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Women’s Wednesday: Remembering 9/11 · Women's Wednesday with Susan Tran

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Hi everyone welcome to Women's Wednesday, I'm
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Susan Tran and today we are talking about just
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the occasion that we're coming upon September
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11th 25th year and joining me is Gordie felt whose
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brother was aboard a flight 93 Gordie Thank you
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so much for taking the time to chat with us today
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Well, it's my pleasure It is such a heavy topic,
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and I know we've corresponded through email and
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everything to kind of figure out how we're going
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to meander through this conversation. But can
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you bring me back to 25 years ago and what you
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remember about that day? Well, I started my day
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on September 11th, 2001, like most Americans,
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certainly people on the East Coast woke to a
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beautiful blue sky day, just a lovely crisp,
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you know, peaceful morning and I was at my summer
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camp, my wife and I have operated a residential
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summer camp for neurodivergent children for years
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and it was the end of the season and I was doing
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some cleanup and my maintenance director drove
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by in his pickup and rolled down the window and
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asked if I heard what was going on in New York.
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And I went over to the pickup and listened and
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quickly realized that our lives are never going
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to be the same. You knew that moment. Pardon
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me? You knew that moment that things were...
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Oh, absolutely. hearing about a plane hitting
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the World Trade Center and then getting in front
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of a TV like most people did in watching the
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second plane crash into the South Tower. We knew
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that this wasn't a freak accident. It wasn't
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a small plane that was first reported that these
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were commercial airliners that were being used
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as missiles and that our country was under attack.
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And at what point did you realize that your brother,
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Edward, felt... We're seeing some childhood photos
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of Edward and your other brother as well. When
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did you realize that he was aboard the United
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Flight 93? Well, I knew that Ed was traveling
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that day. I wasn't aware that he was on Flight
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93. And what was unusual is that Ed typically
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flew a lot for business and he... was on continental
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airlines most of the time, but for some reason
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they couldn't get him on a continental flight.
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He had to fly out to San Francisco from Newark
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on business, so they got him on to Flight 93.
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I got the first call from Sandy, his wife, and
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she told me that Ed was in the air, that she
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hadn't heard from him. As soon as he landed,
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she would give me a call to let me know that
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he was okay. And we hung up and I dialed a cell
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phone and said, look, give me a call. We're concerned.
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We want to hear from you. And then the next phone
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call I got from Sandy was just confirming that
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he was on Flight 93 and that the plane had crashed
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in Pennsylvania and that there were no survivors.
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But it was all. There was so much information
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and so much misinformation that was going around.
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It was just a very confusing, very scary time
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for all of us. Now we could look back and we
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know that there were four planes, three of which
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hit their targets and Flight 93 that didn't.
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But at that point, we didn't know what else was
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coming. And it was really quite a scary time
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for all of us. One of the most striking things
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when I was researching this is Flight 93 they
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were getting information they had heard about
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the Twin Towers that heard about the Pentagon
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and Your brother made one of the final calls
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to 911 and the transcript is just a little It
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does seem like he's very calm when he just describes
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to the dispatcher that they'd been hijacked and
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this is their path and his name. Were you surprised
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at how he appeared so calm? Ed was a problem
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solver. What he did doesn't surprise me at all.
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What was unique about Flight 93 is that, well,
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there are a couple factors. First off, it was
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45 minutes late taking off, which allowed for
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time, for the plot to unfold. The first plane
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hit the south tower only a few minutes after
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Flight 93 had taken off. The other flights, the
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plan called for the hijackers to take control
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of the planes within 15 minutes of takeoff. That
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didn't happen on Flight 93. For some reason,
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they waited an additional nearly 45 minutes.
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So that by the time that Flight 93 had been hijacked
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at 928, there already had been that other planes
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had gone into buildings, and the passengers and
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crew of Flight 93 were able to begin this historic,
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unprecedented exchange of information with the
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ground. They learned of what was going on in
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New York. They learned what was going on at the
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Pentagon, and it enabled them to, for the next
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35 minutes, essentially, react. They took time
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to, again, to exchange information. And that's
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what the FBI feels the ED was trying to do, was
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trying to help them locate where Flight 93 was.
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But we know that the passengers and crew members
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had an opportunity to, after they learned what
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was going on on the ground, to formulate a plan
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to try to take the plane back. This wasn't your
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typical hijacking. They knew that the plane most
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likely was going to be used as a missile. So
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they knew they had to do something. So they planned
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an attack to retake the plane. What's also unique
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about Flight 93 is we know under that unbelievably
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difficult stress and terror that they must have
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been feeling. They had the presence of mind to
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not only understand what was happening, to process
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what was happening, to formulate a plan. of attack.
