Sisters and Brothers,
Twenty-five years later, no American will ever forget the terrorist attacks on our great nation on September 11, 2001.
The head-on collision of those planes with the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the attempted attack that brought down Flight 93 was beyond shocking — beyond disbelief. The pure evil, the absolute horror, the complete destruction, the utter chaos, and the total disregard for human life are things that remain difficult to comprehend even a quarter-century later.
On this 25th anniversary, we remember the thousands of innocent people who lost their lives that day. We also remember the first responders, firefighters, police officers, emergency personnel, construction and communications workers, and countless other working people who ran toward the danger, many knowing this would be their last call, yet still they ran.
And we remember those who did not die that day but have since lost their lives or continue to suffer from illnesses caused by their exposure to the toxic fumes, dust and waste during the cleanup and reconstruction at Ground Zero, the Pentagon, and elsewhere.
Among those we remember are our fellow CWA brothers and sisters.
They were telephone and communications workers. Broadcast engineers. Flight attendants. They were people who went to work that morning expecting nothing more than an ordinary day on the job. Instead, they became part of one of the darkest moments in our nation's history.
CWA MEMBERS WE REMEMBER
Patricia Cushing
Local 1023 (District 1) | United Flight 93
Niurka Davila
Local 1077 (District 1) | World Trade Center, North Tower
Donald DiFranco
NABET-CWA Local 16 (District 1) | World Trade Center, North Tower — ABC transmitter
Mary Jones
Local 1032 (District 1) | World Trade Center, North Tower
Jane Orth
Local 1365 (District 1) | American Flight 11
William Steckman
NABET-CWA Local 11 (District 1) | World Trade Center, North Tower — NBC transmitter
Lisa Treretola
Local 1032 (District 1) | World Trade Center, North Tower
Donna Bowen
Local 2336 (District 2-13) | Pentagon — Verizon
Thomas Pecorelli
NABET-CWA Local 53 (District 9) | American Flight 11
Robert J. Fangman
AFA-CWA | United Flight 175 — Flight Attendant
Amy N. Jarret
AFA-CWA | United Flight 175 — Flight Attendant
Amy R. King
AFA-CWA | United Flight 175 — Flight Attendant
Kathryn LaBorie
AFA-CWA | United Flight 175 — Flight Attendant
Alfred G. Marchand
AFA-CWA | United Flight 175 — Flight Attendant
Michael C. Tarrou
AFA-CWA | United Flight 175 — Flight Attendant
Alicia N. Titus
AFA-CWA | United Flight 175 — Flight Attendant
Lorraine G. Bay
AFA-CWA | United Flight 93 — Flight Attendant
Sandra Bradshaw
AFA-CWA | United Flight 93 — Flight Attendant
Wanda Green
AFA-CWA | United Flight 93 — Flight Attendant
CeeCee Lyles
AFA-CWA | United Flight 93 — Flight Attendant
Deborah Welsh
AFA-CWA | United Flight 93 — Flight Attendant
These are not simply names in the history books. They were our sisters and brothers in the labor movement. They had families, friends, coworkers and communities. They had jobs to do and lives they expected to return to at the end of the day.
September 11 also reminded America of something we sometimes forget: when our country is in crisis, working people are the ones who answer the call.
Union members helped restore communications. They helped clean up and rebuild. They worked at Ground Zero, the Pentagon and throughout the affected areas. They operated equipment, repaired infrastructure, restored essential services and helped keep our communities moving forward.
For one brief moment after September 11, the divisions that so often separate us seemed to disappear. We stood together as Americans. We looked out for our neighbors. We thanked strangers. We supported first responders. We understood that, despite our differences, we were part of something larger than ourselves.
Twenty-five years later, perhaps the best way to honor those we lost is to remember that spirit.
We should not allow the passage of time to diminish what happened or what it taught us. We should remember the innocent lives taken, the heroes who responded, the workers who rebuilt, and the families who continue to live with the consequences.
Let us remember those we lost.
Let us honor those who responded.
Let us never forget those who became sick or died because they answered the call to help.
And let us never forget that behind every job, every uniform and every title is a human being whose life matters.
Twenty-five years later, we remember.
We honor.
We will never forget.
In solidarity,
Kevin Sheil
President
CWA Local 1103
