On Sept. 11, 2001, there were 2,996 individuals simply living their lives, flying to see friends or family, starting a vacation, returning home from a business trip, just getting to work after hectic city commutes, or otherwise enjoying what was a spectacular late summer day on the East Coast.
These people were like so many others starting their day. They had purpose and plans, they had appointments and obligations, they held loved ones and friends close in their hearts.
And, then we were attacked and they all died. And, more than 6,000 others were injured that day.
It’s tough to believe the terrorist attacks are 15 years behind us because the pain of our loss and the fear for our future is strongly in the here and now.
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Portland attorney James Roux, who grew up in Lewiston, was traveling on Flight 175 from Boston to Los Angeles when it was crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center.
Years later, his friend and next-door neighbor A.J. Riseman went to Roux’s house and left a Mason jar filled with flowers and a sign that said “in loving memory of Jim Roux, United Flight 175.”
On a memorial page devoted to victims of Flight 175, Riseman shared this story:
“As I was placing it down on his old doorstep, a lady who was feeding her meter looked at me and said ‘That was very nice of you.’ I started to tear up, and then she approached me as I got into my truck and shut the door with the window down. She asked, ‘Did you know that person?’ Again, I teared up, then I choked and I said, ‘Yes, he was a dear friend.’ She then put her hand on my arm and said ‘I lost my mother that day. She was a police woman.’ We stood in silence for a moment. I wasn’t the only one grieving on that busy sidewalk today. For a moment, two strangers were united by a horrific tragedy, but we shared the same sense of loss, and we were, in a strange way, comforting to each other.”
Navy Cmdr. Robert Allan Schlegel, who attended Gray-New Gloucester High School, died that day at the Pentagon.
He has since been remembered as a leader and patriot, but he was much more. In a memorial post written a decade after 9/11, retired Navy Capt. Phillip Boos said: “Commander Rob Schlegel was my friend and shipmate. His good humor and quick wit made him the sort of guy you just wanted to be around. We made our first cruise together as dashing young ensigns onboard USS Spartanburg County LST-1192.”
Washington and Lee University now offers the Schlegel Prize for International Studies in his name. The prize recognizes the best paper written by a student on foreign affairs or international relations, and awards money to help students research international affairs.
In a memorial posted by Henry Dewing in 2010, he wrote: “Part of Rob’s legacy is now to teach the next generation how to deal with international conflicts like the one that took him from us.”
Jackie and Robert Norton of Lubec also died that day. She was 61; he was 85.
They were passengers on Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles that was crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center.
In a memorial posted in 2011, their friend Mary Crawford wrote: “Bob, I remember you from the years you lived in Weymouth, Ma., when you were my neighbor, friend, fellow church member and leader of the youth group there. You were a wonderful person. On Sundays I often sing from the hymnal my husband and I dedicated to your memory. I think of you often and light a candle each year in church in your memory. Rest in peace.”
Stephen Ward of Gorham also died that day. He was known as the “social president of his neighborhood” and was at the World Trade Center.
In managing their grief, Ward’s family created a memorial fund in his name to award scholarships to Gorham High School graduates who demonstrate athletic and academic leadership.
There is now an annual 9/11 Memorial 5-K Run/Walk held in Gorham in his name, honoring his love of athletics and intellect. In 2012, Ward’s friend Michael Davis, who was an Army Ranger in the 143rd Infantry Airborne Division, organized a sister race at the Finley-Shields Forward Operating Base in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, for members of the 143rd and 4th Infantry Divisions, the Airborne Civil Affairs, the 101st Airborne and the U.S. Air Force.
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The legacy of the people who died on 9/11 is one of love and honor.
Jennifer Cain, who lives in Pennsylvania, posted this on Sept. 11, 2012: “I was not personally affected from today’s events 11 years ago, but nonetheless my heart still aches for all the lives lost and for the families and friends who still grieve to this day. Thank you to all of our heroes who spent countless, exhausting hours to save as many as possible. This day will forever stay in our hearts and will not be forgotten. R.I.P. you brave and beautiful souls.”
That’s how we roll.
jmeyer@sunjournal.com
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