Pentagon hero receives Purple Heart, Airman’s Medal
by Master Sgt. Dorothy Goepel
Air Force Print News04/15/02 -
WASHINGTON -- Many courageous men and women have been recognized and honored for actions at the World Trade Center and Pentagon following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Only one has both an Airman’s Medal and Purple Heart as a result of those actions.
Master Sgt. Noel Sepulveda, who received the awards from Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper during a special ceremony at the Pentagon April 15, remembers with considerable clarity and detail the events of Sept. 11. He left Bolling Air Force Base, D.C., that morning enroute to a meeting at the Pentagon, only to arrive and be told the meeting had been cancelled.
Sepulveda walked back to his motorcycle and saw a commercial airliner coming from the direction of Henderson Hall, adjacent to the Pentagon and where the Marine Corps has its headquarters. He said he noticed the airplane was not following the Potomac River, the normal flight path to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
He saw the plane fly above a nearby hotel and drop its landing gear. The plane’s right wheel struck a light pole, causing it to fly at a 45-degree angle, he said. The plane tried to recover, but hit a second light pole and continued flying at an angle. "You could hear the engines being revved up even higher," Sepulveda said.
The plane dipped its nose and crashed into the southwest side of the Pentagon.
"The right engine hit high, the left engine hit low," Sepulveda said. "For a brief moment, you could see the body of the plane sticking out from the side of the building. Then a ball of fire came from behind it."
An explosion followed, sending Sepulveda flying against a light pole. When he regained his balance, he started running to the crash site.
Upon arrival, he saw an entire side of the Pentagon obliterated. He said he believes that if the airliner had not hit the light poles, it would have slammed into the Pentagon’s 9th and 10th corridor "A" ring, and the loss of life would have been greater.
People were racing away from the crash site and screaming, the sergeant said. He remembers the bloodied faces and limbs, and the blood-splattered and torn clothing of some of the people as they ran for their lives. He also remembers hearing the calls for help that began emanating from inside the Pentagon.
Having served as a medical technician for six years on active duty and for 20 years in the Reserves, Sepulveda instinctively made his way inside the Pentagon to locate the calls for help. Others also ventured into the structure to find survivors.
"We found people in the hallways trying to get out and they were disoriented," Sepulveda said. "One lady had her hands burnt, and the side of her face had blunt trauma. A female enlisted Army soldier with her baby was pulled out."
The team, he said, carried six people through a window to a team member awaiting the survivors on the outside.
Outside, Sepulveda observed the pandemonium as people fled for survival. In all the confusion, those who suffered injuries did not know where to go. Instinctively, Sepulveda set up a triage area to prioritize treatment for the injured and do what he could to care for them, earning the praise of the Air Force surgeon general.
"Master Sergeant Sepulveda is one of the real heroes of 9/11," said Lt. Gen. Paul K. Carlton, himself a recipient of the Airmen’s Medal. "He did exactly what he needed to do at exactly the right moment. He created order out of chaos. He behaved as all airmen are trained to behave, as a real leader, making all of us proud."
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