec.Rumsfeld and the Pentagon appeared to do nothing to warn or prepare its employees.

4:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

'What is absolutely crucial is that the government provide an explanation for the 40 minutes when VP Cheney knew attacks were in progress, yet no-one told Sec.Rumsfeld...'

If its so cruicial perhaps it would be useful to get it right. Only 34 minutes elapsed between the 2nd impact and the Pentagon impact. The 9/11 Commision Report Claims Rumsfeld was told of the second impact and resumed his briefing, awaiting more information. Good for him.

Now another question. How would the US population react if they found that in the country's moment of greatest need, the defense staff were all standing out on the lawn?

5:43 AM  
Blogger Avery Dylan said...

Dylan,

Is that you?

9:18 PM  
Blogger dylan avery said...

i think it's great the best defense the ScrewLC crowd has is impersonating me, Korey, and my girlfriend.

how very mature.

as for sword of truth, not quite sure what your point is with "lord haw haw" but i know that in five years, I'll be doing a lot more with my life that you ever will.

cheers!

8:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

April Gallop is trying to use her child & being in the Pentagon at the time of the attack to gain sympathy. Neither of whom was seriously injured. She is also part of a million dollar suite waiting to get rich at the expense of others who actually lost family members. She is not credible and also has a website collecting funds for her child. I find it hard to believe her and her child are not getting free medical assistance from the military. She leaches to every interview about the Pentagon and 911 to gain extra moneyn & popularity. Catch her and her child on a day when no reporters are around. Too bad you could not have used a more credible witness for this interview.

8:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What a cheap, crawling nothing you are anonymous. Ask a few disabled Iraqi vets if the US military is handing out cash for injuries.

So, let me get this right?... a woman has a disabled child...people set up a weblink to accept donations to help her....you immediately conclude that everything she says is lies and that she is an unprincipled con artist.

And your evidence for all of this??......[vast silence]...

Crawl away somewhere, creepo.

9:25 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think that its great that you guys are all asking these questions. I admire both sides of these arguments, and feel that both partys are brave. Being mocked and being called crazy are not the situations I would like go go through everyday. I hope that time will ameliorate all your pains and make the truths be known.

H.T

6:06 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great website. Extremely brave of every real person to speak out, since speaking threatens their personal safety.

I have been reading extensivley about 911 for the last week after being pointed to Loose Change by a Vietnam Vet. The more I read, the more my scientific brain agrees that the truth is not out yet.

"Playing the man" is a hallmark of dirty play in ball sports. Play the ball or don't play.

Stick to the facts and the evidence, like George W. Keep up the good work.

BTW I'd be interested to see an expert on seismology talk about the spikes from the plane impacts on WTC versus the nothing much on seismographic evidence from Pentagon. Makes sense to me that a plane hitting a concrete bunker would make more ground shock than a plane hitting the top of a flexible steel tower.

4:24 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

here is a fact for the sword of truth. The adminastration said that all the debris, including the engines (yeah ok) which are made out of titanium and steel alloys were vaporized by the burning jet fuel. Ok is it just me or is that completely ludacris. First of all it would only continue to burn if there was a constant supply. ie. ever use gas to light a fire. does it burn long. no i didnt think so. second titanium melts, and MELT is the keyword not vaporize, at 3200 degrees. Jet fuel wont burn any higer than 2200 degrees and that is if it has a constant supply. Next point. You know anything about aluminum. Ever put it in a fire. Airplanes have some of the highest grade aluminum on a majority of their hulls. Aluminum when put in a fire will melt into puddles. and stick to things. So i ask you this, where is 100 tons of steel, titanium and aluminum that was a boeing 757. im sure you will tell me im just making this crap up and that it was all vaporized in the flames (or maybe with marvin the martians vaporizer gun) like the government said it was. But i know that my brain is way to logical to believe something so acenine as that so do me a favor and either give me good reason to believe that it actually was a 757 or stop and think about this for a minute and use your logic circuits to see maybe your being lied to.

1:16 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great post GW. As for the flames and name calling, just look at which side is doing this. The individuals who are defending the official conspiracy theory. They are relying on propaganda techniques. These techniques evoke emotion which is intended to cloud logical thoughts. People who rely on such techniques are ignorant at best and at worst trained professionals at propaganda techniques. If there is a hell you can be certain that there's a a spot for you propagandists with Goebbles, Gottlieb, Bernay's and the like.

12:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

>...where would the wreckage be expected to fall in a nation's capital?

This was not the only comment that refers to the Pentagon being IN Washington D.C. It is not. It is certainly close, but it is not in the capital.

There was plenty of time and warning to have been able to have shot down the plane that hit the Pentagon while it was over land with little or no buildings. Turning off a plane's transponder doesn't make an airliner into a stealth plane. If our defenses are that bad, we need to demand a refund for all the money we've paid for that stuff!

4:57 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Somehow I am late to learning about these stories, but my prayers are offered nonetheless for April and her son and I intend to find out from our senators why so many of the Pentagon victims have not received the money that has been authorized for them.

The world that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney have given us is a world in which real human beings are being programmed into being terrified everywhere all the time. Just as April Gallop has had to speak out and fight, people like me who have awakened from the Fear Machine need to fight to take back our countries from smug and smarmy evil elitists like G.W. Bush and Stephen Harper of Canada.

5:41 PM  
Blogger ReaganSucked said...

I'M JUST AMAZED AT HOW STUPID AND IDIOTIC FOLKS ARE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AT THE PENTAGON ON 911. IF SOME PERSON TOLD ME THAT A 757 PLANE SMASHED INTO THE PENTAGON WALL, NEVER SCORCHED THE ADJACENT LAWN, NOT BURN PAPERS AND CHAIRS LOCATED IN THE CRASH HOLE AND NOT LEAVE WING AND TAIL DEBREE..I WOULD TELL THEM THEY ARE IN NEED OF SOME MENTAL HELP AND TO STOP SMOKING METH.

8:53 AM  
Blogger logicman said...

Horrible interview. Interviewer claims he has NO OPINION on whether or not a plane hit the building. BUT all of his references are from beliefs that a plane did not hit the building. Referencing a general that saw the hole, referencing a cameraman who claimed he did not see any debris.. etc. Where are the confilicting references from people that saw debris, or the biggest one, people that saw the plane crash. Interview would be fine if you did not claim it to be unbiased when it clearly is. All of the conspiracy thinkers (which the interviewer clearly is) seem to refuse to acknowledge the accounts of the people that SAW THE PLANE CRASH. Smarten up people... do some proper research instead of believing everything a biased website tells you.

7:24 AM  

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