Sep 11, 2009 7:14 pm US/Eastern
Coast Guard Blames Media For Potomac Mishap
'Routine Exercise' Sparks Questions As Reports Surface That Shots Were Fired At Boat
Gibbs Criticizes Outlets That Reported Erroneous News
WASHINGTON (CBS) ―
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Video aerial still of Potomac River on the morning of September 11, 2009 when the Coast Guard conducted a training exercise.
CBS
A Coast Guard drill near the Pentagon sparked a frenzy of confusion in Washington on the eighth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Media reports of shots being fired set off a firestorm of fear that the Capital was under attack.
The sign of Coast Guard boats speeding around the Potomac River on Thursday morning with men in combat helmets manning assault guns can sure spark fear – especially considering today's date.
Add to that a CNN report that shots were being fired and it's no wonder that the FBI and D.C. police force responded, and the Federal Aviation Administration froze the airspace over Reagan International Airport for 22 minutes.
The problem is the CNN report resulted from the network overhearing a Coast Guard "routine training exercise" radio transmission and no shots were actually fired. That earned the network a White House rebuke from Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.
"Before we report things like this, checking would be good," Gibbs said.
In a statement released by the Coast Guard, officials said the problem arose when media reporters overheard radio calls made during the training exercise:
"We are still gathering information of how this training event might have been misconstrued as an actual incident. We will conduct a thorough review of this incident.
"There were Coast Guard boats were operating in the vicinity of 14th Street and Memorial Bridges this morning. Whether or not these were the same boats using the marine radio frequency used for training purposes has not yet been confirmed.
"The best way that we in the Coast Guard can remember Sept. 11 and our security obligations to the nation is to be always ready and this requires constant training and exercise. To ensure the appropriate readiness posture we conduct training scenarios across the nation on a daily basis.
How and when this exercised was conducted will be reviewed."
The president was not near where the training exercise took place, officials said.
On the radio transmission, the network overheard Coast Guard personnel telling an unidentified boat that it had entered a security zone and would be fired upon if it didn't stop.
Then, from the transmission: "We have expended 10 rounds." Currier said that someone said "bang, bang, bang" to verbalize compliance. He described the exercise, which started at 9:30 a.m., as a "low tempo" drill.
The Coast Guard said it holds similar training missions four times a week, but admitted it didn't notify any other agencies about Thursday's drill. Vice Admiral John Currier was asked if having the drill on 9/11 was a good idea.
"We will look at our procedures and our timing of this exercise," he said.
It appears to be another case of bad judgment, just like sending Air Force One and two fighter jets over the Statue of Liberty for a photo op.
The Coast Guard refused to apologize, and so did CNN
Gibbs said if law enforcement felt there was a need for the exercise, it's "best not to second-guess."
Talk Back: What Do You Think About The Coast Guard Incident?
Departures from Reagan National Airport were halted as a precaution at 10:08 a.m., then resumed at 10:30 a.m.The airport borders the Potomac.
A group for military families expressed outrage that the training exercise was held near the Pentagon at the same time families of those who died during the Sept. 11 attacks had gathered there for a memorial.
"September 11th is a day to remember the loss of 2,973 innocent victims in New York, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon; not a day to create an unnecessary panic near a terrorist's target," Military Families United said in a statement.
Earlier, President Obama, observing his first Sept. 11 as president, had signed an order declaring it a day of service. He had first lady Michelle Obama marked a moment of silence outside the White House as a bugler played taps.
The president said the nation came together after the attacks, "united not only in our grief but in our resolve to stand up for the country we love."
In late April, a huge presidential passenger jet and two F-16 fighter planes whizzed past the Statue of Liberty and the lower Manhattan financial district as part of a photo shoot, sending panicked office workers streaming into the streets and evoking memories of 9/11.
After that incident, Obama said it was a mistake and promised it would not happen again. The director of the White House's military office resigned after the incident.
CBS 2 9/11 Coverage
Nation Pauses To Remember 9/11
Editor's Blog: Forgetting, Nowadays, Is Impossible
Stay with wcbstv.com and CBS 2 HD for more on this developing story.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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