Four planes hijacked by terrorists. 2,977 people killed. The deadliest terrorist attack on American soil.
25 years later, three retired FBI Special Agents who worked at the Norfolk Field Office are sharing what they saw, smelled and felt when they responded to the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.
Caty Rafferty, Mike Freeman and Jack Moughan were members of the FBI's Evidence Response Team when American Airlines Flight 77 was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon, killing 184 people.
Watching the news unfold that morning horrified the country.
"It really hit me then, we're in trouble as a nation, we're under attack," Rafferty said.
Freeman said the weight of the moment was immediate.
"We knew as an FBI Field Office that our nation was in peril," Freeman said.
At first there was discussions that they may go to New York, but then they were informed they would be heading to the Pentagon.
The three agents said goodbye to their families and headed to one of the largest crime scenes in American history.
"The first thing to me was the smell of burning rubber," Moughan said.
Freeman described arriving at the scene.
"What I will always remember, it almost looked like a scene out of a movie," Freeman said.
Rafferty recalled pulling into the parking lot and being approached by a woman who she believed was her daughter.
"There was still smoke pouring out of the building, piling into the parking lot,” she said.
She said they were approached by a woman and daughter who looked as if they had been crying, asking where they were taking survivors.
“We hadn't been briefed but I knew that there weren't any survivors," Rafferty said.
Watch full here: Retired FBI special agent Caty Rafferty recounts responding to the Pentagon on 9/11
The team’s first task was to gather debris from the plane crash scattered on the lawn. They did this for a few hours, collecting thousands of pieces of plane parts and other debris.
"Every piece of the plane, large and small, was moved to a collection area and I know somewhere in a warehouse there are about 1,000 pieces of plane that have my initials on it," Freeman said.
They said during this time they could see bodies of those killed inside the building.
Moughan said he questioned why they were collecting plane debris — until Freeman, then a new agent, spoke up to supervisors.
"I couldn't understand why we were on our hands and knees picking up pieces of the plane. Thank God we had Mike Freeman," Moughan said.
Freeman told supervisors there were deceased individuals on the other side of the wall and that the team should be focused there.
"There was a lot of brass down there but Mike sort of took control of it and they said 'get your team outfitted you're going in,'" Moughan said.
Freeman described the mission inside.
"Mission one was to keep each other safe, mission two find and recover the remains of folks that lost their lives while doing their job as military and staff members working at the Pentagon," Freeman said.
Rafferty said nothing could have prepared her for what she encountered.
"I wasn't prepared for the amount of devastation that we saw in that first entry," Rafferty said.
Inside the collapsed structure, Freeman said members of the team made a critical discovery.
Watch full here: Retired FBI special agent Mike Freeman recounts responding to the Pentagon on 9/11
"Leaning against his boot was the partially burned driver's license of one of the terrorists and it was surreal. It turned out to be one of the five terrorists that had perpetrated that awful event," Freeman said.
Moughan described the conditions inside.
"Everything is collapsed. Water's pouring in over your head. There's debris all over the place and I think that on the first morning there were seven or eight victims lying right there," Moughan said.
Rafferty recalled the darkness.
"I was taken back by how black it was, everything was black. The only light was from your flashlight," Rafferty said.
A few months later, several members of the Norfolk FBI traveled to New York to assist with the investigation there. The sights and sounds of both scenes have stayed with Rafferty ever since.
"I'll smell jet fuel and I immediately think back to the Pentagon or I'll hear clank, clank, clank and a bulldozer and that brings me back to New York," Rafferty said.
For Moughan, the tragedy also brought into focus something he believes has since been lost. The tragedy in many ways brought the country together.
Watch full here: Retired FBI special agent Jack Moughan recounts responding to the Pentagon on 9/11
"During that time and right after that everyone was kind to each other. You need to merge in please, come on. I have my American flag on the back window. I'm proud to be an American and I think somehow, we've gone astray from being kind to one another and being proud of the United States," Moughan said.
Freeman said the lessons of that day carry an ongoing obligation.
"Our government and public safety have to remain vigilant. We have to stay vigilant and watch our borders, watch for threats that are against the United States and be ready to react," Freeman said.
Despite the weight of what they witnessed, each agent described their response as an honor.
"When people ask me what was the most important thing you ever did in the FBI, 9/11 was, doing the Pentagon. It has affected me, even 25 years later," Rafferty said.
Moughan reflected on the significance of being there.
"It's the greatest thing I've ever done. The biggest honor. We were there and actually touched history. There's not many jobs that you can say that. I actually touched history," Moughan said.
Freeman said he and his fellow agents carry a sense of purpose forward.
"We pray that nothing happens, if it does, we pray that we're going to be involved in the solution," Freeman said.
As the nation marks another anniversary, Rafferty said the victims must never be forgotten.
"We cannot forget those people that got on the plane and went to work and didn't come home only because they were American. We can't forget them or their families," Rafferty said.
