On 9/11 anniversary, Sen. Dan Coats shares memory of learning about attack, worrying for son-in-law
- Tommie Lee
- Sep 11, 2015
- 2 min read
In this Dec. 31, 2012, file photo, Sen. Dan Coats speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP)
The senator shared the story of learning about 9/11 and his son-in-law’s experience crawling out of the Pentagon’s wreckage
What was supposed to be a conversation about the Iran Nuclear Deal with Sen. Dan Coats turned into something more Friday morning as the senator shared his memories of 9/11 on Truth Radio 1340.
Sen. Coats is a semi-frequent guest on the show, as is his colleague Sen. Joe Donnelly. He has addressed a number of stories for our audience in the last year — usually votes taking place he feels especially passionate about.
This week he has been all over the media talking about his issues with President Obama’s Iran Nuclear Deal. On television and radio, in print and online, he has spelled out why he believes the deal is bad for the United States and the Middle East. On Friday morning, he shared his hopes that the winds will shift a bit in the Senate before the Sept. 17 deadline to help Congress stop the deal from going through.
Before speaking about Iran, however, he shared his memories of how he first learned about the the events of 9/11 14 years ago.
The senator became emotional as he recounted the incredibly deep impact the day had on his own family, specifically in regards to the attack on the Pentagon.
“It was my second day as ambassador in Germany, and it was a day that changed the entire nature of my four years there as ambassador,” Coats said. ”But it changed all of our lives. I will, obviously, none of us will ever forget where we were and the kind of emotions that flowed through us as we watched with horror as those buildings collapsed. I had a son-in-law in the Pentagon...right in the area where the plane hit. It was four hours before I knew whether or not he had survived, and fortunately he had. His commanding officer was killed, his staff secretary was killed. He crawled out of the wreckage, and we’re grateful for that. But it hits home to every one of us in different ways, and it’s something we’ll never forget, and I still get emotional and choked up every time I think about it and talk about it.”
Tommie Lee is the host of Truth Radio 1340’s morning show. You can tune in from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. weekdays on AM-1340.
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