September 11, 2026 • 9 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, Tony Dolan was inside the Pentagon when American Airlines Flight 77 struck on September 11, 2001. In the years that followed, he met young servicemen returning from Iraq and Afghanistan without arms or legs, some of them determined to recover so they could rejoin their units. He watched generals address wounded enlisted men as "sir" and met families carrying losses so profound that even a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer struggled to find the right words.
The late Dolan reflects on the wounded warriors, fallen servicemen, and military families he encountered after 9/11. Originally published in The Wall Street Journal, his tribute honors those who sacrificed years, limbs, and sometimes their lives so that millions of Americans could receive what Dolan called "the gift of the future, the gift of tomorrow."
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:21):
This is Our American Stories, and this segment is a
tribute to soldiers who've fallen.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
And this is a tribute from Tony Dolan.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
And if you don't know Tony Dolan, he was one
of the youngest pooled surprise winners in American history for
his investigation of official corruption and organized crime in Connecticut,
in Hartford.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
He's a legend there to this day.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Death threats against him put a whole lot of guys
in prison. He was the chief speechwriter for Ronald Reagan
for eight years, responsible for some of the greatest rhetoric
of the 20th century, most notably the evil empire speech
and the ash heap of history speech. Tony's tribute originally
appeared in the Wall Street Journal and is titled, They
(01:04):
Will Be Remembered for All Those Who Served.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
And he graciously recorded it for us. Let's take a listen.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
I heard the thump as I was saying over the
phone to John Gibson at the National Security Council that
it couldn't be an accident. Since now a second plane
had hit the World Trade Center. Putting down the phone,
I walked over to the window and looked out on
Route 110, which runs in front of the Pentagon. Construction workers,
their faces reflecting fear, even terror, were running across this
(01:44):
major highway like it was a country road. They had
seen the smoke pouring out from around the corner where
Flight 77 had hit the building. John, I'll have to
call you back, I said when I got back to
the phone. I think we just got hit. Move it
to the right, said the soldier, when another soldier bent
(02:06):
over to adjust the pedal of his wheelchair. When he
saw who was helping him, a three-star general, he gulped, Sorry, sir,
for not saying sir. I'm the one who should be
calling you, sir, replied the general, as he wheeled the
young veteran to the assembly point for the other wounded.
The soldiers were there for the first of many tours
(02:27):
of the Pentagon organized for the wounded and their families.
For many, this was their first time outside the rooms
and hallways of Walter Reed Hospital since their injuries, so
they had trouble handling what came next. As they came
around a corner, the hallway erupted with thousands of cheering,
flag-waving Department of Defense employees, many of those in the
(02:50):
parade of crutches and wheelchairs, including family members, were overcome
as they moved along. Later, one wife... sounding almost angry
through her uncontrolled tears, told the Pentagon organizer, you should
have warned us. You should have warned us. Sir, could
(03:13):
I ask you a question? I knew what was coming.
As the wounded toured the press briefing room, it was
always the same question for the older guy in the suit,
whom they thought might have some authority. No matter how
many limbs were missing or how serious the head wound,
they asked me, Sir, is there any way you could
(03:35):
help me get back to my unit? Guests of honor
at a Washington think tank dinner, the two enlisted men
in wheelchairs and the sergeant with a cane looked uneasy
as they waited entirely unnoticed at the edge of the
huge crowded ballroom. The event planners were Clipboards and bugs
(03:57):
in their ear just rushed by. When I saw them
from a distance, I maneuvered through the crowd and went
up to them. They looked up at me as I
summoned words that have inspired our fighting forces down the years. Gentlemen,
would you like to follow me to the bar? Yes, sir.
(04:18):
Thank you, sir, was the enthusiastic response. The crowd parted
magically on our way to two beers and a gin. Later,
the same crowd oohed and aahed when they heard of
the soldiers' battlefield exploits. After the dinner, when the van
arrived for the trip back to Walter Reed, I would
see how good they were at helping fold up their wheelchairs,
(04:40):
put them in the back, and then hop along towards
their seats with a hand against the side of the van,
all the while thanking me for the drinks. hard to
hear and hard to watch. The hero is Grateful Hopper.
Like the wife at the Pentagon parade, my reaction was emotional,
(05:07):
and I thought somebody should have warned me. Yes, as
his name tag showed, the newly appointed aide to Joint
Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace was the son of another well-known general.
In answer to my questions, he added, He was also
a West Point graduate, and he listed the several stateside
(05:27):
locations where he had been stationed. With General Pace and
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld just ahead of us as
we headed towards the press briefing room, I thought that
this young officer was going to have trouble gaining the
respect of fellow officers who had seen combat. We turned
the corner, though, and then he said, I was in Iraq, too, sir.
