25 years later, we must never forget September 11, 2001.
25 years later, we continue to honor and remember those lost.
Nearly 3,000 innocent lives were lost, families were forever changed, and countless heroes ran toward danger to save others.
Today, may we remember the victims, their families, our first responders, and all those whose lives were forever changed.
Never Forget. May God bless America.*****
BETTY ONG:
THE VOICE THAT REMAINED CALM
BETTY ONG: THE VOICE THAT REMAINED CALM
On the morning of September 11, 2001, a flight attendant aboard American Airlines Flight 11 realized something was terribly wrong.
Her name was Betty Ong.
Betty was 45 years old and had spent 14 years working for American Airlines. To her family, she was simply “Bee.” She had not originally been scheduled to work that morning, but she accepted an extra trip to Los Angeles, hoping to spend her upcoming vacation with her sister.
Instead, she found herself in the middle of one of the darkest moments in American history.
Shortly after takeoff from Boston, Betty made a call to the airline's reservations center. She wasn't calling for herself. She was calling to report what was happening aboard the aircraft.
She calmly described injuries, difficulty breathing, the loss of communication with the cockpit, and the possibility that the aircraft had been hijacked.
An airline supervisor soon joined the call, and Betty continued providing information from the plane.
She identified the seats occupied by the suspected hijackers. She described what had happened in the cabin and explained that passengers were moving toward the rear of the aircraft because of the effects of the chemical spray.
For approximately 23 minutes, Betty remained on that call.
She didn't scream.
She didn't panic.
She kept communicating what she knew—information that would help authorities understand what was happening and identify the attackers.
Only part of the conversation was recorded, but the airline supervisor remained connected and relayed Betty's information to emergency authorities.
Then, near the end of the call, Betty's words became hauntingly simple:
“Pray for us. Pray for us.”
The connection ended moments later.
Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
Years later, when the recording was presented to the 9/11 Commission, the supervisor who had spoken with Betty emphasized something important: Betty had remained remarkably composed throughout the call.
Her final words have endured not simply because they were spoken during a terrible moment, but because of the word she chose:
“Us.”
She wasn't thinking only about herself.
She was thinking about everyone.
Today, we remember Betty Ong—and the thousands of innocent people who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.
We remember the passengers.
The flight crews.
The firefighters.
The police officers.
The first responders.
The ordinary people who showed extraordinary courage.
Their lives were taken, but their courage must never be forgotten.
September 11, 2001.
We remember. We honor. We will never forget.
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