Holy Spirit Led Leadership! Reflections on 911!

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Holy Spirit Led Leadership! Reflections on 911!

Paul K. Carlton, Jr., MD, FACS Lt. Gen, USAF, Ret. Professor of Surgery, TAMU/HSC, Retired, Follower of Christ 23 October 2018

Paul K. Carlton Jr. 1. Military brat, father in Air Force for 35 years. 2. Attended Air Force Academy with dream of being a pilot. 3. Flunked the physical for pilot training, so went to medical school. 4. Residency in General Surgery ‘73-’78. 5. Became a follower of Christ as a result of my wife’s excellent example! 6. Raised four children.

Paul K. Carlton Jr. 1.  2.  3.  4.  5.  6. 

Military brat, father in Air Force for 35 years. Attended Air Force Academy with dream of being a pilot. Flunked the physical for pilot training, so went to medical school. Residency in General Surgery ‘73-’78. Became a follower of Christ as a result of my wife’s excellent example! Raised four children.

7. Off to the field as a surgeon, had the privilege of being the Chief of Surgery for the Marine Barracks problem in 1983. 8. Did not like the war plan I saw executed, so proposed a different method of casualty care and it was firmly rejected. 9. Still quiet voice within said “you are right, keep pushing!” Noah took 100 years to build the Ark!

Paul K. Carlton Jr. 1.  2.  3.  4.  5.  6.  7.  8.  9. 

Military brat, father in Air Force for 35 years. Attended Air Force Academy with dream of being a pilot. Flunked the physical for pilot training, so went to medical school. Residency in General Surgery ‘73-’78. Became a follower of Christ as a result of my wife’s excellent example! Raised four children. Off to the field as a surgeon, had the privilege of being the Chief of Surgery for the Marine Barracks problem in 1983. Did not like the war plan I saw executed, so proposed a different method of casualty care and it was firmly rejected. Still quiet voice within said “you are right, keep pushing!”

10. Finally implemented in 2000 and has resulted in over 10,000 extra alive in the last 17 years of war because we were willing to think differently! 24% died of wounds in Vietnam, compared to 10% now. This took 17 years! 11. Recognized for Valor in Pentagon attacks of 11 Sept 2001. 12. Came to Texas A&M in 2002 after retiring from the military and was Professor of Surgery for 10 years.

Holy Spirit In Us! 1.  God gave us the Holy Spirit after the resurrection to guide us in our daily walk. 2.  That still quiet voice within us is the Holy Spirit. 3.  Every believer receives the Holy Spirit on acceptance of Jesus as their savior. 4.  Sometimes listening and obeying are difficult for all of us! 5.  As I reflect on my career in uniform, it is clear that the Holy Spirit was been guiding me since my conversion in 1975.

Coincidence or Holy Spirit? 1.  Only three star I know of who has been fired five times and courtmartialed three times. God turned each of these negatives into a positive. 2.  Flew fighters so knew my sequence of passing out- GLOC. 3.  Surgeon, so body parts did not bother me when encountered on 911. 4.  Decided in 1999 that if I were a terrorist, I would hit New York City and Washington DC- started working with their Hospital Councils on how to manage mass casualties. 5.  Feb 2001, standing in stairwell in Pentagon discussing an upcoming clinic exercise, decided to do an airplane hits the Pentagon, medics you are up. 6.  Did exercise in May 2001 and were not happy with performance.

Coincidence or Holy Spirit? 1.  2.  3.  4.  5.  6. 

Only three star I know of who has been fired five times and court-martialed three times. God turned each of these negatives into a positive. Flew fighters so knew my sequence of passing out- GLOC. Surgeon, so body parts did not bother me. Decided in 1999 that if I were a terrorist I would hit New York City and Washington DC- started working with their Hospital Councils on how to manage mass casualties. Feb 2001, standing in stairwell in Pentagon discussing an upcoming clinic exercise, decided to do an airplane hits the Pentagon, medics you are up. Did exercise in May 2001 and were not happy with performance.

7.  Did training, ordered equipment, and practiced again on 28 August 2001. 8.  Scheduled for picture and line badge for upcoming exercise at 0935 on 11 Sept, to last 10 minutes, directly in impact zone. They saw me early and I departed at 0935 hours. None of that team survived. 9.  When an airplane hit the building at 0938, most thought we were exercising again. 10. I caught on fire, protected by fire resistance vest we had ordered after May exercise. 11. Missing for four hours after impact, staff assumed I was dead because of 0935 picture and badge in impact zone.