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But then they reached back to the underpinnings
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of our nation's foundation. They took a vote,
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one of the most democratic principles in our
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history in the United States, as to whether they
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should act or not. We know they prayed. And then
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we know that when the time came at 9 57, they
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initiated the battle for Flight 93. And for the
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next six minutes from 9 57 to 10 03, when the
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plane crashed in Pennsylvania, they were fighting
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for their lives. They were fighting to get home.
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They were fighting to make sure that the terrorists
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didn't dictate the terms on how their lives were
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going to end. All right, we have Gordie Felt
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joining us now. We're gonna be back in just a
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bit. You're watching Women's Wednesday. Welcome
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back to Women's Wednesday. We're marking the
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25th anniversary of September 11th with Gordie
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Felt, whose brother Edward Felt was on flight
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93. And you were talking to us right before we
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went to break about your brother, along with
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39 crew members and other passengers, just being
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this first to fight in the war on terrorism is
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how it's been described to me, how I've read
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you describe it. How is that possible, do you
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think? Well, you're right. We acknowledge that
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the 40 heroes of Flight 93 did fight this first
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battle in the current war that we're engaged
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in on terrorism. They had no choice. It was brought
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to them. And what was different about Flight
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93 than the flights that went into the Trade
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Center of the Pentagon is that our loved ones
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had knowledge, and they had time, and they were
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able to act. But even so, under that extraordinary
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pressure they were under, they chose to take
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the battle to the terrorists. And it's quite
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a unique story, one that we're incredibly proud
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of, but as we look back again to our history
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in this country, think of the Minutemen. Those
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citizen soldiers that lived normal lives, but
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in a moment's notice were ready to stand up and
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fight for their freedom and fight for their way
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of life and what they felt was the right thing
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to do. So the pastors and crew members, I think
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of them as the Minutemen and Minutemen of the
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new century. Knew that the plane was likely headed
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to the White House the Capitol building and if
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they didn't do something More tragedy was going
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to befall our country and and they they did act
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When you think about your brother knowing how
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horrifically they were going to die What goes
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through your mind at that point? Well, it's horrific.
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When you think the last moments of their lives,
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when the plane crashed, at the end of the battle,
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it was flying just over 560 miles an hour upside
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down. at a 40 -degree angle when it crashed into
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that reclaimed strip mine just outside of Shanksville,
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Pennsylvania. So the terror that they carried
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with them to their grave was beyond comprehension.
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At the same time, I also know that at the end
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of the day, as we were looking at images of the
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World Trade Center, collapsed in flames and rubble
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and the fire at the Pentagon. I know that when
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we looked to the Capitol building, what the 911
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Commission felt most likely was the target for
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Flight 93. We saw a flag flying proudly over
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the dome of the Capitol building. If Flight 93
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had reached its target, can you imagine how we
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as a country would have reacted how we would
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have felt at the end of the day if that dome
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was collapsed in flames. I mean, we took a gut
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punch, and we survived. And I have no doubt that
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we would have survived even if Flight 93 got
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to the target. But the difference is that in
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one of the most horrific days of our generation,
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there was a glimmer of hope. And the hope was
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that Citizens were willing to stand in the breach
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and say no to protect our freedoms. And that's
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what the passengers and crew members of Flight
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93 did for us. They gave us hope. Why is it so
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important? Because this must be tough. This must
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be arduous to remember your brother, to talk
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about these really traumatic moments. But why
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is it still so important for you to share the
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story and to make sure that you helped with the
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creation of the National Flight 93 Memorial?
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Why continue this sharing of a traumatic event?
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Well, there's two reasons. As soon as we stop
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remembering, my brother's gone. I mean, I'll
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always carry him in my heart and on my shoulders.
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along with all of the other 40 heroes and all
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the thousands of people we lost that day. But
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pretty soon those of us that survived won't be
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around to tell the story. So we needed to make
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sure that there was a place, an established memorial,
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where people will be able to go in perpetuity
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and learn the valuable lessons of September 11th.
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And those are ones that we can't afford to lose.
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You know, the lessons about 40 individuals that
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barely knew each other, that in a matter of 35
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minutes, were able to overcome all of their differences
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and understand that the complex diversity of
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that group made them stronger. And that they
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went from 40 individuals into one cohesive unit
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to do what was right. They showed us the path.
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They showed us that It does work. And we saw
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that on September 12. We saw how our country
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came together. We saw how people were more tolerant
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of each other, were willing to listen to each
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other. We've fallen a bit away from that. And
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it's the message of Flight 93 and the message
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of the heroism in New York and at the Pentagon
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that we need to look back on and try to do better,
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to try to be better. All right. We're talking
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to Gordy Felt, whose brother was on Flight 93.
