9/11 Fatigue – Not here at Dover AFB

  • Published
  • By Walt Billings
  • 436th AW antiterrorism officer
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  As we quickly approach the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, the President recently conceded the American people are experiencing 'war fatigue,' but, not here at Dover Air Force Base.

The chilling reality is that we are now facing an enemy which is ideologically committed to do whatever is necessary to inflict maximum damage and mortal harm to our Nation and its citizens.

A year ago this month, British law enforcement agents arrested 24 suspected terrorists of plotting to commit mass murder on an unimaginable scale. Their plan was to blow up 10 commercial passenger planes over the Atlantic Ocean heading from the United Kingdom to the United States.

Closer to home, in May, as the men and women of the 436th Airlift Wing were conducting the Wing Change of Command ceremony to welcome Col. Steven Harrison and his family to the Eagle Wing, news broke of the FBI foiling a terror plot to attack Fort Dix, N.J.

Subsequently, we learned the terrorist cell that was plotting to 'kill as many U.S. Soldiers as possible,' had conducted surveillance of Dover AFB several months before but were discouraged by the hard-target security signature of the installation.

The bottom line is: al-Qaida is and will remain the most serious terrorist threat to our homeland, as its central leadership continues to plan high-impact plots against our Nation.

Webster's Dictionary defines fatigue as 'weariness or exhaustion from labor, exertion or stress.' As the men and women of the Eagle and Liberty Wings wage war on terrorism at home and abroad, I'm amazed by the energy, enthusiasm and ability to meet challenges head-on; no signs of fatigue or slowing down from my view.

Dover's unrelenting pursuit of excellence in antiterrorism and force protection is unparalleled throughout the command. The past six years have proven to be challenging and demanding for protecting our installation and deployed forces from a variety of emergent threats. Nonetheless, the men and women of the 436th and 512th Airlift Wings are fully engaged in our Nation's Global War on Terrorism. Our ability to detect, disrupt, respond and recover from a terrorist incident is crucial to the execution of the Department of Defense mission at home-station and around the world.

The Director of National Intelligence recently stated, "The U.S. Homeland will face a persistent and evolving terrorist threat over the next three years."

History has shown that terrorists prefer to attack soft, weak and unprotected targets. For that reason, we cannot afford to let our guard down or become complacent; we must continue to be alert to our surroundings and report suspicious activity immediately to the 436th Security Forces Squadron law enforcement desk at 677-6664, the Office of Special Investigations at 677-2110 or the wing antiterrorism office at 677-4926.