(05:52):
and as I saw his empty uniform sleeve, he added,
but I got hurt there. People fled the funeral service
for Navy SEAL Jonas P. Kelsall as the building shook.
Reassurance during an earthquake, though, is a church full of
(06:12):
Navy SEALs. The squadron commander kept right on giving his eulogy,
and Kelsall's comrades didn't budge, Victoria Jennings Kelso, herself a
former Marine with a tour in Iraq, added to the
intrepidity by speaking nearly unfalteringly of her hero husband and
(06:36):
his belief in America's mission. Outside, retired Colonel Oliver North,
a Vietnam veteran, said to former Marine Commandant P.X. Kelly,
a Vietnam veteran, both of them friends of Kelso, Victoria's father,
Jerry Jennings, an administration official and a Vietnam veteran. Aren't
(06:58):
these kids amazing? General Kelly readily agreed. It's the reason
why he explained when he was recovering from an operation
at Bethesda Naval Hospital, he felt compelled to get himself
moved off the deck with the admirals and onto the
casualties floor. The Casualties I think of them sometimes, those
(07:22):
I knew, the wounded. The ones who only wanted to
get back to their unit, or left limbs on foreign soil.
The ones whom generals wanted to call sir, or commandants
wanted the honor of being on their hospital floor. I
think too sometimes of the families of the fallen, the
(07:44):
ones whose composure made woods not inadequate, but impossible. And
so I sometimes wonder where they are and how life
played out for them. If I were to see them again,
I know that even if they asked, I would be
reluctant to offer any thoughts on their sacrifice and its meaning,
or that of those they loved. But if they asked again,
(08:07):
if they pressed the question, I know I would answer
and I know what I would tell them. That I
have lived a while and seen the verdicts of history
and know they are not always quickly rendered. But that
about them, the jury's finding is already in. That what
they did was right and true, making others safe, protecting
(08:29):
the weak, the innocent, giving others what they would never
have had, the gift of a future, the gift of tomorrow.
And I would say in doing all this, they had
made themselves a part, in fact the best part, of
history's great story, the American story. So I would tell
(08:51):
them they will be remembered.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
And that was Tony Dolan.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
And for all of you who've served, who've lost loved ones,
we don't just do these things on Memorial Day here
on Our American Stories.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
More after these messages.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Lee Habib here, and I'd like to encourage you to
subscribe to Our American Stories on Apple Podcasts, the iHeart
Radio app, Spotify, or wherever you get our podcasts. Any
story you missed or want to hear again can be
found there daily. Again, please subscribe to the Our American
Stories podcast on Apple Podcasts, the iHeart Radio app, or
(09:42):
anywhere you get your podcasts. It helps us keep these
great American stories coming.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Thank you.
This is Our American Stories, and this segment is a
tribute to soldiers who've fallen.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
And this is a tribute from Tony Dolan.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
And if you don't know Tony Dolan, he was one
of the youngest pooled surprise winners in American history for
his investigation of official corruption and organized crime in Connecticut,
in Hartford.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
He's a legend there to this day.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Death threats against him put a whole lot of guys
in prison. He was the chief speechwriter for Ronald Reagan
for eight years, responsible for some of the greatest rhetoric
of the 20th century, most notably the evil empire speech
and the ash heap of history speech. Tony's tribute originally
appeared in the Wall Street Journal and is titled, They
(01:04):
Will Be Remembered for All Those Who Served.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
And he graciously recorded it for us. Let's take a listen.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
I heard the thump as I was saying over the
phone to John Gibson at the National Security Council that
it couldn't be an accident. Since now a second plane
had hit the World Trade Center. Putting down the phone,
I walked over to the window and looked out on
Route 110, which runs in front of the Pentagon. Construction workers,
their faces reflecting fear, even terror, were running across this
(01:44):
major highway like it was a country road. They had
seen the smoke pouring out from around the corner where
Flight 77 had hit the building. John, I'll have to
call you back, I said when I got back to
the phone. I think we just got hit. Move it
to the right, said the soldier, when another soldier bent
(02:06):
over to adjust the pedal of his wheelchair. When he
saw who was helping him, a three-star general, he gulped, Sorry, sir,
for not saying sir. I'm the one who should be
calling you, sir, replied the general, as he wheeled the
young veteran to the assembly point for the other wounded.
The soldiers were there for the first of many tours
(02:27):
of the Pentagon organized for the wounded and their families.
For many, this was their first time outside the rooms
and hallways of Walter Reed Hospital since their injuries, so
they had trouble handling what came next. As they came
around a corner, the hallway erupted with thousands of cheering,
flag-waving Department of Defense employees, many of those in the
(02:50):
parade of crutches and wheelchairs, including family members, were overcome
as they moved along. Later, one wife... sounding almost angry
through her uncontrolled tears, told the Pentagon organizer, you should
have warned us. You should have warned us. Sir, could
(03:13):
I ask you a question? I knew what was coming.