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You're watching Women's Wednesday. We will be
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right back. Welcome back to Women's Wednesday.
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I'm Susan Tran, and joining me now is Gordy Felt,
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and we're talking about the loss of his brother
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aboard Flight 93. And Gordy, you were sharing
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why it's still important for you to share this
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conversation, even though it's difficult and
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even though it's traumatic. And I had just asked
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you in our break if you've gotten many more requests
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for the 25th milestone. And you said yes. And
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it doesn't feel as daunting that you found it
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important. Can you talk a little bit about why
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that is? Well, we have a fairly narrow window
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of opportunity here where family members that
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lost loved ones or people that survived the day
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that were in the towers or that were in the Pentagon
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can share their experiences to help people understand
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that this is personal, that we lost real people
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that day. We lost loved ones, thousands. And
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we really need to take this opportunity to cement
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this story and to cement the sites where people
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can go and learn about September 11th into the
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consciousness of our country and people around
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the world. It's encouraging for me to see how
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much interest there is in September 11th, whether
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it's people coming out to the memorial, and we
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have hundreds of thousands a year that come to
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the Flight 93 Memorial, or the students that
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I talk to and tell the story in their interest
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and their eagerness to learn more. I'm grateful.
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to have this opportunity to be able to share
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my journey, to share certainly the journey of
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my brother and the other heroes of that day.
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And you were mentioning that it is a bit cathartic
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maybe, or helpful, it has been helpful for you
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to share about the heroic actions that the 40
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crew members and passengers took. It's part of
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my healing journey. I'll never be healed. I'll
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never move on from honoring my brother. But it
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didn't take long after I learned that he was
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murdered on September 11th that morning to have
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this intense anger that was building. And I found
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myself in a situation where I really had to make
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a choice. I could let that anger take me to a
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very dark place, or I could channel that energy
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and that emotion into something more positive,
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which would be healthier for me and healthier
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for my family. And at the same time, help assure
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that my brother's memory will be encapsulated
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in some setting, which has turned into the Flight
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93 National Memorial. Does it feel like yesterday
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or a long time ago? It can depend on the moment
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of the day when I think about it, because there's
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times when it does just seem like yesterday.
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You know, as I was walking around the campgrounds,
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I walked across the exact spot where I found
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out for the first time what was going on. And
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then I look back and I also acknowledge the amount
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of time that was put in on the part of so many
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to help establish the Flight 93 National Memorial.
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It leaves me speechless to think about how many
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good people came together to support the families,
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to support the National Park Service, to support
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our country as we built this memorial. And when
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you go and visit the memorial, which I need to
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do, there is a whole area that is off limits
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and only family can go. And can you just share
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why that is so important? Well, the area that
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you're speaking of is what we call the sacred
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ground. And the sacred ground is a 50 acre portion
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of the memorial that represents the debris field.
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It's important for people to remember that when
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Flight 93 crashed, it disintegrated. They were
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only able to collect about 13 % of the bodily
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remains of our loved ones. So essentially, that
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debris field is an open grave. And we requested
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the National Park Service in the general management
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plan for the park that they reserve that space,
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particularly for the families. and guests that
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the families might take out onto this acre ground,
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at least while those of us that were alive on
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September 11th are alive. Presumably that will
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change down the road. But it gives us a place
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where we can go to be with our loved ones, be
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away from cameras, be away from media. And I
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typically go out there with music and sit and
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think about Ed and think about growing up. been
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things that we do together. What can you share
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about Ed that you want people to know and remember
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as we continue to honor all of these heroes?
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Well, Ed was an extraordinarily good student
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growing up. He would ace all of his classes and
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used that intellect to make significant contributions
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to the establishment of the Internet. He was
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a problem solver. Ed could take a look at a problem
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and analyze it and think about it. And before
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you knew it, he had a solution to that problem.
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He was a kind of man, brother, father, that would
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do anything for those around him. He's a great
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mentor to young people at his work. But I think
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at the end of the day, Ed would want to be remembered
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as a family man. as a good father to his two
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daughters, to his wife. Nothing was more important
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to Ed than his family. And to watch him with
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his children, to watch the love that he poured
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into raising them, it was such a gift. And at
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the same time, it's such a loss. He wasn't here
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to see the birth of a grandson or to see the
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wedding for one of his daughters. And it's just,
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it's tragic, but we hold those memories in our
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hearts. And that's how we'll always remember
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Ed. All right, Gordie Feld, thank you so much
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for your time and honoring Ed's memory this way.
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You're watching Women's Wednesday. Have a great
21:08
one.