Melvin Welch's Story: First on the Scene: How One Salvation Army Officer Served at the Pentagon After 9/11

Getting through the Pentagon checkpoints

When Melvin Welch received the call on the morning of September 11, 2001, he had no idea he was about to become one of the first Salvation Army officers to arrive at the Pentagon following the attack.

Welch was serving in Montgomery County, Maryland, when he was instructed to head to the Pentagon with a Salvation Army mobile feeding unit. A chef and maintenance worker joined him as they navigated roadblocks and police checkpoints toward an unfolding national tragedy.

"The local and state police let us through where they weren't allowing anybody else," Welch recalled. "I followed right behind a fire truck."

What The Salvation Army did immediately at the impact site

As they arrived, emergency crews cut through a guardrail with a torch so The Salvation Army vehicle could enter. Welch parked less than 50 feet from the impact site. Black smoke still rose from the Pentagon as firefighters battled the flames. Military personnel and civilians streamed from the building while FBI agents secured the scene, collecting evidence from the damaged grounds. Within moments, Welch's mission became clear: care for the people caring for everyone else.

His team immediately began serving sandwiches, drinks, and coffee to first responders, military personnel, and evacuated Pentagon employees. Local businesses quickly joined the effort. After Welch asked for help, nearby Burger King and McDonald's managers began delivering hamburgers, while Walmart supplied truckloads of food and essential items for responders.

"Everybody came together," Welch said. "It became one big family."

Why The Salvation Army stayed more than a month

What began as an emergency response became a long-term mission. Welch remained at the Pentagon for more than a month, helping care for those working tirelessly in the aftermath. Providing food was important, but he quickly realized many people needed something more.

"You could tell they were carrying a heavy burden," Welch said. "Sometimes they just needed a place to sit down, something to drink and someone to be there with them."

For Welch, that often meant offering a quiet conversation, a listening ear or a prayer.

"We prayed constantly," he said. "You didn't have to ask what someone had seen. You could see it on their face."

What Melvin Welch hopes people remember

One image that has never left him was seeing a military officer desperately trying to dig through the rubble to reach his wife after hearing the attack unfold during a phone call with her.

"It was one of the saddest times in our nation's history," he said. "But it was also a time when people put aside their differences and came together to help complete strangers."

For Welch, that spirit of service is what he hopes people remember most, not only the tragedy itself, but the compassion that emerged in its wake.