When I first heard about the blogging project 2,996: Honoring the Vicitms of 9/11 I knew I had to sign up and participate. After all, what is citizen journalism all about if not to harness the talents of every man and woman with a platform to communicate with the world? Like most Americans, I remember 9/11 as vividly as yesterday. Living in Boston we are all touched by the stories of someone who knew someone on one of the planes that departed Logan Airport.
Five years after 9/11 it seems only right to once again remember the victims of this horrible, incomprehensible tragedy. Their lives were taken away. Their surviving family members forced to rebuild their lives and carry on.
I was asked to write a tribute to Deborah Anne Welsh, a crew member on United Flight 93. As I sat down to write this tribute, I thought, "What could I possibly say that hasn't been said already?" I tried looking up Deborah's husband. I believe I found a phone number for him in Manahttan. But I felt I'd be intruding if I actually tried to call him. After all, this is probably a difficult time for family members.
I scoured the Internet and read every article I could find mentioning Deborah. The best, and most complete story of Deborah, was this October 2001 profile in the Pittsburg-Post Gazette that also included a photograph. What struck me most was discovering that Deborah was not originally scheduled to fly on September 11. She had switched shifts with a co-worker and, as a result, became the unwitting victim of a terrorist plot.
Originally from Darby, Pa. Deborah worked for Bell Telephone Co. after graduating high school and was among the original Flyerette hostesses for Philadelphia Flyers hockey games. She joined Eastern Airlines in 1972 and worked there until strikes in the 1980s forced her to briefly change careers. While waiting tables in NYC, she met her husband Patrick and they married in 1991. She later joined Kiwi Airlines and finally United Airlines.
As the purser on United Flight 93, a Boeing 757 aircraft, Deborah was responsible for making the announcements to passengers and directing other attendants on the Newark flight bound for San Francisco, Ca. Her husband is quoted as saying, "I don't think it was a mistake that she was on that flight. She was instrumental, like all those other brave people on that flight, in saving the lives of thousands of people."
The story of Flight 93 has been captured in two movies, one made for cable television the other, for theatrical release. Conspiracy theories about this flight abound. If you are into that kind of stuff, check here. To hear the actual voices of the hijackers, as heard by traffic control officers in Cleveland, visit ABC News.
Regardless of what really happened on Flight 93, Purser Deborah Anne Welsh was working to contain the chaos and reassure her 40 passengers, all of whom feared for their lives, that everything would be OK. Many on the plane that day reportedly prayed the 23rd Psalm. For Deborah we also pray.
The Lord is my shepherd
I shall not want
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
May she always rest in peace.
