with other officials.

As it was, Jumper, along with Roche, only headed from Roche's office down to the Operations Center after the Pentagon was attacked. At that time, Philip Breedlove, who was with the two men in Roche's office, promptly arranged for them to be taken to the Operations Center. He "hit the duress button and security forces were almost immediately in the room," according to Air Force Magazine. The security officers were told, "We need to get to the bunker; we need to get down to our operations area."

Jumper and Roche's journey to the Operations Center was likely delayed in the crowded corridors, where the two men were "faced with hundreds of people going the other direction, trying to get out of the building." [38] By the timethey entered the Operations Center, it must have been close to 10:00 a.m. This means that by the time Jumper was finally in a position to get involved with the Air Force's response to the 9/11 attacks, the attacks were practically over. (United Airlines Flight 93--the fourth and final aircraft to be hijacked on September 11--supposedly crashed in a field in Pennsylvania at 10:03 a.m.)

Some of the officers who were with Jumper in his staff meeting may also have continued acting inappropriately after the meeting ended, as if they were still unaware of the seriousness of the situation. Officers reportedly "ran upstairs to their offices" after the meeting adjourned. [39] Some of these men were presumably among the "various generals and other brass" who subsequently gathered in the