Calvin Wineland remembers playing with Legos in the play area of the Pentagon. When he looked up, he saw an object fly into the building.

A split second later chaos broke out.

This year marks 15 years since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Fifteen years — this is the first class of incoming high school freshmen that were not alive during 9/11. They have no firsthand memories of the attacks, but some older university students do.

Wineland was there.

 

Ally Moreo | Asst. Photo Editor

The sophomore public relations and political science dual major lived in Washington, D.C. at the time of the attacks, with his now retired Army parents and younger brother.

The family had moved to Washington, D.C. just two weeks before the attacks, and hadn’t gotten the chance to find a permanent place to live yet. They were staying in Andrews Air Force Base with all their stuff still packed up in the family RV.

As many stories about 9/11 start, it was a warm, crisp, beautiful fall day. As a four-year-old, Wineland’s parents, Desiree and Cal, dropped him and his brother, Austin off at the Pentagon’s daycare before heading to work at Crystal City.

After dropping her sons at daycare, Desiree worked out, changed into a suit and heels, and reported to her fellowship orientation program that morning. The fire alarm went off that morning for a drill, and while she was walking by a conference room, she saw news footage of the plane striking the World Trade Center in New York.

The fire drill was scheduled beforehand.

Four-year-old Wineland was still placidly playing at daycare when the evacuation process began.

He and the other kids lined up, and he was given a buddy to stay close to: a little girl his age.

When Desiree made it outside, she smelled the noxious fumes of burning jet fuel and immediately knew something wasn’t right. She asked a naval officer what was going on – he said there was a bomb in the daycare.

“My heart raced, and adrenalin [sic] took over, I ran, faster than I ever had without even thinking about breathing,” Desiree said in an email.

The daycare staff was standing in a grassy area by the water, diligently marking clipboards to make sure every child was accounted for and picked up by their parents.

Desiree arrived to find Wineland with his arm around his younger brother.

She took them and ran for cover behind a stone wall. She said she stayed calm for the boys, watching the wreckage unfold with their own eyes. Desiree described the experience as surreal.

While the Winelands were waiting for their father to come, Desiree heard about the fourth plane that crashed in a Pennsylvania field.

“It was so hard to find comfort in knowing more lives had just been lost, but I was grateful to have my boys with me,” Desiree said.

Later, Wineland’s father, Cal, rejoined the family. Earlier in the day, he dropped everything to help a general to the hospital. The general was severely burned, and Cal unloaded all the family’s stuff from their RV to take him to the hospital in Georgetown. The hospitals near the attacks were busy, and he needed immediate attention. Cal played a part in saving that man’s life.

Said Wineland: “It’s still in my memory.”

Ally Moreo | Asst. Photo Editor

The Wineland family remained in Washington, D.C. for eight years after the attacks, but as soon as the parents decided to retire from the Army in 2009, they moved to somewhere they felt confident would be sheltered from danger. They found that comfort in Nebraska, where they live surrounded by corn fields, and the closest neighbor lives two miles away.

For Wineland, military service has been a part of him since birth. Though he doesn’t consider his experiences at the Pentagon on Sept. 11 part of the reason why he decided to serve, Wineland still feels a sense of duty and a desire to be a part of something greater than himself.

“Military’s kind of been in my blood,” he said.

His maternal grandfather served in World War II when he was eighteen years old. Desiree, in tribute to her father, decided to serve and was invited to the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps when she was a freshman at Syracuse University, just as her son was. She said she still remains friends with some of the people she did ROTC with.

“SU Army ROTC was a great experience where I learned so many life lessons,” Desiree said.

Desiree served in the aviation branch for 24 years; however, she wasn’t always totally comfortable with being in the air. One of her first ROTC training experiences was at the Skytop Quarry, where she and her squad were rappelling down the rocks. There, she was forced to face her fear of heights – a valuable character building experience that helped her through difficult positions in her later life, including air assault.

Cal enrolled in ROTC to assist with paying for college. In 1999, he went on Active Duty and also continued to serve for 24 years.

Now a third generation cadet with Syracuse’s Army ROTC, Calvin Wineland’s ultimate goal is to become a pilot with the United States Army, like his parents.

Ally Moreo | Asst. Photo Editor

His girlfriend Mari McLoughlin, a sophomore neuroscience major, explained that Calvin is very dedicated to everything he does in life. She said he doesn’t want to make bad choices that could affect his future. She also sees the drive in him to give back.

On his service in ROTC, “It means a lot to him,” she said. “He’s very driven and focused on serving our country.”

For Wineland, serving means more than just continuing the family legacy. In the wake of Sept. 11’s 15th anniversary, Wineland reflected on working towards a greater good.

“It means that I get to represent not only myself but my family and community,” Wineland said. “It means that I will be ultimately serving my country and protecting those who protected me when I was younger.”

Published on September 11, 2016 at 9:36 pm

Contact: cmrussel@syr.edu | @caseymrussell