Honoring the Flight Crews That Died a Quarter Century Ago Today


Twenty. Five. Years. A quarter of a century. It’s hard to believe that I’ve just this year passed the point where more than half my life has been lived post-9/11. Kids who were born on that fateful day can now rent a car. There are a lot of ways to say it… this happened a long time ago now. But for those of us who lived through that day — maybe even more so for those of us working in this industry — the memory is still just as vivid as it was back in 2001. There are some events that just imprint themselves and live forever. For us GenXers, this was that event.

Many of you reading this blog now probably weren’t alive when those terrorists crashed those four airplanes and took all those lives, but you undoubtedly know about it the way my generation knows about President Kennedy’s assassination. And that’s why as the years pass, it’s even more important to remember the littler things, so they don’t get lost.

Once again, I continue the tradition Holly Hegeman started so many years ago… honoring those on-duty crewmembers who were murdered that day by printing their names.

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 Springs, 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 Springs, 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

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22 responses to “Honoring the Flight Crews That Died a Quarter Century Ago Today”

  1. DesertGhost Avatar
    DesertGhost

    Thank you for carrying on this tradition.

  2. Christina Saull Avatar
    Christina Saull

    Thank you for continuing to do this every year.

  3. Axel Belger Avatar
    Axel Belger

    Thank you for continuing this important tradition. Maybe it’s a good idea to honor these people with a minute of silence at the Dorkfest ?

    1. Brett Avatar

      Axel – I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t think there’s any way to get that crowd silent. It’s just not an organized-enough event to make it happen.

  4. 1990 Avatar
    1990

    Thank you, Brett, for keeping this focus each year. Thinking of all the flight crews, alongside the first responders and everyone still dealing with the long-term impacts today.

  5. Cliff Van Leuven Avatar
    Cliff Van Leuven

    Brett- As I say every year- thank you for honoring those in our aviation industry who lost their lives on that horrific day. I spent 32 years at airlines and 8 with the TSA. While at TSA I administered the Oath of Office to new Officers to impress upon them that this must never happen again. Thank you Brett…

  6. Kevin Avatar
    Kevin

    Thank you, Brett.

  7. Brian Hankey Avatar
    Brian Hankey

    Thank you Brett! Every year we have to work harder to keep this event front and center.

  8. Matt D Avatar
    Matt D

    Excellent tradition and I like seeing things like this. And yes, it’s occurred to me as well that there’s an entire generation of people who were either too young to really understand what happened that day or else weren’t even born yet. So either way, they are simply unable to grasp it.

    And on that note, just a minor suggestive correction. I get and agree 1000% with your point, I’d posit that anyone who remembers the JFK incident isn’t GenX. Boomer or older for sure. But to be old enough to have an active recollection of something that happened in 1963? That’s not GenX.

    Maybe for us (I’m solidly GenX myself), the closest *single day* event of significance for our era would probably be Challenger. Not as horrific of course, so don’t think I’m putting them on equal footing, but still….for historical infamy…..

    And now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go listen to a mix tape that has some Fleetwood Mac, Simple Minds, and Offspring tracks on it. Recorded on an actual tape……from vinyl records and CD’s.

    1. Brett Avatar

      Matt D – I think you misunderstood. I am saying that the younger generations today remember 9/11 the way GenX remembers the Kennedy assassination… through stories and history. We GenXers weren’t there for the assassination, and the younger generations today weren’t there for 9/11.

  9. Outer Space Guy Avatar
    Outer Space Guy

    We remember them. Captain Steeeve (on YouTube) has a unique perspective on 9/11. At the time, he was a first officer, working for American Airlines, on the 75/76 aircraft types, and he was based out of Boston. His name was scheduled to operate AA 11 until just minutes before the crew for that flight was finallized.

    You can find more details over on his channel. I wont spoilt more of his story here. Go find it and watch.

  10. Bill from DCA Avatar
    Bill from DCA

    25 minutes in Newark. That was the ATC delay for United flight 93. That delay provided just enough time for the passengers of flight 93 to learn what was happening and take action.

    If not for those passengers, and 25 minutes in Newark, the Capitol would have been a smoldering crater of rubble and I might not be alive. And if I was, my life would be completely different. My house was 0.6 miles due east of the Capitol and my office was 1.6 miles northwest.

    The Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville, PA is truly amazing.

    https://www.nps.gov/flni/index.htm

    I might be the only person in the world who never complains about delays in Newark.

    1. Dave Pearlman Avatar
      Dave Pearlman

      Thank you Brett.

  11. Arubaman Avatar
    Arubaman

    Thank you for Remembering, Mr. Snyder. Hard to believe it’s been 25 years. God Bless them all. Also, a huge shoutout to Orlando Customs for denying entry into the U.S. of the 20th terrorist/hijacker. Fantastic work, also not forgotten.

  12. SAN Greg Avatar
    SAN Greg

    Thank you for honoring and remembering, Brett. So many hearts broken that day.

  13. John G Avatar
    John G

    My parents’ generation all remember where they were when they heard about JFK. Ours remember ms when we heard about the Towers.

    PS Outer space guy… If you like Captain Steve, you should watch what he had to say about the Amazon runway excursion.

    He had a whole lot to say in fact.

    1. Outer Space Guy Avatar
      Outer Space Guy

      Yes he did. and I am just as speechless.

  14. Jimmy Avatar
    Jimmy

    Thank you, Brett. This tradition is deeply appreciated in my home and amongst my colleagues. May we continue to remember and honor their memories.

  15. Bravenav Avatar
    Bravenav

    Thank you, Brett.
    Twenty-five years.
    But for many of us, it’s as fresh as yesterday.
    Never forget.

  16. Daniel Avatar
    Daniel

    Thank you Brett. Like you I can remember the day clearly and keeping the memories alive matters.

  17. Katie Russell Pinkelman Avatar
    Katie Russell Pinkelman

    Thank you for maintaining this tradition, it matters not only for those who remember the day but for those who only hear the stories. Real people on that day proved there is more good than evil humanity.

  18. Common Sense Avatar
    Common Sense

    Thank you. I remember that day all too well. We would do well to learn the lessons of that day.

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