I had been an 'EDI' guy for almost 10 years. While working on a Y2K project, someone mentioned XML, and how it, XML, would replace 'EDI' in the future.
Oh crap...
EDI or Electronic Data Interchange, is THE digital supply chain. Every electronic transaction and many manual transactions you make on a daily basis would not be possible without EDI, and its standards X12/EDIFAC. I was at that time, an expert in EDI, and the X12 or EDIFACT documents required in an electronic transaction. There was a choreography of documents. Everything from ordering, paying, shipping, and banking. I understood the Hierarchical Loop structures of the most complicated documents and how to relate them to Enterprise Software or a 'back end' systems. This is also known as 'Gap Analysis', or where were are the Gaps in the Data? I was especially good at relating to the Enterprise Software packages, Lawson, PeopleSoft, and the gold standard, SAP.

So in order to stay current and viable, I dove deep in to XML.
Its a markup language like HTML, but it has to be 'Well Formed' and 'Valid' whereas, at least then, HTML didn't need to be either.
Its the 'Well Formed' and 'Valid' where all of the expertise comes in. I won't bore you.
I, for a window of about 20-36 months, 2000-2004, was one of the foremost experts in XML and related technologies. Its what I did.

I was working for a company, in September 2001, that had purchased a startup. What they bought was a translator that turned EDI into XML, and me, or at least my version of an EDI XML trading language, and XSDs or libraries.

In September 2001, the United Nations CEFAC council was convening in Rotterdam, NL.
Holland for you geographically challenged.
CEFAC, is the international governing body for international trading standards. My company sent myself and four other gentlemen to Rotterdam, where we were to meet up with several of our European employees. We were then going to lobby and politic at the CEFAC meetings. The object being to get my XML language to be the International XML standard. My company, and I would make bags o'cash if that came to pass.

So, I had a free trip to Holland!!
First thing I did was check what airline I was booked on. Luckily it was a 'Code' share or partner with an airline I had tons of FF miles with. So I could use my miles to take the CINC with me!!!
I quickly got her on all my flights and us both upgraded to Business Class. Its not First, but much better than Coach. She hadn't been to Europe as an adult, she had lived in Germany as a child in the late '60s, when the CSM was stationed there.

Plus getting her out of the Pentagon grind would be good for her.
It was hectic in her office at the Pentagon, and had been for a while. The CINC worked for the ' Department of Defense, Office of Secretary of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services'. For all intents and purposes, they owned the building. The CINC worked with and for, John Irby, the building manager. He can be seen in tears, in press briefings, on 9/11.
They were nearing the last phase of refurbishment of the first 'Wedge' of the building. They had started a multi year project to refurbish the entire Pentagon, and were completing it one 'Wedge' at a time. They would move everyone out, tear it out, rebuild it, move everyone back in.The CINC was in charge of the IT Contracts and Contractors installing the networking. Her office was in a temporary area in the first floor "A" ring overlooking the courtyard. They would also be moving into the finished 'Wedge' shortly. She had to ensure her office was also set up so she had people going in and out of the area all the time setting up printers and servers etc.
This brand spanking new refurbished wedge was on the third and fourth corridor section of the building. The Pentagon has 5 rings, 5 sides, 5 floors (above ground), 10 corridors radiating out from the "A" ring, and a 5 acre courtyard. It is the largest (or was) office building in the world. Its design will allow you to go from any office to another office in the building in less than 5 minutes...
This refurbished section of the building was facing Washington Blvd, and the Navy Annex. Just outside the fourth corridor first floor entrance was the Pentagon Heliport. That is where I once found myself face to face with President Ronald Reagan, he had to land there because the WH heliport was under repair.

We flew to Amsterdam on Friday afternoon, Sept 7.
We landed early Saturday morning, Sept. 8th. We were to use Sunday as a day to recuperate before the meetings started Monday the 10th.
Monday was uneventful, I was in boring committee meetings all day, arguing, which is something I am good at when I know my shit. I did..
Tuesday, the 11th of September started out much like the 10th. A morning full of boring meetings, Rotterdam NE is +6 hours NYC Time, so when the first Airplane hit the North Tower at 08:46 Eastern, it was 14:46 or 2:46 PM in Rotterdam.
I had just diplomatically called a man a dumb ass, or maybe not so diplomatically. He wanted to add the ability to embed video in an XML document. Not hard to do, why do I need it on a Purchase Order or an Invoice? Dumbass...

A man walks into the meeting room, in American English he says; "A Plane just hit the World Trade Center!"
I'm thinking "what? I'm in the World Trade Center building! (Rotterdam)"
He then says "New York!"
So I'm thinking 'Oh, no big deal. Some dumbass in a Cesna trying to show off probably hit the building. A B25 Mitchell Bomber hit the Empire State Building once, no big deal. Back to the dumb asses at hand.'

About an hour and a half later, same guy opens the door to the meeting room again and announces;
"A Plane just hit the World Trade Center in NYC!"
I, ever the smart ass quickly replied; "No shit, you already told us that"
"NO! A SECOND ONE!!!"
At this point, I'm thinking what the???

