Faith is a strong leg to stand on if, say, an airplane causes a building to partially collapse on top of you.
That’s what happened to now-retired Maj. Gen. Jeff Hammond of Hattiesburg, who was in the Pentagon when a plane flew into the building on Sept. 11, 2001, and whose office was directly hit by that plane.
“I have wondered why I didn’t die with my staff that day,” Hammond said. “All I can think is that God had other plans for me.”
Hammond addressed attendees at the annual banquet held by Scenic Rivers Development Alliance and the McComb Lions Club at Southwest Mississippi Community College.
Hammond described the morning of Sept. 11 at the Pentagon, speaking with Gen. Eric Shinseki as major broadcasters covered developments at the World Trade Center in New York City and then following orders to move to the operations center in the Pentagon’s basement.
He was en route to the op center when the plane crashed into his office in the building, sending shudders through the walls and bringing down ceilings.
In the op center, “the phone system still worked, and we were given one minute to call our wives or other loved ones,” Hammond said. “My wife was hysterical.”
He said they took the opportunity to say how much they loved each other, and urged the audience to take every opportunity they could to do the same with their loved ones.
Hammond also presented a slide show featuring a mixture of scenes from across the country and internet memes and giving his eight reasons why Americans “must” stand for the flag and national anthem, including dignity and respect, moral courage, and honor, courage and commitment.
Col. Philip Parker of Summit, chief of staff for the Mississippi Army National Guard, gave a status report on the Guard, including the 155th Armored Brigade. The 155th, with a detachment based in McComb, is part of Operation Spartan Shield and based in Kuwait.
While the Mississippi Guard has a number of troops deployed outside the state at the moment, Parker assured his listeners that “there are plenty of units to respond if there’s a significant event in the state.”
He also assured his listeners that they serve an important role for the military, as well.
“It’s you folks at home who support our soldiers and tote the load while they’re deployed,” Parker said.
Jimmy Primos of Primos Hunting told stories and presented videos and “bloopers” from the company’s videos and television programs.
He said he had spent a considerable amount of time in Pike and Amite counties and held many good memories of the area, which he first experienced thanks to his Ole Miss roommate from McComb.
Primos bought his first turkey call, a Lynch box call, in Liberty and killed his first turkey in Amite County. Not too far away, “I missed the biggest buck I ever saw between Centreville and Woodville,” Primos said.
Consistent with the “Salute to the Military” theme for the evening, Primos served in the Marines after graduating from Ole Miss, and he presented a video message from a retired New York/New Jersey Port Authority police officer who was injured and left permanently disabled in the Sept. 11 attacks.
Scenic Rivers presented awards during the evening, as well.
Retired wildlife officer Lane Ball presented the Wildlife Conservation Officer of the Year to Cpl. Ben Morgan. Scenic Rivers also gave Ball a plaque in honor of his career and retirement.
