9/11 responders tell their stories at media event Published Aug. 25, 2011 By Staff Sgt. Chris Powell Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- A Texas Air National Guard pilot who flew an escort mission for Air Force One on Sept. 11, 2001, was at the Pentagon to tell his story to the media Aug. 23. Lt. Col. Rolando Aguilar, the RC-26 Metroliner program manager at the 147th Reconnaissance Wing in Houston, was one of several people who were available for interviews by reporters representing media outlets from all over the world. "It's important that we don't forget," said the former F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot. "If you don't study history and don't know it, you're bound to repeat it. It's a good time to retell the story, know what happened and learn from it so we don't repeat the same mistakes that happened on that day." On 9/11, Aguilar was on a 72-hour alert shift in Houston. He was taking an opportunity to sleep in when a crew chief knocked on his door. "(He) said, 'Hey, come check this out. A plane just crashed into the World Trade Center,'" Aguilar said. The colonel said it wasn't long before they were scrambled to prepare their F-16s for a possible mission. "We sat in the airplane ... and were ready to go just in case," Aguilar said. "We (waited) for about 90 minutes, and then we got the green light to go. About 20 minutes later, we intercepted Air Force One in the Gulf of Mexico about 50 miles off the Louisiana coast." It wasn't until the point he saw Air Force One that he fully felt the magnitude of the situation, he said. "When I saw it, I thought, 'Wow, this is Air Force One. This is no kidding ... the real deal,'" Aguilar said. From there, the colonel swept in front of Air Force One and ensured no potentially-threatening unidentified aircraft were nearby. "Air Force One landed at Barksdale (Air Force Base, La.,) to refuel and make some phone calls, but I stayed airborne to provide air cover while the other plane that was with me also landed to refuel," he said. "At that point, my base launched two additional F-16s, and I was running out of fuel, so I had to land to refuel as Air Force One was taking off." As the two F-16s arrived in addition to the one that had already escorted Air Force One, it was determined that Aguilar could refuel and head back to Houston, he said. While his role in the escort duty ended there, the experience has stayed with him to this day. "I was humbled and proud of the responsibility that I was entrusted with at the time," he said. "Here I was, flying with live missiles next to Air Force One. (There are) not too many people who get that close or are trusted to do that. "I played my part helping to protect the nation and combat the war on terror," Aguilar said. The media day in which Aguilar participated was one of several that Air Force and National Guard officials have hosted since June. "The National Guard was one of the first responders from the military, so we want to tell the National Guard story and showcase some of the response stories that we've had," said Lt. Col. Randy Salazar, from the National Guard Bureau Public Affairs. "Looking back 10, 15 and 30 years down the line, we want to make sure that story has been told, not only from a National Guard story, but a U.S. military story of how we responded that day."