20 years ago today I worked as a GS-05 Security Guard at the Umatilla Chemical Depot (closed due to mission completion in August 2012).
My alarm hadn't gone off yet to get up and get ready for work, but my phone started ringing (land line). I answered and my mom asked if I had seen the news to which being clear across the country from the event I answered "no". Mom told me to turn on the news. I saw the second bird driven into the tower.
I told my mom thank you, hung up the phone and got into uniform. Only my uniform consisted of an extra unauthorized item underneath (my S&W 5904) which could have resulted in my termination or even jail time.
I got to work, drew my duty weapons (M-9, and M-16 A1), and was paired with one of the graveyard shift workers.
We locked the Depot down allowing nobody in or out even Depot employees (there were only very few exceptions like the Base Commander's wife and kids who needed to return home and a few essential employees).
The Graveyard shift was complaining about being held over, and they got to go home around 2:00 pm Pacific Daylight savings Time.
We moved our Armored Personnel Carrier (M-113) to the gate used by the contractors and Demilitarization facility employees and mounted the M-60 (I got to drive the APC out there and kept making the SGT fall out of the commander seat).
National Guard from other states arrived within a day or two to augment security and were told by the graveyard shift security that if during a vehicle or lunch bag search they found any items on one of us dayshift officers that it didn't really exist.
The first batch of National Guard decided to play who's toys are bigger with the locals and got restricted to Depot and their CO relieved of duty on the spot (they had taken a couple Barret rifles off post).
We had different groups of National Guard augment our security until we closed in August 2012.
We also moved all of our ton containers containing mustard agent into cement igloos from a pole barn without notifying the Chemical Weapons Convention (a big no no) to which our government sent a Mea Culpa and we after moving the items had a treaty team come inspect the ton containers using ultra sound to ensure no agent had gone missing.
I found all kinds of contraband as we were doing 100% vehicle and lunch bag searches for months afterwards of 9/11 and then went to random searches (every 10th or what ever number vehicle was given to us for that day).
the security force had swing shift split in half with half going to graveyard and the other to day shift. We went on 13 hour days six days per week mandatory with many forced overtime days for the seventh day. I worked many 35 day straight periods.
In June 2002 I got on the chemical crew as a materials handler, and in Dec 2003 I became an Ammunition Inspector (I spent eight years at this).
It was a good run. I still choke up around this time every year as even though we are very rural we are still America.
I am still a federal employee for just under six more years when I will be able to retire.
My alarm hadn't gone off yet to get up and get ready for work, but my phone started ringing (land line). I answered and my mom asked if I had seen the news to which being clear across the country from the event I answered "no". Mom told me to turn on the news. I saw the second bird driven into the tower.
I told my mom thank you, hung up the phone and got into uniform. Only my uniform consisted of an extra unauthorized item underneath (my S&W 5904) which could have resulted in my termination or even jail time.
I got to work, drew my duty weapons (M-9, and M-16 A1), and was paired with one of the graveyard shift workers.
We locked the Depot down allowing nobody in or out even Depot employees (there were only very few exceptions like the Base Commander's wife and kids who needed to return home and a few essential employees).
The Graveyard shift was complaining about being held over, and they got to go home around 2:00 pm Pacific Daylight savings Time.
We moved our Armored Personnel Carrier (M-113) to the gate used by the contractors and Demilitarization facility employees and mounted the M-60 (I got to drive the APC out there and kept making the SGT fall out of the commander seat).
National Guard from other states arrived within a day or two to augment security and were told by the graveyard shift security that if during a vehicle or lunch bag search they found any items on one of us dayshift officers that it didn't really exist.
The first batch of National Guard decided to play who's toys are bigger with the locals and got restricted to Depot and their CO relieved of duty on the spot (they had taken a couple Barret rifles off post).
We had different groups of National Guard augment our security until we closed in August 2012.
We also moved all of our ton containers containing mustard agent into cement igloos from a pole barn without notifying the Chemical Weapons Convention (a big no no) to which our government sent a Mea Culpa and we after moving the items had a treaty team come inspect the ton containers using ultra sound to ensure no agent had gone missing.
I found all kinds of contraband as we were doing 100% vehicle and lunch bag searches for months afterwards of 9/11 and then went to random searches (every 10th or what ever number vehicle was given to us for that day).
the security force had swing shift split in half with half going to graveyard and the other to day shift. We went on 13 hour days six days per week mandatory with many forced overtime days for the seventh day. I worked many 35 day straight periods.
In June 2002 I got on the chemical crew as a materials handler, and in Dec 2003 I became an Ammunition Inspector (I spent eight years at this).
It was a good run. I still choke up around this time every year as even though we are very rural we are still America.
I am still a federal employee for just under six more years when I will be able to retire.