Lea este artículo en español aquí.
Fewer than a dozen people turned out in downtown Hollister at the Veterans Memorial Building for a ceremony hosted by the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, by terrorists who hijacked four commercial aircraft and brought down the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, and also crashed into the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.
Besides a VFW honor guard, a contingent of firefighters, and a smattering of old veterans, there were far more empty chairs than those filled with people who came to honor those killed on 9/11.
George Nava, commander of American Legion Post 69, was gracious about the meager turnout.
“It’s not really a bad thing because people go to work,” he said. “People take care of their kids. People have a lot of other things they need to take care of. And I know their hearts are in this 25th anniversary.”
Twenty-five years ago, though, Nava woke up to hear the towers had been hit.
“I know that there were a lot of people that came to watch the towers come down and run in there to save lives,” he said. “I remember reading about this lady. She was a pilot who was supposed to take down Flight 93. I think it was Lucky Jenny, or something like that. So, that’s the day I didn’t go to work. I stayed home all day watching TV. And that means a lot to me. And all our first responders mean a lot in this community.”
The woman Nava was remembering was First Lieutenant Heather “Lucky” Penney of the Washington D.C. Air National Guard, who was one of two F-16 pilots scrambled from Andrews Air Force Base on 9/11 with orders to intercept United Airlines Flight 93. Because their jets had no missiles loaded, the mission would have required ramming the airliner in mid-air, a suicide maneuver. Penney said later that she was prepared to hit the aircraft.
Matt Gibbons, a member of American Legion Post 69, grew up in New York. On 9/11, he was driving to work in San Jose. He remembers the exact time: 6:45 a.m.
“I had the radio on and heard all about it as I was on the 101,” he said. “By the time I got into the office and got the coffee started people started showing up. They were in shock. Just completely amazed. Women were crying. People were very upset. I called my wife and daughter at home and said, ‘Hey, turn on the TV. You’re not going to believe it. The next war has just started.’ And it was pretty intense.”
Gibbons was disappointed at the turnout for the ceremony.
“It’s kind of embarrassing, to be honest,” he said.” I thought there’d be more people to commemorate such a sad day.”
San Benito High School District Superintendent Shawn Tennenbaum wrote of 9/11: “Hollister High School will once again come together to commemorate Patriot Day, continuing a longstanding tradition of remembrance on our campus. The day provides our school community an opportunity to pause and remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost during the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. It is also a time to honor the first responders, service members and everyday citizens whose courage and sacrifice in the face of tragedy continue to inspire us. The San Benito High School District has observed Patriot Day annually since 2002, following the designation of September 11 as a national day of mourning and remembrance.”
Also included in Tennenbaum’s post was the annual tribute to Capt. Jason M. Dahl, the pilot of Flight 93, in which the passengers upon learning of the attack on the World Trade Center, fought the hijackers and the plane crashed in the Pennsylvania field.
The tribute read: “Our remembrance began this week at the Tuesday, Sept. 8 meeting of the San Benito High School District Board of Trustees, which was adjourned in honor of Captain Jason M. Dahl and the brave crew and passengers of United Airlines Flight 93. This annual tribute holds special meaning for our District. Captain Dahl was the brother of longtime superintendent’s administrative assistant Carol Heiderich. The Board has made this remembrance an enduring tradition by committing to adjourn its meeting near September 11 each year in Captain Dahl’s honor. Captain Dahl and the crew and passengers aboard Flight 93 demonstrated extraordinary courage on September 11, 2001. By continuing to recognize them each year, we help ensure that their courage and sacrifice are remembered by new generations of students.”
San Benito County supervisors conducted a moment of silence on Sept. 10 during a special meeting.
There was no public recognition of the day by Hollister city leaders.
We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. Producing local news is expensive, and community support keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service nonprofit news.
You must be logged in to post a comment.