Gen. Dan Caine Recalls 9/11 Response: ‘No Doubt’ Nation Was at War

On the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine shared his firsthand account of the morning’s turmoil, recalling that the certainty of being at war was immediate.

At the time, Caine served as the chief of Weapons and Tactics for the 121st Fighter Squadron based at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. He told CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell that he was in a scheduling meeting when a staff member interrupted to report that a plane had struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Moments later, Caine and his colleagues watched live television coverage as a second aircraft hit the South Tower at 9:03 a.m.

“I knew right away that our nation was under attack, and we began to move right into action immediately,” Caine said. “There was no doubt that the country was at war.”

The squadron swiftly initiated combat protocols, moving air-to-air missiles and other ordnance. With smoke visible from the Pentagon attack on the horizon, Caine received orders from the White House to scramble fighters to protect Washington, D.C. The rules of engagement issued to the pilots were described as “very liberal,” with instructions to intercept any hostile aircraft.

Among the targets was United Flight 93, which hijackers intended to crash into a federal building in the capital. Caine recounted the gravity of the situation placed upon his wing commander, Brig. Gen. Dave Wherley. “He said, ‘Look, Dan, I don’t know what you’re going to have to do out there, but I know you’re going to do the right thing. I trust you,'” Caine said.

The urgency of the response meant some jets were launched without time to arm their missiles. Two such aircraft were flown by Lt. Col. Mark Sasseville and Heather Penney. In a 2021 interview, the pilots revealed they had planned to ram their planes into the hijacked flight—a maneuver that would have been fatal to them. “In the military, we don’t send our service members on suicide missions,” Penney said. “But it was clear what needed to be done that morning.”

Caine’s own jet, however, was fully armed with live missiles. He took off aware that he might be ordered to shoot down a commercial airliner, as all flights over D.C. had been grounded with warnings that disobedient craft would be shot down.

“I remember thinking, ‘Wait a minute, that’s me that’s going to do the shooting here,'” Caine said. “And I think the biggest thing that ran through my mind is the… fighter jet pilot prayer: ‘Dear God, please don’t let me screw this up.'”

Caine did not have to fire because passengers aboard United Flight 93 revolted against the hijackers, forcing the plane down in an empty field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, far from its intended target. Washington, D.C. remained unharmed. Caine praised the bravery of the passengers, noting that while military personnel take an oath to defend the country, the civilians were “the first ones that fought back in those dark, dark moments.”

Reflecting on the legacy of the day, Caine emphasized the courage of first responders and ordinary Americans. “That is what makes our country great: to set aside that uncertainty and that fear and move towards the problem for somebody else,” he said.

Even a quarter-century later, Caine says the events continue to resonate deeply. “I don’t think I understood what it means to serve this country until September 11,” he said, describing how his initial enthusiasm for flying jets transformed into a profound sense of purpose.