Sisters and Brothers:
We would like to ask you all to take a moment out of your busy day to remember and honor our fellow flight attendants and all those heroes who lost their lives on this day seventeen years ago. So much time has passed, yet we shall not forget September 11th. Every crew member and every person who lost their life in honor that fateful Tuesday must live on in our hearts and in our memories. We shall remember every family that lives in grief from losing a loved one much too soon, the fiery destruction and chaos of the day that freedom was attacked, the last phone calls, the funerals, and the countless tears shed by our nation. But make certain to remember not only the loss and mourning but also the astounding bravery and incredible heroism of our fallen heroes. We must never forget, and may those of us left behind find comfort from our sorrow.
8:45 a.m. (all times are EDT): A hijacked passenger jet, American Airlines Flight 11 out of Boston, Massachusetts, crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center, tearing a gaping hole in the building and setting it afire.
American Airlines Flight 11 BOS/LAX
North Tower
Flight Deck Crew:
John Ogonowski, 52
Thomas F. McGuinness, 42
Flight Attendants:
Barbara Arestegui, 38
Jeffrey Collman, 41
Sara Elizabeth Low, 29
Karen Martin, 40
Kathy Nicosia, 54
Betty Annong, 45
Jean Roger, 24
Diane Snyder, 42
Madeline Amy Sweeney, 35
9:03 a.m.: A second hijacked airliner, United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston, crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center and explodes. Both buildings are burning.
United Airlines Flight 175 BOS/LAX
South Tower
Flight Deck Crew:
Victor Saracini 51
Michael Harrocks 38
Flight Attendants:
Robert Fangman 33
Amy Jarret 28
Amy King 29
Kathryn LaBorie 44
Alfred Marchand 44
Michael Tarrou 38
Alicia Nicole Titus 28
9:17 a.m.: The Federal Aviation Administration shuts down all New York City area airports.
9:21 a.m.: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey orders all bridges and tunnels in the New York area closed.
9:40 a.m.: The FAA halts all flight operations at U.S. airports, the first time in U.S. history that air traffic nationwide has been halted.
9:43 a.m.: American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon, sending up a huge plume of smoke. Evacuation begins immediately.
American Airlines Flight 77 IAD/LAX
Pentagon
Flight Deck Crew:
Charles F. Burlingane III 51
David M. Charlebois 39
Flight Attendants:
Michele Heidenberger 57
Jennifer Lewis 38
Kenneth Lewis 49
Renee Ann May 39
10:05 a.m.: The south tower of the World Trade Center collapses, plummeting into the streets below. A massive cloud of dust and debris forms and slowly drifts away from the building.
10:10 a.m.: United Airlines Flight 93, also hijacked, crashes in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh.
United Airlines Flight 93 EWR/SFO
Pennsylvania
Flight Deck Crew:
Jason Dahl 43
Leroy Homer 36
Flight Attendants:
Wanda A Green 49
Lorraine G. Bay 58
Sandra W. Bradshaw 38
Ceecee Lyles 33
Deborah A. Welsh 49
10:24 a.m.: The FAA reports that all inbound transatlantic aircraft flying into the United States are being diverted to Canada.
10:28 a.m.: The World Trade Center’s north tower collapses from the top down as if it were being peeled apart, releasing a tremendous cloud of debris and smoke.
10:48 a.m.: Police confirm the plane crash in Pennsylvania.
11:18 a.m.: American Airlines reports it has lost two aircraft. American Flight 11, a Boeing 767 flying from Boston to Los Angeles, had 81 passengers and 11 crew aboard. Flight 77, a Boeing 757 en route from Washington’s Dulles International Airport to Los Angeles, had 58 passengers and six crew members aboard. Flight 11 slammed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Flight 77 hit the Pentagon.
11:26 a.m.: United Airlines reports that United Flight 93, en route from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco, California, has crashed in Pennsylvania. The airline also says that it is “deeply concerned” about United Flight 175.
11:59 a.m.: United Airlines confirms that Flight 175, from Boston to Los Angeles, has crashed with 56 passengers and nine crew members aboard. It hit the World Trade Center’s south tower.
12:04 p.m.: Los Angeles International Airport, the destination of three of the crashed airplanes, is evacuated.
12:15 p.m: San Francisco International Airport is evacuated and shut down. The airport was the destination of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania.
12:30 p.m.: The FAA says 50 flights are in U.S. airspace, but none are reporting any problems.
2:30 p.m.: The FAA announces there will be no U.S. commercial air traffic until noon EDT Wednesday at the earliest.
Through eyes blurred with tears we find the strength and courage to soar beyond the moment. We look to the future knowing we can never forget the past.
In solidarity,
Sara Gonzales Marche’ Johnson-Cooper
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