I walked out to the lobby of the Rotterdam WTC, it was around 4:30 PM local time, they had a large wall of the old Cathode Ray TVs. Kind of like a Sears, or Walmart display wall. Every channel was tuned to CNN. 20 TVs showing the burning Towers, 20 TVs Showing the Pentagon...
The PENTAGON!!!
Shit...I've gotta find the CINC!!!
I left the Rotterdam WTC, never to return.
I quickly ran back to our hotel, which was about 3 blocks away.
I found the CINC in our room, the lights out, she was taking a nap.
She had walked 6-7 miles that day. She walked halfway across Rotterdam to tour the church the Pilgrims had attended when they were exiled there. She had gotten back to the room around 1:30 - 2:00 PM local time.
I knelt gently on the bed, in the dark (the shades and curtains were drawn).
I touched her arm;
"Baby wake up"
"I had a good walk and I was so tired.."
"You need to wake up baby.."
"Why?"
"Something bad has happened.."
She sat up and before she could get "Wha" out of her mouth, I had her in my arms. I was sobbing.
I was able to get out "Thank you for coming here with me.."
"What's the Matter?!?"
So I told her as much as I knew. She was terrified, all we knew was that the Pentagon had been hit and was burning.

I was able to find BBC America on the hotel TV. It was the only English language channel I could find. So we watched and watched and watched. When President Bush spoke to the nation that night, it was around 3:00 AM in Rotterdam.
We had eaten all of the chips, crackers and candy in the room bar. We were still hungry.I hadn't really eaten since lunch, the CINC since breakfast. I called the desk and got directions to a Falafel shop...
In little Palestine...
I saw the video of the dancing in the street.
So I walked 10 or so blocks into Rotterdam's 'Little Palestine', to a falafel shop.

Now most people, in a foreign land, at 03:40, on a day in which their homeland was attacked, walking into basically the belly of the beast, would probably dress somewhat understated...
I wore a Grey HD shirt with a GIANT AMERICAN flag on it created by using the words 'Harley Davidson' in red white and blue.
I was basically was wearing a middle American finger.
I walked into the shop and there were around 7 or so swarthy men smoking and joking in Arabic in the back.
Got REAL quiet when I walked in....
Folks, at that period in my life, I was a sight to be seen. I was frequently mistaken for 'Stone Cold Steve Austin' or 'Goldberg' the professional wrestlers. I'm 6'3" tall, I weighed 277, I had 11% body fat. I could bench 500 lbs, I could leg press 1200, I did calf raises with 300...
I was a big man, I still am, but I was in my prime...
So a bar or restaurant getting quiet when I walked in was nothing new. Except I was obviously an American, in 'Little Palestine'.
It stayed quiet as I ordered my food. I picked out several of the pre-made the falafels, I also got 4 cans of diet coke.
Two bags.
I walked out and began my way back to the hotel.
I noticed, two young fellows from the falafel shop following me, or so I thought.
I crossed the street, and made an unnecessary turn...
Yep, they are following me...
I'm not one to put things off.
So I stopped, turned around. Set down the falafel bag, and spun the plastic bag with the diet cokes around in my hand. Basically making a mace. I could slap one of these boys upside the head, cans would burst, it was still 3 lbs connecting with his noggin.

"Can I help you boys?" I said
I just might have deepened my voice, and growled just a tad.
They immediately stopped, looked at me and decided to go in another direction.

We thought that we would be stranded because of the airport closures. We had no clue as to when we would be allowed to fly home.
So, for the time being I said 'fuck it", we became tourists and would be until they let us go home. I wasn't going to any more meetings. That's what we did.
As luck would have it, we actually flew back on our regularly scheduled flight. I think it was Sunday, Sept, 16. We were on one of the first international flights allowed in US airspace. The Flight Path took us around NYC. The pilot announced when we were flying with in 20 or so miles of NYC, it was out the left side of the plane. You could see tall buildings in the distance. And a giant column of smoke.

The CINC didn't loose any friends in the Pentagon. Luckily there was 'only' (messed up word here) 187 or so people in the 'Wedge'. It was mostly empty, thank god.There were two people she had worked with, and one gentleman that was severely injured that she knew from projects or meetings. They weren't friends, but she knew them.

Once the 'Wedge' was repaired. The CINC's division moved into their assigned space...
She finally got an office with a door...
No window, windows are at a premium at the Pentagon, doors, at the time, more so...

When the airplane impacted the building, it did not destroy the entire third and fourth corridor wedge.
Inside the Pentagon is an interior roadway that opens to the sky between rings. Just big enough for one way traffic. It is called A&E drive.The nose of the plane pierced a wall into A&E drive allowing the explosive force to rise sparing the rest or the wedge.

That wall, where the nose of the plane blew out, was the CINC's office back wall.
Several more months and no trip to Holland, she would have been sitting there.