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Shaw Airmen reflect on bombing, changes in force protection

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Williams
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  For some, the memories of the Khobar Towers attack were of watching news footage on TV. Others may have known someone who was there. Younger Airmen had probably just finished the 3rd grade and were growing out of the “Barney” stage.

For two Shaw Airmen, the memories of that day are all too real.

Lt. Col. Don Butler, 20th Fighter Wing Plans and Programs chief, and Master Sgt. Ronald Brooks, U.S. Central Command Air Forces, were assigned at Dhahran Air Base, Saudi Arabia, when the Khobar Towers were attacked 10 years ago.

Sgt. Brooks, a staff sergeant at the time, recalled the whole incident. There was no doubt it was an attack, he said. “It was obvious -- a mushroom cloud just like in the movies -- heat, debris, dust and fear.

“Standing in the distance, you felt the shock first, then the ‘boom’ and cloud from the explosion,” Sgt. Brooks said. “I'd say the night sky lit up like daylight. From where I was, it looked like the explosion went straight up. It didn't dissipate in the wind -- it sort of hung there almost motionless and glowing. My first instinct was to assess the situation and find out what to do next.”

Col. Butler, then a captain, was playing pool in the recreation center, about 300 yards from the 20,000 pound truck bomb. He knew right away an attack occurred.

“Initially, I thought a terrorist had placed a bomb at the doors of the recreation center since the doors flew off,” Col. Butler said. “Some walls caved in and debris flew through the air.”

I was working the night shift and was close enough to watch the whole thing, Sgt. Brooks said. After it happened, I made contact with the command post and made sure they were informed. Then I tried to find a way to help the injured. Instincts kicked in immediately. There is no time to think, “What do I do.” I just started doing what I had been trained to do.

“When I realized it was an attack, I jumped under the pool table and told others to take cover,” Col. Butler said. “We had no idea the magnitude of this attack. Everyone in the recreation center was confused at first since the power went out and a lot of debris was in the air. When everything settled, we shouted to each other to see if everyone was OK and if anyone needed assistance.

“We decided to evacuate the building through the back entrance away from the suspected blast,” he said. “Once outside, we took cover and made sure no one was trapped in the building. The sky was filled with a large smoke cloud, people were yelling and emergency sirens where sounding.”

Unsure of exactly what happened, Col. Butler and his friend, ran toward the smoke cloud to help since their dorm buildings and squadron mates were in that area. Once Sgt. Brooks arrived on the scene, he did what he could to help. So did everyone else, without regard to their own safety.

“There was mass confusion, but not to the extent of panic,” Sgt. Brooks said. “The way people reacted and performed duties -- you'd think it was rehearsed. Soldiers, Sailors, Airman and Marines -- even allied nations on the compound sprang into action ... we just wanted to save our people.”

Col. Butler also did what he could when he arrived on scene and said many Airmen were injured by flying debris, such as wooden door frame fragments, broken glass and anything else that could be picked up from a bomb blast. He was surprised how easily his Self-Aid and Buddy Care training came into play and was impressed with the way everyone stepped up and followed through.

In all the excitement, it took Col. Butler two hours before he realized he should check in with his unit, the 79th Fighter Squadron.

“Once I found my squadron personnel, I wasn’t allowed to leave due to security and accountability concerns,” the colonel said. “While I was trying to persuade my operations officer that I needed to get back, a massive movement of military personnel came at us from the direction of the blast area. We all thought the terrorists had now breached the compound and were pursing us. This was a very bad situation.

Instead of running with the crowd, I got my friend and flight commander to run toward the crowd and back into our dorm building so we could go to the roof and see what the situation was,” he said. “As it turned out, many local Saudis had gathered at the compound perimeter and the security forces on scene directed all personnel to evacuate the area since they were not sure the intentions of the crowd. This was a long and memorable event.”

After doing what he could after the explosion, Sgt. Brooks said the recovery effort was ongoing.

“For the next two or three days we worked around the clock, digging through the rubble, launching planes, requesting recovery equipment and checking perimeter security,” he said. “There was really no time for emotion. I remember seeing the guys I was playing basketball with the night before laying there in pieces in front of me. Several guys had been bragging the night before about this being their last night. I remember they were from a C-130 squadron that was supposed to leave the next day.”

Col. Butler said he didn’t sleep for more than 24 hours. He also witnessed Airmen doing heroic things in the wake of the attack.

“Our security forces did an outstanding job keeping us safe,” he said. “Heck, if it wasn’t for their actions that night, many more could have died.

I guess you could say we were in shock, but knew more than ever we had a mission and needed to fully identify all our enemies,” Col. Butler said. “Our squadron and provisional wing leadership did an outstanding job keeping us focused.”

Over the next few days, Sgt. Brooks’ duties took a dramatic change from what he was doing before the attack.

“I was in charge of the special handling section of the aerial port,” he said. “Normally we handle hazardous materials, chemicals being shipped and occasionally human remains being returned to the states. By daylight, my warehouse was turned into the temporary morgue. We had to clean, assemble and prepare remains for identification and shipment. Normally, this is a (services squadron) job, but it was a ‘get in and help’ situation.

“It was strange to finally slow down after what seemed like two or three days. We were released from our work site but had no building to go home too. More than one building sustained damage and several were simply too unstable to enter.”

The sergeant described force protection changes from before the attack to how every Airman is now trained in security.

“It was common for members to comment on the fact that we really had no protection from the surrounding streets and highways,” Sgt. Brooks said. “The little town right behind the Khobar Towers compound bumped right up against the fence line. Adversaries could literally walk up to the fence and point a gun through and shoot whoever they wanted. The fence was just that close. It was obvious this was a serious weakness in security.

“A highway ran between the main compound and the flightline side,” Sgt. Brooks said. “Anyone could pass through that highway, launch mortars and be gone before we could recover. At times it seemed so close they could probably toss a few explosives from the highway onto the compound. After (the attack) barriers went up everywhere. Security was tight and tension was high. A door slamming or a car backfiring would cause people to dive under anything solid.”

The bombing at Khobar Towers changed the way force protection is executed and the training Airmen receive.

“Individual security measures have changed and we are much better trained on how to recognize and deter attacks like this,” Col. Butler said. “The big emphasis for all of us is to always remain diligent and remember that each of us is a key sensor to our own and our fellow Airmen’s safety and security -- this is a continuous team effort.”

“There is more training on situational awareness,” Sgt. Brooks said. “We've come a long way with force protection and individual training. Now security is the responsibility of every Airman.”