Pentagon - 11 September What happened at the Pentagon on 9/11 Lessons learned: 1.  Live Ready 2.  Be Courageous 3.  Live with Purpose 4.  Listen to the Holy Spirit

The Rest of the Story

Pentagon • 6.6 million square feet • 23,000 people come to work everyday. • 1941-43 construction • 1999-2010 renovation • Structural • Water sprinklers

The Pentagon on September 5, 2001

Crash damage

Top view of Pentagon showing five rings. H

Overall plan of the Pentagon at the upper stories

Overall plan at first story, showing expansion joints, hatching shows the aircraft impact zone; H is the helipad

Dimensions of Boeing 757-200 aircraft

Pentagon - 11 September 0938

757 Impacts building Impact in renovated area MGW 255,000 lbs 11,275 gallons of fuel Weight at impact 181,520 lbs Speed 460 KTS Fuel 36,200 lbs (5,300 gal) 64 Souls on board

Pentagon and approaching aircraft viewed from the southwest

Aircraft approaching Pentagon

Fireball within one second of impact (note security building silhouette)

Fireball within two seconds of impact

Fireball within three seconds of impact

Fireball within four seconds of impact, the shadow of the smoke cloud visible on the ground provides a reference for determining the height of the aircraft

Northern portion of impact area before collapse

Pentagon - 11 September

Aircraft at impact with vent structure

Southern portion of impact area before collapse Right engine impact point!

Portion of Ring E at moment of collapse

Ring E after collapse

Pentagon - 11 September Pieces of aluminum scattered all over the grounds from the disintegration of the airplane!

“C” of American Airlines Part of the debris pattern that went vertical and landed all over the grounds!

Fatalities found in first story

Fatalities found in second story

Aerial view of collapsed portion of Ring E

Pentagon - 11 September 0957

Building collapsed 125 Souls died in Pentagon 64 Souls died in aircraft 189 total dead

19 minutes elapsed from impact to collapse

Pentagon - 11 September

This is the “Rest of the Story” of those 19 minutes from a rescuer perspective

Impact 0938 0940 Teams forming equipment pulled out 0943

Led team to center courtyard First wave of burned patients walked/ran through us

0945

“Count by 4’s” Minimum Immediate Teams set up Delayed Expectant Team training and equipment set up Team leaders selected

0945-50

Medical Teams in Center Courtyard!

H

0950 Report to Fire Chief at entrance 4 Corridor 0951 Led liter team down 4 Corridor to AE drive 0951-0957

Rescue

Landing gear penetrated into AE corridor- gave access to rescuers

Hole to AE Drive

Landing gear penetrated into AE corridor- gave access to rescuers

Landing gear penetrated into AE corridor- gave access to rescuers

Inferno “Vision of Hell” Jet of fire exited top of hole Entrance solid fire Dangling, snappy wires that shocked Ceiling melted on us and burned uniforms Smoke obscured vision in all but bottom of 2 feet of space

2 victims trapped by fire freed Inferno through alley passed them out, revived in air and ran to Center “Vision of Hell” Courtyard

Pushed fire away and looked for more Table with victim trapped underneath

Big John evacuated 4 Table with victim trapped underneath

Navy Seal thought the noise was getting louder, so went in and evacuated four of us.

Very unusual picture to me! Man surrounded by fire and a man on his back pushing a table up!

PK C

Very unusual picture to me! Man surrounded by fire and a man on his back pushing a table up!

He rolled toward us, we could reach him, and we passed him out

Hit him with a wet shirt PKC

Man rescued and passed out, planning to head deeper for more rescues.

Fire extinguisher

1st 2nd 3rd

Passed fire extinguisher, Flashlights, & Masks

Man rescued and passed out, planning to head deeper for more rescues.

1st Fire extinguisher

2nd 3rd

“Get Out”

Man rescued and passed out, planning to head deeper for more rescues.

1st Fire extinguisher

2nd 3rd

“Get Out”

Inferno “Vision of Hell” On looking to “Get Out” voice: 1.  sky was not visible 2.  felt safe under the table 3.  seconds until death, but did not know it 4.  knew direction of light 5.  Holy Spirit in me said GO! 6.  they know something outside that I do not know inside! 7.  saw the light and churned toward is with knees, elbows, ankles, and feet going behind the Navy Doc until I could see the light and safety!

