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‘We will never forget’: American Airways pilot remembers father who was traveling 9/11 hijacked airplane

‘We will never forget’: American Airways pilot remembers father who was traveling 9/11 hijacked airplane
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Tom McGuinness was 14 many years outdated on Sept. 11, 2001 when his father went to operate that day as a pilot for American Airlines. 

McGuinness’ father, whose name was also Tom, was the co-pilot of the American Airways flight 11, which was the to start with plane to crash into the World Trade Heart tower with 92 individuals on board.  

It was early in the flight — which had taken off from Boston and was certain for Los Angeles — when hijackers commandeered the aircraft and flew it into the North Tower of the Earth Trade Center, the first strike in a terror attack that reverberates to this day.

Two many years afterwards, that 14-yr-previous boy is also now a pilot for American Airlines. And this weekend, he’s urging his fellow pilots to honor the memory of people lost on 9/11 by being grateful for what they have.

“Those that know me know I really don’t generally direct my introduction with my individual link, even so, I was 14 several years aged when 9/11 happened, and the [first officer] on AA 11 was my dad,” McGuinness wrote in a write-up shared on the Allied Pilots Association web page.

Most are still in mourning more than the loss of lifetime experienced that working day, McGuinness claimed. But he also urged readers not to fail to remember the way the nation — and the airline field — pulled jointly in the aftermath of the assaults.

“The way our country came with each other, the way our crews addressed just about every other and our travellers, and the way my dad lived his lifetime are all shining illustrations of what we want to try to remember this weekend,” McGuinness explained.

Airline personnel for American and United Airlines are seen at a wreath-laying ceremony on September 11, 2021, for their colleagues who died in the assaults on 9/11 in 2001. (Spencer Platt/Getty Photos)

He remembered his father as an achieved Navy aviator and F-14 Tomcat pilot who always set his family members and faith initially in existence. 

“As we remember our very own tales this weekend, get a number of minutes and be thankful for what we have. For those with little ones, devote time demonstrating them examples of compassion and kindness. This kind of remembrance would honor our pilots and exemplify what my dad stood for,” McGuinness claimed in the write-up.

McGuinness included that he hopes men and women will not only emphasis on the unhappiness of Sept. 11, but the gifts of daily life. He also thanked airline travellers who could possibly be traveling this weekend, for keeping vigilant.

“Together, we remember what occurred 20 yrs back on board our aircraft, and we will in no way fail to remember,” he said.