ALPA 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony


Never Forget: ALPA Community Gathers for Annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony


On Monday, September 11, 2023, ALPA’s annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony gathered ALPA members and staff, flight attendants, and community members to honor the crewmembers of American Flight 11, American Flight 77, United Flight 93, and United Flight 175.

“Through traditions like these, we express our solidarity in sharing the grief we still feel at the loss of the nearly 3,000 individuals who fell on the morning of September 11, 2001,” said ALPA president Capt. Jason Ambrosi to those gathered outside ALPA’s offices in McLean, Va., for the ceremony, which was also broadcast live online. “Our tradition in ALPA’s Remembrance Garden—and so many others like it—also allows us to pass on from generation to generation our resolve to prevent anything like it from ever happening again. Solemn traditions such as these renew the sense of responsibility that each of us carries to make flying safer and more secure.”

Capt. Garth Thompson, United Master Executive Council chair, and Capt. Tim Perry, ALPA Canada president, also spoke from the Remembrance Garden to an audience that included ALPA Air Safety Organization leaders and experts watching the live stream in Chicago where they are gathered for the Association’s Air Safety Forum.

“Twenty-two years have passed since 9/11, a day that showed us the very worst, and the absolute best of humanity,” said Thompson. “Today, as we take another step in our collective healing, we are reminded of the bravery of those who fought back in the face of evil. To our fellow crewmembers, passengers, and first responders lost on September 11, 2001—we are standing here today, alongside your loved ones, resolute in our promise to never allow your legacy to fade.”

Following tradition, ALPA first vice president and national safety coordinator Capt. Wendy Morse tolled a bell and Capt. Tyler Hawkins, vice president–administration/secretary, and Capt. Wes Clapper, vice president–finance/treasurer, together placed a wreath as the names of the crewmembers onboard the 9/11 flights were read. ALPA will never forget the lives lost 22 years ago, and this ceremony is a renewal of the Association’s commitment to make flying safer and more secure in their honor.

Ambrosi noted how ALPA continues to advance improvements in airline security based on the lessons learned from the attack. Earlier this year, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a rule mandating the installation of secondary flight deck barriers on all newly manufactured passenger airliners, and ALPA continues to advocate for the Saracini Enhanced Aviation Safety Act, which would mandate these barriers on all existing aircraft.

 

 


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9-11 Remembrance Ceremony 2023

ALPA Pilots Remember

As the 20th anniversary of the attacks that forever changed our industry approached in 2021, many ALPA Master Executive Councils shared their memories of the day and the immediate and long-term effects on their lives, our industry, and their companies.

Not Just Today, but Every Day
United ALPA Master Executive Council

A Perfect Day for Flying
Delta Air Lines ALPA Master Executive Council

What We Do Best
Endeavor ALPA Master Executive Council

20 Years of Accepting the Risks
Envoy ALPA Master Executive Council 

Stunned: A Personal Memory
By Capt. Bruce Freedman (ret.), former Chair, on behalf of the Piedmont ALPA Master Executive Council

Still Recovering from the Setbacks
Sun Country ALPA Master Executive Council

Carrying on the Legacy
Western Global ALPA Master Executive Council

For the 10th anniversary, ALPA pilots shared their firsthand accounts of the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Another decade later, these stories are still a timeless tribute to a day we will Never Forget. 

ATC Asked Me to ID the Incommunicable Plane   
Captain Bruce Hoppe, Delta

The Call, the Vision, the Feelings   
Captain Mark Seal, United

Close-Knit Family     
First Officer Nina Johnston, Jazz

Constant Reminders   
First Officer Linden Hillman, AirTran

Divert in the Interest of National Security   
Captain Wesley Monge, Atlantic Southeast

The Last on Earth to Know   
First Officer Rick Hayden, United 

Launching Critical Incident Response on the Ground in NYC   
Captain Chris Hayes, Delta

On Duty in the Pentagon   
Captain Adam C. Wright, ExpressJet

Quick Thinking, Fear, and Quiet While Stranded in NYC   
First Officer Troy Holladay, Continental

Survivor Tree   
Capt. William Glen Lykins, Continental

 

Continuing the Legacy

We carry on the legacy of our lost aviation family members in an industry that has become the safest mode of transportation in the world. 

ALPA Contributes $200,000 to Organizations Honoring 9/11 Pilots
The non-profit organizations honor the legacy of the four ALPA pilots who were among those who lost their lives in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Continuing the Legacy of 9/11, 20 Years and Beyond
With each passing year, we continue our promise to carry on the legacy of those we lost 20 years ago through efforts to advance security, memorial funds, remembrance events, and more.

Four Pilot Lights
Remembering the four ALPA members lost.

Kalitta Air’s Role in 9/11 Recovery
The airline proudly and bravely flew critical supplies and experts to the attack sites on September 12.

When We Flew Again 
ALPA pilots recount their thoughts and fears from flying the line the first days after 9/11.

9/11 Scholarships: Producing New, Passionate Pilots
Family and friends of the two United Flight 93 pilots established scholarships to support those who wanted to join the profession, and they're already bearing fruit.