Col Roy "Deacon" Qualls | "Shoot Them Down If They Don't Respond" — The 9/11 ROE Nobody Talks About

On September 11, 2001, Col. Roy "Deacon" Qualls, a Guard pilot based in New Orleans, received a classified fax from NORAD that changed everything: the Vice President was authorized to order fighter jets to shoot down any civilian aircraft that failed to respond to interception attempts. This was not hypothetical—Qualls and his fellow pilots were prepared to execute the order, with live missiles armed and crews scrambling to protect Air Force One. The episode reveals the raw, unfiltered reality of that day: the fog of war, the moral weight of being ordered to shoot down a passenger jet, and the psychological toll of being on alert for days with no clear rules. Qualls recounts how he and his team flew two combat air patrols over Houston, descending to 500 feet and 500 knots to detect a phantom threat—likely just their own jet noise—highlighting how the nation’s defenses were unprepared and operating on instinct. Later, he reflects on how this moment shaped his leadership journey, including a pivotal year as a maintenance group commander during Hurricane Katrina and the F-15 midair breakup crisis, where he learned that one decisive change—firing a single underperforming NCO—could turn a failing unit around. His story is a powerful testament to resilience, mentorship, and the idea that success often comes not from being the smartest or best-trained, but from refusing to quit and showing up every day.