On the Ground After 9/11: Preparing for War in a Changed World
Colonel Morris Goins reflects on the day that changed America and the military's rapid response in the wake of 9/11
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Colonel Morris Goins was in the military on September 11, 2001. This is his story:
Colonel Goins: The planes hit the tower, and suddenly, there was a shift across the battalion. The division started talking about possibly taking action. We began preparing, assessing who was available, conducting weapons qualifications, and getting the 18th Airborne ready.
Interviewer: So, what exactly were you doing on 9/11? What was going on?
Colonel Goins: That morning, I had done my physical training and was sitting in my office as a battalion officer. The Intel officer came in and told me a plane had hit the World Trade Center. Mentally, I thought it just nicked the building—a small accident. Maybe a wing of the plane hit the tower. We went into the conference room, turned on the television, and saw the second plane hit. That’s when we realized this was serious. Like most Americans, I was thinking, "What in the world is happening?" When the towers began to fall, it became clear—life had changed.
Interviewer: At that time, did you know who Osama bin Laden was?
Colonel Goins: No, I didn’t. Al Qaeda wasn’t on our radar. All our training had focused on the Russian threat. The simulations and planning scenarios were still based on Cold War tactics and battles in Europe.
Interviewer: How did things progress after that?
Colonel Goins: After 9/11, we worked on unit status reports and assessed readiness. We knew we’d probably be called up soon. Around Christmas, the Intel officer called with a coded message confirming deployment. We came back from leave in January and were out the door shortly after for the initial ground campaign into Iraq.
Interviewer: So, in January, you got the word. You rallied the troops. Did you bring your own equipment?
Colonel Goins: I think we brought our own equipment. It was a mad dash; there was so much happening. We were trying to get both our personal lives and the unit organized, burning the midnight oil. We had to get all our shots, and I remember those shots knocked me out for a couple of days. I was out of commission. Eventually, I got back to the office, sweating and exhausted. They told us we’d be leaving in just a couple of days. We loaded the aircraft and took off.
Interviewer: What was that flight like?
Colonel Goins: I remember a flight attendant wearing a white T-shirt and carrying a marker. She asked us to sign our names and call signs on her shirt. They understood this was serious, and most of them didn’t know much about what an Army unit did. We signed her shirt and then landed in Kuwait, went to Camp Pennsylvania, and started the pre-combat checks and inspections.
Interviewer: How long were you on the ground before heading north?
Colonel Goins: About 45 to 60 days. We did a lot of range time and alarms training, making sure we were fully prepared.
This is an edited transcript of an interview with Officer Morris Goins, a military officer who served during 9/11 and the subsequent campaigns.
Interviewer: Can you describe the preparations for Baghdad and how you coordinated the movement?
Colonel Goins: Sure. I was part of a brigade of three, managing the movement of battalions and companies. I had hand-drawn sketches showing the order of movement, phase lines, target reference points (TRPs), and artillery positions. It was all meticulously planned. I remember the last unit to check in was a maintenance unit that, in my younger, less experienced view, seemed like a "ragtag" group. Ironically, that’s where Jessica Lynch, who was later captured, was serving. We received radio reports of a break in contact, but at that time, communication wasn’t as advanced as it is now. I was tracking everything with a map, push pins, and frontline traces.
Interviewer: Were you in a traditional brigade talk?
Colonel Goins: Yes, I was in a 577 command vehicle with a map on the wall, tracking the movement with push pins. We had GPS tracking for only some company commanders, so with thousands of vehicles, I had to constantly update the frontline trace. The division commander, General Blount, was always demanding frontline updates. At one point, I joked with my brigade commander to take the radio because I was so close to throwing it out of the vehicle.
Interviewer: Were there concerns about chemical weapons?
Colonel Goins: Absolutely. We started putting on our NBC (nuclear, biological, and chemical) suits and going to MOPP (Mission-Oriented Protective Posture) level two, carrying masks. I told a fellow officer, Frank McLaren, that if we didn’t find any chemical weapons, it would be embarrassing. But he wisely said, “Just be safe.”
Interviewer: What was it like when you encountered casualties?
Colonel Goins: As we went through the Karbala Gap, we had our first casualties. Alpha Company, led by Rob Smith—a great guy who later retired to Fort Leavenworth—was hit. The Tactical Operations Center (TOC) was usually buzzing with aviators, military police, and others. But when the call came in about our first “killed in action,” it went silent. It was powerful to see how everyone paused, awaiting orders. That silence and collective pause showed the gravity of the situation and the impact it had on everyone.
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