Maj. Gen Wherley, RIP
06-23-2009 | 08:56 PM
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Maj. Gen Wherley, RIP
washingtonpost.com
Among the dead was retired Maj. Gen. David F. Wherley Jr. of Washington, a man whose career put him in far more dangerous situations than an evening commute aboard public transit. Wherley, a command pilot who logged more than 5,000 hours in military aircraft, gave the order to scramble planes over Washington on Sept. 11, 2001.
Wherley, 62, who later became the commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, was lauded for the educational programs he helped create for high school dropouts.
But his military résumé and presence did not define who he was, according to Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).
"He was special because he became one of us, instead of the general who commanded our National Guard," Norton said. "I remember how proudly he told me that he and his wife had bought a condominium in the District so they could become residents."
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Wherley's wife, Ann Wherley, 62, a mortgage banker, was also killed.
The day of the terrorist attacks, her husband was commander of the 113th Wing at Andrews Air Force Base. He detailed the harrowing minutes of tough decision making in a Washington Post interview in 2002.
Wherley said the moment he knew the attacks would go beyond New York was when one of his officers, whose husband worked at the Pentagon, saw on television that the second tower of the World Trade Center had been hit and began shrieking.
"You've got to be strong," Wherley told the officer before racing out of the building and running several hundred yards to squadron headquarters. There, officers wanted to head to the skies right away, but Wherley was measured. "We have to get some instructions," Wherley told squadron officers. "We can't just fly off half-cocked." The general went to work through classified communications channels and within a half-hour received oral instructions from the White House giving the pilots extraordinary discretion to shoot down any threatening aircraft.
Norton said Wherley recently had heart surgery for a valve problem but was recovering and was planning a trip to Europe in October.
Among the dead was retired Maj. Gen. David F. Wherley Jr. of Washington, a man whose career put him in far more dangerous situations than an evening commute aboard public transit. Wherley, a command pilot who logged more than 5,000 hours in military aircraft, gave the order to scramble planes over Washington on Sept. 11, 2001.
Wherley, 62, who later became the commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, was lauded for the educational programs he helped create for high school dropouts.
But his military résumé and presence did not define who he was, according to Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).
"He was special because he became one of us, instead of the general who commanded our National Guard," Norton said. "I remember how proudly he told me that he and his wife had bought a condominium in the District so they could become residents."
ad_icon
Wherley's wife, Ann Wherley, 62, a mortgage banker, was also killed.
The day of the terrorist attacks, her husband was commander of the 113th Wing at Andrews Air Force Base. He detailed the harrowing minutes of tough decision making in a Washington Post interview in 2002.
Wherley said the moment he knew the attacks would go beyond New York was when one of his officers, whose husband worked at the Pentagon, saw on television that the second tower of the World Trade Center had been hit and began shrieking.
"You've got to be strong," Wherley told the officer before racing out of the building and running several hundred yards to squadron headquarters. There, officers wanted to head to the skies right away, but Wherley was measured. "We have to get some instructions," Wherley told squadron officers. "We can't just fly off half-cocked." The general went to work through classified communications channels and within a half-hour received oral instructions from the White House giving the pilots extraordinary discretion to shoot down any threatening aircraft.
Norton said Wherley recently had heart surgery for a valve problem but was recovering and was planning a trip to Europe in October.
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