Jay Ellens’ 9/11 Memory

On 9/11 2001 I was treating patients in my clinic in Farmington Hills, Michigan when I received an urgent telephone call from my daughter, Rebecca Ellens (Chino Valley, AZ), a nationally notable therapist and international lecturer, indicating that the first tower had been struck.

She was, of course, anxious and mystified as to what was happening. I immediately informed her that it looked to me like a concerted enemy attack and that she should expect a wide spread set of assaults upon a number of vital points in the USA designed to destroy the countries command and control system and psychological symbols. I told her to expect assaults on vital centers in Washington, DC, the military harbor and shipping system in Virginia, the submarine ports and maintenance facilities in Connecticut, and the San Diego Naval Base. I suggested that such vital psychological symbols as the Golden Gate Bridge and the Statue of Liberty might be hit so as to damage the spirit and morale of the nation. I then switched on the TV and saw the second tower hit and then watched both towers fall. As you are aware, within minutes we received reports of other illegal and unexplainable air-traffic activities and then the assault on the Pentagon. I expected the general assault on the nation to be a broader and more efficiently executed attack than the terrorist operations turned out to be. At that time, I knew our alert and defense system rather well and in depth, so I expected that within hours the counter attack would begin by air and sea and we would be able to shut down any sustained operations by the enemy in a matter of a day or two, but that we could sustain a great deal of damage, nonetheless, before we could fully mobilize our military response.

Jay H. Ellens
Ch (Col) USA
Retired