Tuesday, September 11, 2001

By Pedro Ramirez III and Walt Wasilewski

The 174th Fighter Wing of the New York Air National Guard and other military installations in Central New York were on heightened alert today in the wake of terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C.

Officials at the 174th, whose F-16 fighter jets are based at Hancock Field next to the municipal airport and use its runways, formed a command center this morning after the attacks, said Lt. Jeff Brown, the unit's public information officer. The command post will monitor the situation across the nation as well as security at the base, Brown said.

About 100 members of the 174th, who have been stationed at Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia for the last month while the unit helps patrol the no-fly zone over southern Iraq, were scheduled to arrive home at Hancock this afternoon. Brown said he did not know the status of that flight or whether the homecoming would be delayed.

Brown said that he couldn't comment much on activities or precautions at the base because of security concerns.

"There's certainly a sense of urgency and a sense of concern, but everyone is going about their business in the way that they are trained to do," Brown said this morning.

Lt. Commander Sybil Bradley at the Naval Reserve Center on Molloy Road in Mattydale said officials are taking extra precautions by checking identification cards at the door. So far she has not been told to recall Navy personnel or to lock down the building, Bradley said.

Phone lines were busy this morning at the Marine Corps Reserve Center and the New York Army National Guard's 27th Infantry Brigade armory, and military officials there could not be reached for comment.