Inferno “Vision of Hell” At the exit hole the building collapsed and blew the three of us out the hole and down into the water. No burns!

“Big John” 6’5”

245 lbs

Navy Seal 0-5 Evacuated patients and heard screams from Naval Communication Center Caught 5 jumpers and saved their lives Situational awareness: kept track of us in room evacuated 6 of 8 Came in for remaining 2 “Held up” our section of room as it collapsed, to get all out of room

“Angel that God Sent to Protect!”

Protective Vest Personal protective equipment had arrived on 30 August.

Pentagon - 11 September

Returned to Center Courtyard and triaged patients.

Pentagon - 11 September 1330 - Went home to change clothes. Found entire staff in my bedroom – secure phone and high speed line. Looked at me like I was a ghost! Staff had been notified that I was missing and presumed dead. Seen entering the impact area just prior to the building collapse and not since. Told them no early promotions we had work to do!!

SUMMARY Eventful 19 minutes Pick up team saved 3 from certain death

Pentagon - 11 September God provided: 1.  Not in the impact zone 2.  Figured out how to breathe – God provided a way out! 3.  Guardian angel – Navy Seal held up the building as it collapsed! 4.  Blue vests – kept us from catching fire! 5.  Most with me suffered long term damage from the smoke – Navy Seal spent months recovering! 6.  Pulled three out alive who were certainly dead otherwise! 7.  Whole team survived!

Lessons Learned 1. Live Ready “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12 Need to work on those things now…

Medical Perspective Practiced attack May and again in August 2001 Airline loses an engine on take off and crashes into Pentagon 150 – 200 died

Medics you are up!!

May 2001 Did not evacuate building well No medical equipment for treatment teams No training for casualty treatment teams Could not identify medics

Get well – by 1 September 01 Validated fixes on 28 August 01

Get Well Equipment for Casualty Collection Points Training Protective vests

Lessons Learned 2. Act Courageously – Look beyond yourself. • “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 • “Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality." CS Lewis

Lessons Learned

Pentagon - 11 September What happened at the Pentagon on 9/11 Lessons learned: 1.  Live Ready 2.  Be Courageous 3.  Live with Purpose 4.  Listen to the Holy Spirit

Coincidence or Holy Spirit? 1.  2.  3.  4.  5.  6. 

Only three star I know of who has been fired five times and court-martialed three times. God turned each of these negatives into a positive. Flew fighters so knew my sequence of passing out- GLOC. Surgeon, so body parts did not bother me. Decided in 1999 that if I were a terrorist I would hit New York City and Washington DC- started working with their Hospital Councils on how to manage mass casualties. Feb 2001, standing in stairwell in Pentagon discussing an upcoming clinic exercise, decided to do an airplane hits the Pentagon, medics you are up. Did exercise in May 2001 and were not happy with performance.

7.  Did training, ordered equipment, and practiced again on 28 August 2001. 8.  Scheduled for picture and line badge for exercise on 12 Sept at 0935 on 11 Sept, to last 10 minutes, directly in impact zone. They saw me early and I departed at 0935 hours. None of that team survived. 9.  When an airplane hit the building at 0937, most thought we were exercising again. 10. I caught on fire, protected by fire resistance vest we had ordered after May exercise. 11. Missing for four hours after impact, staff assumed I was dead because of 0935 picture and badge in impact zone.

Coincidence or Holy Spirit? 1.  2.  3.  4. 

Only three star I know of who has been fired five times and court-martialed three times. God turned each of these negatives into a positive. Flew fighters so knew my sequence of passing out- GLOC. Surgeon, so body parts did not bother me. Decided in 1999 that if I were a terrorist I would hit New York City and Washington DC- started working with their Hospital Councils on how to manage mass casualties. Feb 2001, standing in stairwell in Pentagon discussing an upcoming clinic exercise, decided to do an airplane hits the Pentagon, medics you are up. Did exercise in May 2001 and were not happy with performance.

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again. 10. I caught on fire, protected by fire resistance vest we had ordered after May exercise. 11. Missing for four hours after impact, staff assumed I was dead because of 0935 picture and badge in impact zone.

Pentagon - 11 September In our current environment these What happened at the Pentagon on 9/11 lessons learned are clearly applicable Lessons today! learned: 1.  Live Ready 2.  Be Courageous 3.  Live with Purpose 4.  Listen to the Holy Spirit