Walking D.C.’s eerie streets on day of smoke and fear
ByBill Pauli Early in themorning on Sept. 11, 2001, our California Farm Bureau delegation was in Washington, D.C. We were re- viewing appointment times and finaliz-
to be back in California with our families. For our organization, there were many immediate issues of concern for California agriculture. The first was get- ting agribusiness up and running after all harvesting, processing, shipping and sales had come to a standstill. The impacts were felt in all segments of our businesses—trucking, fuel, parts, avia- tionand the supply chains. Our focuswas on how to restore normalcy. Farm Bureau and other farm organi- zations worked collectively with lead- ers, including Secretary Veneman and California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Bill Lyons, to con- front serious, short-term issues facing agriculture after the national tragedy. We also had to begin to address the po- tential for bioterrorism, threats to food safety and water supply security in ways we had never had to consider. Because of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, we have had to learn to farmwith many additional rules and regulations related to food supply traceability, bi- ological agents and hardening infra- structure. We’ve had to review every aspect of food safety and security from production to consumption. Still to- day, these regulations continue to af- fect our farming and likely will govern ranching and processing operations long into the future. The news related to recent events in Afghanistan reminds us of the horror of that September day 20 years ago. It also remindsusof howsucha tragedycanhave broad-reaching and continuing impacts onour lives long after the traumatic event has passed. (Bill Pauli, a Potter Valley winegrape grower in Mendocino County, is a past president of the California FarmBureau.)
ing presentations on an important a d v o c a c y t r i p . Meetings await- e d w i t h t h e n - U.S. Agricul ture S e c r e t a r y Ann Veneman, mem- bers of Congress and officials of the U.S. Department of the Interior and
Bill Pauli
The Pentagon stands crumbled in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack in Arlington, Va. It occurred just before a California Farm Bureau delegation was to meet with Bush administration officials.
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Thenwe receivedword that aplanehad flown into one of theWorld Trade Center towers inNewYork. Just as we started watching live cover- age, the second plane flew into the south tower. Quickly we learned that other planes may be on the way to targets such as the U.S. Capitol or theWhiteHouse. About half anhour later, the thirdplane flew into the Pentagon, not far from our location.Wewere close enough to see the smoke billowing from the building. By now, therewere evacuationorders for the House and Senate and all governmen- tal buildings near the Capitol. We began planningwhat to do to protect our group. By 1 p.m. , the entire D.C. Capitol area was eerily quiet and deserted. A very limited number of police patrolled the streets. Our group, including Farm Bureau Vice President Doug Mosebar, National Affairs Director Jack King and other CFBF staff, decided to walk to- ward Georgetown. We actually walked down the center of
streets. There were no cars, no buses or cabs—nonoise, nopeople. Eventually,we walked near one of the hospitals where military personnel from the Pentagon were being treated. Ambulances were still arriving. At one point, we passed a Catholic church. There, several people inour group prayed. It all seemed so surreal. The mil- itary was arriving and staging all around the Capitol. We felt very far from home and any sense of normalcy. Around 3:30 p.m., we began to hear re- ports that the president was returning to the White House. We walked to the gates near theSouthLawnandwatchedMarine One fly in just after 5 p.m. It was very somber—and an emotional moment as President GeorgeW. Bush landed. There was so much that we still didn’t under- stand about the magnitude of what had happened in our country and howmany people had lost their lives. Most of Tuesdayeveningwas spent call- ing home to let our families and friends
know we were safe. Our group talked about the events of the day and watched thenews reports. I later talked toSecretary Veneman and other elected leaders who were inWashington. On Wednesday morning, some of our group made the decision to stay in D.C. through the weekend to see if airports would reopen. After speaking with our contacts in and out of govern- ment, reflecting on the situation and learning as much as possible, a group of eight of us determined our best op- tion was to rent cars—a major chal- lenge—and drive to California. OnThursdaymorning, weheadedwest in two rental cars. After driving nonstop for 29 hours, we received word that the Denver International Airportwas reopen- ing. At that point the airport was still 110 mileswest of us. Butwemade thearrange- ments, dropped off the rental cars and caught the first flight departingat 5p.m. on Friday fromDenver to San Francisco. It is anunderstatement tosaywewere relieved
VOL. 48, NO. 33
September 8, 2021
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