Honors for hero of Pentagon attack

WASHINGTON, D.C.-The Soldier's Medal pinned on his chest was not the only honor that Army Reserve Col. J. Edgar Wakayama had for his actions at the Pentagon on September 11 and the days that followed.

In a voice filled with emotion, Wakayama spoke to those who had come to see him receive the Army's highest decoration for non-combat valor.

"For nine days, I worked alongside the great soldiers of the 3rd Infantry, the Old Guard," Wakayama said. "They kept going inside the Pentagon, braving the dangers of further collapse to try to rescue survivors and then to bring out remains. For a little while, I had the honor of being part of the Old Guard."

Wakayama's "tour of duty" with the Old Guard began on the morning of Sept. 11. A Medical Service Corps officer on a one-year tour of duty with the Director for Operational Test and Evaluation (OT & E), Office of the Secretary of Defense, he evacuated the Pentagon after the hijacked airliner crashed into it.

Seeing the dense smoke coming from the crash site, he moved towards it.

What happened next is described in his Soldier's Medal citation:

"He entered the Pentagon three times to search for injured people, leading three to safety on the first trip and several more on the second attempt, before being repulsed by smoke and heat on the third entry."

Unable to get inside the Pentagon again, Wakayama started to treat the wounded on-site. He helped perform triage and administer intravenous solutions. He helped the Red Cross set up a blood draw collection point. For the rest of Sept. 11 and for the next nine days, he worked 12-hour shifts at the recovery site.

Days of being engulfed by the Pentagon tragedy can take a toll on even heroes like Wakayama. That is why the letter he was handed one day by two volunteers meant so much to him. In a way, it was his first honor.

Taking a break at the Camp Unity support site in the Pentagon parking lot, he was given a letter written in a child's hand. Dave and Shirley Hall, members of a group of volunteers from North Carolina preparing and serving food for the recovery workers, passed on the letter from Kayle Madren, a fifth grader at Altamahaw Ossipee Elementary School in Elon College, N.C. Written on Sept. 15, it read:

Dear Heroes,

Thank [you] for being our heroes. I hope you find lots of people. Please save the people that are still alive. Thank you for being our heroes.

Be Careful,

Kayle

Moved by the girl's letter, Wakayama wrote back to her that same day.

"Your kind words truly lifted my spirits during this most difficult time in our country's history," he wrote. "The mood here is sad, but the spirit of people is high because of the many letters received by students like you.

"Kayle, we are all heroes. Heroes are common people who rise during difficult times and yet somehow manage to overcome tragedy. Heroes are students like you who study hard, listen to their parents and teachers, and become good citizens."

Wakayama enclosed a diagram of the crash site, a Pentagon shoulder patch and a colonel's eagle rank insignia with the letter he sent to Kayle.

Kayle was on his mind when he received the Soldier's Medal on March 6 from Mr. Tom Christie, Director of OT &E. Also on his mind was what was taking place that week in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan on Operation ANACONDA and how this related to what he did on Sept. 11.

Wakayama said that the actions of the special operations soldiers who went back in under heavy enemy fire to retrieve a fallen comrade were also in keeping with the creed of Army medics.

"Medics don't leave wounded behind on the battlefield," he said. "For years, I've taught that to my students. When the Pentagon was attacked, I had to put my money where my mouth was."

His actions at the Pentagon clearly show that Wakayama is a teacher who can do as well as he says.

Although Wakayama now wears the Soldier's Medal ribbon on his dress uniform, he will not be able to wear any of the distinctive insignia of the Old Guard. Nor can he attach Kayle's letter to his uniform.

Those honors - serving alongside the 3rd Infantry and what Kayle wrote about Pentagon heroes - will always be present, though. They will be as much a part of the medal as its cloth.

[Author Affiliation]

By Lt. Col. Randy Pullen

[Author Affiliation]

Note: The information about Kayle's letter came from a September 25, 2001, American Forces Press Service article written by Rudi Williams. Lt. Col. Pullen is with the Public Affairs and Liaison Directorate, Office of the Chief, Army Reserve, Washington, DC.