As the wounded toured the press briefing room, it was
always the same question for the older guy in the suit,
whom they thought might have some authority. No matter how
many limbs were missing or how serious the head wound,
they asked me, Sir, is there any way you could
(03:35):
help me get back to my unit? Guests of honor
at a Washington think tank dinner, the two enlisted men
in wheelchairs and the sergeant with a cane looked uneasy
as they waited entirely unnoticed at the edge of the
huge crowded ballroom. The event planners were Clipboards and bugs
(03:57):
in their ear just rushed by. When I saw them
from a distance, I maneuvered through the crowd and went
up to them. They looked up at me as I
summoned words that have inspired our fighting forces down the years. Gentlemen,
would you like to follow me to the bar? Yes, sir.
(04:18):
Thank you, sir, was the enthusiastic response. The crowd parted
magically on our way to two beers and a gin. Later,
the same crowd oohed and aahed when they heard of
the soldiers' battlefield exploits. After the dinner, when the van
arrived for the trip back to Walter Reed, I would
see how good they were at helping fold up their wheelchairs,
(04:40):
put them in the back, and then hop along towards
their seats with a hand against the side of the van,
all the while thanking me for the drinks. hard to
hear and hard to watch. The hero is Grateful Hopper.
Like the wife at the Pentagon parade, my reaction was emotional,
(05:07):
and I thought somebody should have warned me. Yes, as
his name tag showed, the newly appointed aide to Joint
Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace was the son of another well-known general.
In answer to my questions, he added, He was also
a West Point graduate, and he listed the several stateside
(05:27):
locations where he had been stationed. With General Pace and
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld just ahead of us as
we headed towards the press briefing room, I thought that
this young officer was going to have trouble gaining the
respect of fellow officers who had seen combat. We turned
the corner, though, and then he said, I was in Iraq, too, sir.
(05:52):
and as I saw his empty uniform sleeve, he added,
but I got hurt there. People fled the funeral service
for Navy SEAL Jonas P. Kelsall as the building shook.
Reassurance during an earthquake, though, is a church full of
(06:12):
Navy SEALs. The squadron commander kept right on giving his eulogy,
and Kelsall's comrades didn't budge, Victoria Jennings Kelso, herself a
former Marine with a tour in Iraq, added to the
intrepidity by speaking nearly unfalteringly of her hero husband and
(06:36):
his belief in America's mission. Outside, retired Colonel Oliver North,
a Vietnam veteran, said to former Marine Commandant P.X. Kelly,
a Vietnam veteran, both of them friends of Kelso, Victoria's father,
Jerry Jennings, an administration official and a Vietnam veteran. Aren't
(06:58):
these kids amazing? General Kelly readily agreed. It's the reason
why he explained when he was recovering from an operation
at Bethesda Naval Hospital, he felt compelled to get himself
moved off the deck with the admirals and onto the
casualties floor. The Casualties I think of them sometimes, those
(07:22):
I knew, the wounded. The ones who only wanted to
get back to their unit, or left limbs on foreign soil.
The ones whom generals wanted to call sir, or commandants
wanted the honor of being on their hospital floor. I
think too sometimes of the families of the fallen, the
(07:44):
ones whose composure made woods not inadequate, but impossible. And
so I sometimes wonder where they are and how life
played out for them. If I were to see them again,
I know that even if they asked, I would be
reluctant to offer any thoughts on their sacrifice and its meaning,
or that of those they loved. But if they asked again,
(08:07):
if they pressed the question, I know I would answer
and I know what I would tell them. That I
have lived a while and seen the verdicts of history
and know they are not always quickly rendered. But that
about them, the jury's finding is already in. That what
they did was right and true, making others safe, protecting
(08:29):
the weak, the innocent, giving others what they would never
have had, the gift of a future, the gift of tomorrow.
And I would say in doing all this, they had
made themselves a part, in fact the best part, of
history's great story, the American story. So I would tell
(08:51):
them they will be remembered.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
And that was Tony Dolan.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
And for all of you who've served, who've lost loved ones,
we don't just do these things on Memorial Day here
on Our American Stories.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
More after these messages.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Lee Habib here, and I'd like to encourage you to
subscribe to Our American Stories on Apple Podcasts, the iHeart
Radio app, Spotify, or wherever you get our podcasts. Any
story you missed or want to hear again can be
found there daily. Again, please subscribe to the Our American
Stories podcast on Apple Podcasts, the iHeart Radio app, or
(09:42):
anywhere you get your podcasts. It helps us keep these
great American stories coming.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Thank you.
Host
Lee Habeeb
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