File photo: Associated Press
FARGO (KFGO) – Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, North Dakota leaders are reflecting on a pivotal moment in American history and the immediate, critical role the state played in national defense.
Speaking on KFGO’s “News & Views” program guest-hosted by State Sen. Jamie Selzler, U.S. Sen. John Hoeven and former U.S. Sen. Kent Conrad shared personal recollections of the chaos in 2001 and the cross-party unity that followed.
Hoeven, who was serving his first year as governor of North Dakota in 2001, recalled the high-stakes decisions required as state officials mobilized law enforcement, secured critical infrastructure, and placed the National Guard on heightened alert. At the same time, members of North Dakota’s Air National Guard, famously known as the “Happy Hooligans”, were tasked with flying F-16 combat air patrols over Washington, D.C.
“Our F-16s were over Washington, D.C., and they had orders to shoot down an airliner if it was coming back to hit the Capitol,” Hoeven said, mentioning a photograph he still keeps of North Dakota jets zooming past the damaged Pentagon. “That was the unity and determination. We were going to do what we could to protect from a further attack.”
Conrad, who was in Washington on the morning of the attacks, described being evacuated twice from the Capitol complex as security officials warned of approaching hijacked aircraft. While standing outside in a nearby park, Conrad recalled hearing a jet engine roar overhead.
“My defense aide looked up and said, ‘Senator, that’s one of our guys. That’s one of the Happy Hooligans from Fargo,'” Conrad recalled. “In the midst of all that chaos, that was a proud moment that our guys were up there defending the nation’s capital.”
Both leaders emphasized how the national tragedy forged an enduring sense of solidarity across party lines. Conrad pointed to the evening of Sept. 11, when lawmakers from both political parties gathered on the Capitol steps to sing “God Bless America.”
“We were absolutely united that day,” Conrad said. “We could use more of that now.”
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