ARLINGTON, Va.-NAFCU President Fred Becker, admittedly in "shock and awe" 10 years ago after the Sept. 11 attacks, recalled focusing first on finding out if any CU employees inside the World Trade Center or nearby Pentagon were harmed and making certain his team remained calm.
"I was in the board room meeting with members of U.S. Central and news came in over whatever electronic device we had at that time that planes had crashed into the World Trade Center," said Becker. "My first instinct was to recognize that we had a credit union in the North Tower, and of course PedFed had a branch in the Pentagon. Our staff immediately tried to find out if everyone was OK."
Becker would soon learn that no CU employees were harmed, and his primary job became making sure staff remained composed. "People may have thought I was a little cold-blooded at the time, turning straight to business and not letting staff go. But I wanted to make sure people remained calm, and having staff go running out into the streets in a panic would not help anyone. You let the air clear a little, let things settle down, and unless you are in imminent danger, you stay put. We were all here at NAFCU and we were safe. But there were rumors swirling of more attacks coming."
'Important Message'
NAFCU sent an e-mail to member CUs letting them know no CU employees had been harmed. "I still make a point to our staff today that such communications are part of our purpose at NAFCU. Some of Pentagon Federal's board were in England at the time and our message was the only way they knew their people were OK."
Becker also made sure his daughter, who worked in Washington, D.C., was safe, and urged her to stay put. "But you know how daughters follow your advice, and she walked to George Washington University where she knew a police officer."
Becker's daughter reached NAFCU's offices by mid-afternoon, where staff had been allowed to leave. Becker called his wife, and learned he had one more task: he had to stop by his my daughter's apartment and get her cat.
