http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A._Winnefeld,_Jr.
James A. Winnefeld, Jr.
September 11 attacks
Winnefeld was the commanding officer of the Enterprise during the September 11 attacks. Enterprise was returning home to port after a six month deployment near the Persian Gulf. The crew was watching television at sea on 9/11 and observed the hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 airliner strike the south tower of the World Trade Center. Without waiting for an order from the National Command Authority, then-Captain Winnefeld, gave the order to put the ship's rudder over (180° degree turn) to return to the Persian Gulf. The carrier's aircraft were within range of Afghanistan by the next morning. For over three weeks, aircraft from Enterprise flew nearly 700 missions and dropped large amounts of ordnance over Afghanistan. The Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Vern Clark praised Winnefeld and credited him for taking initiative
