Today is now technically called Patriot Day in the US, but for those of us in the airline industry, it’s also the day that our industry was flipped on its head. We talk about the impact on the industry all the time, but today isn’t for that.
For those of us who know and love the airlines, those who lost their lives doing their jobs on those four flights. As I’ve done for the last 7 years, I’m printing the names of the on-duty crewmembers who were murdered that day. Read them and remember.
American 11 (Boston to Los Angeles)
Crashed into World Trade Center
Barbara Arestegui, Marstons Mills, MA, flight attendant
Jeffrey Collman, Novato, CA, flight attendant
Sara Low, Boston, MA, flight attendant
Karen Martin, Danvers, MA, flight attendant
Thomas McGuinness, Portsmouth, NH, First Officer
Kathleen Nicosia, Winthrop, MA, flight attendant
John Ogonowski, Dracut, MA, Captain
Betty Ong, Andover, MA, flight attendant
Jean Roger, Longmeadow, MA, flight attendant
Dianne Snyder, Westport, MA, flight attendant
Madeline Sweeney, Acton, MA, flight attendant
United 175 (Boston to Los Angeles)
Crashed into World Trade Center
Robert J Fangman, Claymont, DE, flight attendant
Michael Horrocks, Glen Mills, PA, First Officer
Amy Jarret, Philadelphia, PA and Rhode Island, flight attendant
Amy King, Stafford Spring, CT, flight attendant
Kathryn LaBorie, Providence, RI, flight attendant
Alfred Marchand, Alamogordo, NM, flight attendant
Victor J. Saracini, Lower Makefield Township, PA, Captain
Michael Tarrou, Stafford Spring, CT, flight attendant
Alicia Titus, San Francisco, CA, flight attendant
American 77 (Washington/Dulles to Los Angeles)
Crashed into the Pentagon
Charles Burlingame, Herndon, VA, Captain
David Charlebois, Washington, DC, First Officer
Michele Heidenberger, Chevy Chase, MD, flight attendant
Jennifer Lewis, Culpeper, VA, flight attendant
Kenneth Lewis, Culpeper, VA, flight attendant
Renee May, Baltimore, MD, flight attendant
United 93 (Newark to San Francisco)
Crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania
Lorraine Bay, Hightstown, NJ, flight attendant
Sandy Bradshaw, Greensboro, NC, flight attendant
Jason Dahl, Denver, CO, Captain
Wanda Green, Linden, NJ, flight attendant
Leroy Homer, Marlton, NJ, First Officer
CeeCee Lyles, Ft Myers, FL, flight attendant
Deborah Welsh, New York City, NY, flight attendant
25 comments on “Honoring the Flight Crews That Died 13 Years Ago Today”
Thank you for that. I was “fortunate” in the sense that I did not know anyone personally that perished, but I worked at 305 Broadway on that fateful day and it remains as fresh today in my mind as it was 13 years ago. Mayor Giuliani said it best today that the only concern with having created a ground zero museum is that people have a false sense that the events that took place are simply historical – and sadly – the war on terror is an ever present state and we need to be just as vigilant – perhaps more so now, than ever before.
I think the USG’s overzealous vigilance in the Middle East is a big reason terrorists murdered on 9/11and continue to kill Americans today. That’s exactly what Osama said in his fatwa and what ISIS said before murdering the journalists. It does in no way justify the 9/11 mass murder, but it does show an alternate way to reduce the chances of it happening again, rather than more vigilant bombing and droning (and stateside groping by TSA).
Well said. Ever wonder why terrorists don’t attack Canada, which is just as Christian and capitalist as the US? Simple, because they mind their own business.
Thank you again for the annual honoring of the flight crews from that fateful day.
I’m in time square, and Rethink 911 has a very large video billboard in Time Square of the third building that fell on 911. I didn’t know their was a third building that fell. I thought it was just the two towers.
Thanks for posting this cranky. None of us will forget this day.
We had a very nice ceremony at Delta TechOps: at TOC1, the hangar you see from runway 26L (North runways) with the big FLY DELTA JETS sign, 3 or 4 gentlemen played ceremonial tunes with trumpets from the mezzanine area above the bays. All personnel at the hangar and other coming from the offices stopped to honor those whose gave their live 13 years ago. Very touching, very special.
Thank you for posting this Cranky and we will never forget.
I don’t know anyone who refers to this day as Patriot’s Day and to turn it into some sort of service ‘holiday’ is a travesty. It was an act of war. Terrorism did not start with 9/11 and unfortunately will not end with it.
