Our view: We won't forget. Ohioans killed during 9/11 terror attacks still cherished
Most of us recall where we were and what we were doing at 8:46 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001.
We remember the news reports grimly announcing that a plane — American Airlines Flight 11 — had crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.
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We remember how the shock in the reporter’s voice turned to horror, mirroring our own, when, 17 minutes later, a second plane — United Airlines Flight 175 — struck the South Tower.
We remember watching in silent disbelief as ominous clouds of smoke plumed evilly from the wrecked skyscrapers. What initially appeared to be debris falling through the air turned out to be people jumping from the buildings. My God, people.
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Over the next hour, two more flights would crash into the Pentagon and in a field in Pennsylvania, the latter diverted from its target — possibly the U.S. Capitol or the White House — by courageous, selfless passengers who attempted to take control of the hijacked aircraft.
It was a day the nation would never forget: 2,996 innocent victims perished at the hands of Al-Qaeda terrorists who had meticulously planned the attacks.
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Let that sink in for a second. People who were someone’s father, mother, brother, sister … someone’s child, someone’s boyfriend or girlfriend. Someone’s someone.
Ohioans among the fallen
The tragedy really hit home when the painful identification process revealed numerous Ohioans among the fallen. People like you, people like me — some visiting the Big Apple, some in town on business, some going about their daily routines to work, unaware it would be their last “See ya later,” their last morning goodbye kiss, their last day taking the kids to school. Their last day.
Douglas MacMillan Cherry, 38, from Wooster, was living in Maplewood, New Jersey, at the time of his death. Ohio native Georgine Rose Corrigan, 55, was living in Honolulu. Another Ohioan, Kathleen Anne Faragher, 33, a resident of Denver, was killed while attending a conference in the World Trade Center.
Columbus native Robert John Ferris, 63, was living in Long Island at the time. He was at a meeting on the 102nd floor of the South Tower when the plane crashed into it.
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As the list grows, so does the sadness of imagining the loss, the inconsolable grief of the families, the children left motherless or fatherless, some so young they have no memories to cling to.
Wendy R. Faulkner, 47, Mason.
Susan M. Getzendanner, 57, originally from Shaker Heights.
H. Joseph Heller Jr., 37, was born in Lakewood.
Clevelander Thomas Warren Hohlweck Jr., 56.
Terrence M. Lynch, 49, was born in Youngstown and was living in Alexandria, Virginia, working as an Army contractor when he was killed in the Pentagon attack.
Also killed in the Pentagon attack was Teresa M. Martin, 45, born in Millersville.
The youngest victim, Mary Lou Hague, 26, was born in Marietta.
Ohioan Raymond Joseph Metz III, 37, was living in Trumbull, Connecticut.
William David Moskal, 50, lived in Brecksville.
James Robert Paul, 58, was born in Cincinnati, and lived in Manhattan.
Robert David Peraza, 30, a native of Warren County, also was living in New York.
Catherine Patricia Salter, 37, lived in Brooklyn, but was born in East Liverpool.
Arlington, Virginia, resident David M. Scales, 44, was born in Cleveland.
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George Edward Spencer III, 50, also was born in Cleveland. He was living in West Norwalk, Connecticut.
Alicia Nicole Titus, 28, was from Springfield. She was a part of the flight crew on the plane that crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
Mary Alice Wahlstrom, 78, was born in Portsmouth.
Todd Christopher Weaver, 30, was originally from North Canton.
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These are not just anonymous casualties, not just something bad that happened to someone else.
They were our fellow Buckeyes. They might have been Reds or Bengals or Ohio State fans.
They should be remembered, not their attackers.
They were Ohioans.
This piece was written by the Dispatch Assistant Opinion Editor Belinda M. Paschal on behalf of The Dispatch Editorial Board. Editorials are our board's fact-based assessment of issues of importance to the communities we serve. These are not the opinions of our reporting staff members, who strive for neutrality in their reporting.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Remembering the Ohioans who died in 9/11 terrorist attacks
