On the morning of September 11, 2001, Colonel William Stoppel—a National Guard officer and Pentagon staffer—started his day just like any other. He dropped off his 9-month‑old son, Will, at the Pentagon daycare and arrived at his office in the G‑1 personnel section around 9 a.m.
Shortly after hearing about the North Tower strike, William went to check on his son—a decision that altered his fate. He had planned his usual 11 a.m. jog but instead left early at 9:20. Moments later, at 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon’s west side. Stoppel felt the earth shake and saw smoke billowing from the building.
Following the crash, he assisted in evacuating children and Pentagon staff to a nearby park, keeping them calm even as fears mounted about additional threats.
That evening, he learned the shocking truth: his office—once considered inside the “safe” inner ring—was directly hit. Several colleagues didn’t make it, including Dave Scales, who shared his cubicle.
Reflecting on that day, Stoppel later said:
“Had I been sitting at my desk with Dave Scales, I probably would have just died in the initial blast. Why did I live and they didn’t? I don’t know.”
Despite the loss, he and the remaining staff honored their fallen colleagues by continuing their mission:
“The best way that we could honor the people who died in our office was to keep going…We just kept going.”
Yet for William, the greatest gift was personal. He credited his survival to leaving early to see his son—“Every morning when I wake up my son and hug him, I know that if not for him I’d be dead.”
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