By stating it was an act of war, you somewhat legitimize the second fatwa as the declaration of war, which means civilian targets (though contravention of Geneva Conventions, which do not bind al Qaeda since non-signatory) were permissible based on that declaration. If you look at it instead as a criminal act of mass murder and fatwa as insight into motive, you may be able to prevent further mass murder rather than engaging in endless war that seems not to be working anyway.
It’s technically PATRIOT Day, not Patriot’s Day. Patriot’s Day is the 3rd Monday in April to commemorate the battles of Lexington and Concord. It’s the day the Boston Marathon is held.
Thanks, again, for publishing this list every year.
A good friend of mine had a high school classmate who was on American Flight 11 that day. So this hits home personally.
Well done! Thank you.
Thanks again, for posting this, Cranky. I lived in Boston (but was in LA on that day) and had worked at Windows on the World, so I had several connections to these events. Because I knew a passenger on Flight 11, Nick Humber, I’ve always had a close connection to that particular flight. I’ve never read the names of those on the other flights, until today. I was surprised to learn that there were two attendants with the same last name and hometown on Flight 77. A married couple? How unbearably sad. This list humanizes the loss of that day.
Catherine – Yes. Jennifer and Kenneth Lewis were married. Here’s a little more about them.
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/911victims/jennifer-lewis/
Hi Cranky – my Sky Girls club also posted this today. I know that you know my son, and you may remember that I was working for VS on that day. It was a frightening day, one of the worst in my life worrying about my son’s safety. He was working for HP and was going to be in the city that day. I lost my job about two weeks later because VS pulled out of the 2 newest cities, ORD and YYZ (?), and then the entire cargo department was let go with the exception of 1 person. My career was never the same and it ended permanently on 9/30/2010. I am happy to be retired, believe me.
All who died in the 11th September attacks RIP. I remember waking up about noon that day, turning on the TV and seeing the news reports. I pray that such an attack never happens again.
As for Jim’s comment, I have to disagree. I think they attacked the US (instead of Canada) because we are the most prominent non-Muslim country, not because Canada supposedly “minds its own business” and the US does not. I also think they did not expect us to go after them like we did.
I know this is not a foreign policy site, and this post is to remember the flight crews, but I would encourage you to read this fatwa. The US is specifically named:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/military-jan-june98-fatwa_1998/
Secondly, study Sweden’s military history. Very active and engaged until end of Napoleon, then neutral until Afghanistan. Between Napoleon helping US in Afghan, they were not attacked or invaded at all, despite two world wars. Since Afghanistan, Sweden of all places was targeted in a terrorist attack. The reason: being in Afghanistan. Luckily, the terrorist only managed to kill himself.
Coming back to aviation: I think if US quit messing around “over there” our flight crews would be safer and there would be no need for dumb liquid rules or me paying $85 not to get fondled in name of protecting me from the terrorists.
You are correct, this is not a foreign policy site. So your comments are not appropriate for this blog. You should do more research on your history. The Canadian’s did serve in Afghanistan. Sweden wasn’t exactly neutral during WWII, they did supply the Germans with iron, and allowed the use of their rail system to invade Norway, which also attempted to be neutral.
1. I didn’t mention Canada.
2. Sweden also allowed Allies a few concessions, and none of these things violate neutrality.
3. If my comments were not appropriate, then maybe yours …
Thank you again for remembering the Flight Crew. Too often they are not even given a thought by the public and/or the media, when the Flight Attendants were some of the first to die and gave information that led to the murderers. They WERE the first responders and ALL CREW on those flights were heroes. We will NEVER forget.
I have the unusal perspective on 9/11. I was United pilot and had just finished my trip on 9/10. A phone call from my sister on the East Coast woke me up to the horrific events.
Fast forward today and I am now an American pilot and learning the story from the American.perspective.
God Bless our flight crews, the first victims of 9/11 and all those that lost their life and loved ones. Never forget; “Let’s Roll”.
Thanks for posting. I was in the North Tower that morning and I will never forget … I take 9/11 off to think and reflect. It was a day like no other.
Random observation: the crews on each AA flight are all from one place, but the UA flights have crews from all over. Is that a difference in how they set up their bases?
Jim – Good question. I don’t know the answer myself, but maybe others can chime in?
My educated guess would be that for UA at the time, BOS and EWR were rather junior bases. Many of the UA flight attendants who were killed that day had been hired in the past year or so. As a result, a large number of flight attendants in those bases actually lived elsewhere and commuted to work. On the AA side, BOS and DCA were smaller and more senior bases that tended to attract people who lived or settled in the nearby area and did not commute from another city.
inspiring one